Editing Oracle, Arizona

{{Short description|CDP in Pinal County, Arizona}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Oracle, Arizona
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
|image_skyline            = Acadia Ranch Museum (Oracle, AZ) center section 1.JPG
|image_size = 200px
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            = Acadia Ranch Museum
|image_map                = Pinal County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Oracle highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal County]] and the state of [[Arizona]]
|image_map1               =
|mapsize1                 =
|map_caption1             =
|pushpin_map = USA
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arizona|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arizona]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal]]
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|established_title        =
|established_date         =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 41.10
|area_total_sq_mi         = 15.87
|area_land_km2            = 41.10
|area_land_sq_mi          = 15.87
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|elevation_ft             = 4524
|elevation_m              = 1379
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 3051
|population_metro         =
|population_density_km2   = 74.24
|population_density_sq_mi = 192.29
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Standard Time Zone|MST]] (no [[Daylight savings time|DST]])
|utc_offset               = -7
|coordinates              = {{coord|32|36|58|N|110|46|55|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|website                  =
|timezone_DST             =
|utc_offset_DST           =
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 85623
|area_code                = [[Area code 520|520]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 04-51180
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = {{GNIS4|32541}}
|footnotes                =
|pop_est_as_of =
|pop_est_footnotes =
|population_est =
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_04.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
}}

'''Oracle''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal County]], [[Arizona]], United States. The population was 3,686 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]], falling to 3,051 at the [[2010 United States Census|2020 Census]].

[[Oracle State Park]] is adjacent. The [[Arizona Trail]] passes through the Park and community.
Oracle is the gateway to the road up the north face of [[Mount Lemmon]], which starts off of American Avenue and currently offers a secondary route to the top. Prior to the construction of the [[Catalina Highway]] on the opposite side of the [[Santa Catalina Mountains|Santa Catalina]] range, the Oracle Control Road was the only road access to the mountain community of [[Summerhaven, Arizona|Summerhaven]]. The term "control road" derives from the fact that the direction of traffic was restricted to [[one-way traffic|one-way]] only, either up or down at alternate times of day, to prevent motorists from having to pass one another on the narrow, steep road.  This route is now popular mainly with off-road 4x4 drivers and with off-road or dual-purpose motorcyclists, and should not be attempted by regular passenger cars or street motorcycles. This road ends at the Catalina Highway near Loma Linda.

The community is the location of the [[Biosphere 2]] experiment. Oracle was also the postal address for environmentalist author [[Edward Abbey]], who never lived in the town but visited often.  [[Buffalo Bill]] Cody owned the High Jinks Gold Mine in Oracle briefly and, in 1911, appeared as "Santa" for a group of local children.<ref>Marriott,Barbara."Annie's Guests". Catymatt Productions. 2002. p. 160.</ref>  Oracle is becoming a [[commuter town|bedroom community]] for [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], but large-scale development is opposed by many residents.

== History ==

The name "Oracle" comes from early prospectors.  Albert Weldon came to the area looking for [[gold]] and [[silver]].  He and some other companions named their first mine ''The Oracle'' after the ship Weldon had traveled on.  The community was later named after its first mine, and thus, indirectly, after a ship.

The community began to grow in the late 1870s, as gold and silver were discovered, and the Christmas and New Year mines opened.  By 1880, a [[post office]] had been established.

The community also became a retreat for people suffering from [[tuberculosis]].  The Acadia Ranch – built in Oracle in 1882 by Edwin S. and Lillian Dodge – was, during this time, a [[sanitorium]].

===Alternative history===
On January 1, 2017, in the ''[[Arizona Daily Star]]'' newspaper, historian David Leighton challenged the accepted history of the town of Oracle:

He wrote that Albert Weldon who was born about 1840 in New Brunswick, Canada, traveled on his uncle Capt. A.D. Wood's ship Oracle around [[Cape Horn]] at the tip of South America and arrived in California between 1857 and 1860. Weldon enlisted as a private in Company E, 5th California Infantry, of the Union Army, in 1861. This unit was attached to the California Column and soon marched to [[Tucson]] where Weldon was posted at a nearby stage station before moving east and eventually being honorably discharged in Mesilla New Mexico in 1864.

After his military service he returned to [[California]] and was involved in mining and also lumber. In 1876 he returned to [[Arizona]]. Within a couple of years he found a partner in Irishman Jimmie Lee and both men traveled northeast of Tucson into the Santa Catalina Mountains in search of precious metal. Soon he found a mining claim and named it Oracle in honor of his uncle's ship.

The ship Oracle was built under the supervision of Captain Charles E. Ranlett and was constructed for the shipbuilding firm Chapman & Flint of Maine. It was launched in 1853 and was a temperance ship (one that didn't allow alcohol aboard) and sailed to ports across the globe including Melbourne, Australia and Shanghai, China.  It was captained by Weldon's uncle for several years.

Weldon was soon joined by Alexander McKay, an immigrant from [[Scotland]] who located two mining claims named Christmas and New Years because of the days they were discovered. McKay also built a one-room house, the first in the area, and from it, the village grew. When it was time for a post office to be named, Oracle was the name eventually chosen.

Leighton stated that the town of Oracle takes its name from the Oracle Mine which took its name from the ship Oracle and that he believes the ship took its name from an oracle{{snd}}a shrine dedicated to a particular god where people went to consult a priest or priestess in times of trouble or uncertainty{{snd}}called the Temple of Apollo at [[Didyma]] in present-day Aydin Province, Turkey, not the oracle at Delphi, Greece believed by some to be the origin of the name. He also explained that there were two ships named Oracle made by the same shipbuilder, the second one being launched in 1876 but that this later ship wasn't the boat that Weldon traveled on, as some sources have said.<ref>[http://tucson.com/news/local/street-smarts-how-oracle-road-came-to-be-named-for/article_f3bf19c2-e2b0-5192-92c6-f7dabe3204a0.html  David Leighton, "Street Smarts: How Oracle Road came to be named for a fast ship with a teetotaling crew," ''Arizona Daily Star'', Jan. 1, 2017]</ref>

==Geography==
Oracle is located at {{coord|32|36|58|N|110|46|55|W|type:city}} (32.616030, -110.781854).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|16.4|sqmi|km2}}, all  land.

[[File:Oracle, Arizona on Christmas day 2016.jpg|thumb|Oracle, Arizona from the air looking south with the Santa Catalina Mountains in the background]]

== Geology ==
Oracle and the surrounding area sit largely on a slab of [[granite]] called "Oracle granite" that is visible as red or grey-and-white speckled "boulders" rising over the scrub and grass. It is mostly porphyritic [[biotite]] Precambrian granite with large [[microcline]] phenocrysts, and has occasional inclusions of white and milky [[quartz]] and [[pegmatite]]. The granite rarely contains ore and veins of [[gold]] or [[silver]], and sometimes [[copper]].

== Climate ==
At an altitude of {{convert|4500|ft}}, Oracle has a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csa''), somewhat similar to [[Prescott, Arizona|Prescott]] further northwestward. Unlike most climates of its type, only the early summer is dry, with [[North American monsoon|monsoonal]] thunderstorms producing substantial rain in July and August. The winter season from October to March is cool to pleasant by day and chilly by night, with occasional wet spells.

Summer temperatures are hot, though less extreme than lowland Arizona: 86 afternoons typically exceed {{convert|90|F|C|1|disp=or}}, only about half as many as [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], but only ten top {{convert|100|F|C|1|disp=or}}, which is one-seventh the number expected in Tucson. The average window for temperatures of 90 degrees is from May 13 to September 30, and for century temperatures from June 25 to July 28. Freezing temperatures occur on 45 mornings annually; the record low is {{convert|2|F|C|1|disp=or}} on January 22, 1937, part of the coldest month on record with an average of {{convert|34.7|F|C|1|disp=or}} and a mean minimum of {{convert|21.6|F|C|1}}. The hottest temperature has been {{convert|110|F|C|1|disp=or}} on June 16, 2021.

The wettest month has been January 1993 with {{convert|10.96|in|mm|1|disp=or}}, the wettest calendar year 1983 with {{convert|43.85|in|mm|1|disp=or}}, and the driest 2020 with {{convert|6.37|in|mm|1|disp=or}}. The wettest day has been July 14, 2021 with {{convert|4.83|in|mm|1|disp=or}}. Snowfall may occur during cold spells in winter: the most snow in one month was {{convert|26.3|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} in January 1937. The most snow in one season was {{convert|41.1|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} between July 1990 and June 1991; in contrast no measurable snow fell in 1926–27, 1973–74 and 2021–22. The most snow on the ground has been {{convert|16|in|m|sigfig=2}} on January 9, 1937.

{{Weather box
|location = Oracle, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan record high F = 83
|Feb record high F = 83
|Mar record high F = 86
|Apr record high F = 97
|May record high F = 104
|Jun record high F = 110
|Jul record high F = 109
|Aug record high F = 106
|Sep record high F = 104
|Oct record high F = 99
|Nov record high F = 88
|Dec record high F = 79

|Jan avg record high F = 68.1
|Feb avg record high F = 71.6
|Mar avg record high F = 77.3
|Apr avg record high F = 84.5
|May avg record high F = 93.4
|Jun avg record high F = 100.6
|Jul avg record high F = 101.2
|Aug avg record high F = 98.2
|Sep avg record high F = 94.5
|Oct avg record high F = 89.5
|Nov avg record high F = 78.0
|Dec avg record high F = 68.9
|year avg record high F = 102.8

|Jan high F = 55.5
|Feb high F = 57.9
|Mar high F = 63.9
|Apr high F = 70.9
|May high F = 82.0
|Jun high F = 92.0
|Jul high F = 91.4
|Aug high F = 89.6
|Sep high F = 85.7
|Oct high F = 76.7
|Nov high F = 63.9
|Dec high F = 54.8
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 45.3
|Feb mean F = 47.6
|Mar mean F = 52.8
|Apr mean F = 58.3
|May mean F = 69.0
|Jun mean F = 78.8
|Jul mean F = 80.1
|Aug mean F = 78.4
|Sep mean F = 74.5
|Oct mean F = 64.6
|Nov mean F = 52.9
|Dec mean F = 45.2
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 35.2
|Feb low F = 37.2
|Mar low F = 41.7
|Apr low F = 45.7
|May low F = 55.9
|Jun low F = 65.5
|Jul low F = 68.8
|Aug low F = 67.2
|Sep low F = 63.3
|Oct low F = 52.4
|Nov low F = 41.8
|Dec low F = 35.6
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 20.2
|Feb avg record low F = 23.3
|Mar avg record low F = 27.2
|Apr avg record low F = 31.1
|May avg record low F = 41.0
|Jun avg record low F = 51.0
|Jul avg record low F = 59.0
|Aug avg record low F = 59.7
|Sep avg record low F = 51.1
|Oct avg record low F = 36.4
|Nov avg record low F = 25.3
|Dec avg record low F = 19.8
|year avg record low F = 17.0

|Jan record low F = 2
|Feb record low F = 4
|Mar record low F = 15
|Apr record low F = 22
|May record low F = 25
|Jun record low F = 37
|Jul record low F = 38
|Aug record low F = 50
|Sep record low F = 39
|Oct record low F = 21
|Nov record low F = 14
|Dec record low F = 6

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.29
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.07
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.66
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.64
|May precipitation inch = 0.50
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.32
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.25
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.80
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.84
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.08
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.28
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.97
|year precipitation inch = 21.70

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 6.5
|Feb precipitation days = 6.4
|Mar precipitation days = 5.7
|Apr precipitation days = 2.5
|May precipitation days = 2.3
|Jun precipitation days = 2.1
|Jul precipitation days = 9.5
|Aug precipitation days = 12.1
|Sep precipitation days = 6.0
|Oct precipitation days = 4.4
|Nov precipitation days = 3.9
|Dec precipitation days = 5.3

|Jan snow inch = 2.9
|Feb snow inch = 1.9
|Mar snow inch = 2.5
|Apr snow inch = 1.2
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.5
|Dec snow inch = 1.8
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.9
|Feb snow days = 0.9
|Mar snow days = 0.5
|Apr snow days = 0.4
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.2
|Dec snow days = 1.0

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00026119&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Oracle 2 SE, AZ
|access-date = April 30, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=twc
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Tucson
|access-date = April 30, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

[[File:Oracle AZ Mt Lemmon.JPG|thumb|right|alt=View of Oracle, AZ looking south with Mt. Lemmon in background.|Oracle, AZ – Mt. Lemmon in background.]]

== Ecology ==
Flora includes [[Quercus emoryi|emory oak]], [[Arctostaphylos pungens|point-leaf manzanita]], [[Rhamnus crocea subsp. ilicifolia|holly-leaf buckthorn]], [[Juniperus deppeana|alligator juniper]], [[Prosopis velutina|velvet mesquite]], [[Celtis reticulata|netleaf hackberry]], [[Rhus trilobata|lemonade berry]],  [[Aloysia wrightii|oreganillo]], [[Anisacanthus|Thurber’s desert honeysuckle]], [[Fouquieria splendens|ocotillo]], [[Ericameria laricifolia|turpentine bush]], [[Tecoma stans|yellow bells]], [[Agave chrysantha|golden-flowered agave]], [[Agave parryi|mescal agave]], [[Dasylirion wheeleri|sotol]], [[Yucca elata|soaptree yucca]], [[Nolina microcarpa|beargrass]], [[Opuntia engelmannii|Engelman’s prickly pear]], [[Ferocactus wislizeni|fishhook barrel cactus]], [[Cylindropuntia spinosior|cane cholla]], [[Penstemon eatonii|firecracker penstemon]], [[Mirabilis multiflora|showy four o’clock]], [[Datura wrightii|sacred datura]], [[Glandularia gooddingii|Goodding verbena]], [[Calliandra eriophylla|fairy duster]], [[Oenothera caespitosa|tufted evening primrose]], [[Calochortus ambiguus|Arizona mariposa lily]],  [[Muhlenbergia rigens|deer grass]], and [[Bouteloua parryi|Parry’s grama]].

Fauna includes [[greater roadrunner]], [[common raven]], [[acorn woodpecker]], [[great horned owl]], [[zone-tailed hawk]], [[Cooper’s hawk]], [[Meleagris gallopavo|wild turkey]], [[Callipepla gambelii|Gambel’s quail]], [[cactus wren]], [[curve-billed thrasher]], [[hooded oriole]], [[northern cardinal]], [[Leiothlypis luciae|Lucy’s warbler]], [[vermilion flycatcher]], [[broad-billed hummingbird]], [[Gila monster]], [[Sceloporus clarkii|Clark’s spiny lizard]], [[Madrean alligator lizard]], [[Masticophis flagellum|coachwhip]], [[Pituophis catenifer|gopher snake]], [[red-spotted toad]], [[canyon tree frog]], [[Papilio polyxenes|black swalllowtail]], [[Hyles lineata|white-lined sphinx]], [[Adelpha eulalia|Arizona sister]], [[Bombus sonorus|Sonoran bumblebee]], [[Pepsis thisbe|tarantula hawk]], [[Parabacillus hesperus|western short-horn walkingstick]], [[Xyloryctes thestalus|western rhinoceros beetle]], [[Eleodes|darkling beetles]], [[Dactylotum bicolor|rainbow grasshopper]], [[flame skimmer]], [[Stagmomantis limbata|Arizona mantis]], [[Peucetia viridans|green lynx spider]], [[Aphonopelma chalcodes|desert blonde tarantula]], [[Arizona bark scorpion]], [[mule deer]], [[Puma concolor|cougar]], [[bobcat]], [[gray fox]], [[coyote]], [[striped skunk]], [[collared peccary|javelina]], [[white-nosed coati]], [[rock squirrel]], [[desert cottontail]], and [[big brown bat]].

The Oracle region once sustained more extensive and biodiverse grassland ecosystems, but widespread and poorly regulated cattle ranching has largely depleted them. An ongoing transition to a mesquite/opuntia/invasive grass-dominated landscape is occurring.

==Attractions and events==
* [[Oracle State Park]]
* [[Biosphere 2]]
* [[Acadia Ranch|Acadia Ranch Museum]], operated by the Oracle Historical Society, local history
* GLOW,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.trianglelranch.com/glow.htm |title=GLOW art event website |access-date=October 18, 2009 |archive-date=October 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005082031/http://www.trianglelranch.com/glow.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> an annual nighttime multimedia art event coinciding with the [[full moon]].
* [[Peppersauce Cave]], a limestone cave with approximately one mile of mapped passages.
* YMCA Triangle Y Ranch Camp[[File:A spectacular sunset over Oracle, AZ USA during the 2020 monsoon season.png|thumb|Oracle, Arizona has many spectacular sunsets, especially during the monsoon season. This is a truly exceptional example.]]

[[File:GLOW 2007, Oracle.jpg|thumb|GLOW 2007 exhibit]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2000= 3563
|2010= 3686
|2020= 3051
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Rancho Linda Vista (2).JPG|thumb|Rancho Linda Vista, listed on the  [[National Register of Historic Places in Pinal County, Arizona]] ]]

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 3,563 people, 1,384 households, and 1,004 families residing in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|313.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,534 housing units at an average density of {{convert|134.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.0% [[Race (United States Census)|White]] or [[European American]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.5% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 17.3% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.8% from two or more races.  38.3% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 1,384 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 27.4% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.0.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,267, and the median income for a family was $46,026. Males had a median income of $37,667 versus $30,667 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $19,459.  About 8.0% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

==See also==
* [[Santa Catalina Ranger District]] of the [[Coronado National Forest]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Oracle, Arizona}}
{{wikivoyage|Oracle}}
*
* [http://www.visitoracle.org/ Tourism Guide of Oracle, Arizona]
* [http://www.oraclehistoricalsociety.org/ Oracle Historical Society], Acadia Ranch Museum

{{Pinal County, Arizona}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Pinal County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Arizona]]
[[Category:Santa Catalina Mountains]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Arizona]]
[[Category:1870s establishments in Arizona Territory]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1870s]]