Editing Ehrenberg, Arizona

{{Short description|CDP and ghost town in La Paz County, Arizona}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Ehrenberg, Arizona
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
|image_skyline            = Ehrenberg (2).jpg
|image_caption            = '''Welcome to Ehrenberg, Arizona (Ghost Town)'''
|imagesize                = 200px
|image_map                = La Paz County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ehrenberg highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[La Paz County, Arizona|La Paz County]] and the state of [[Arizona]]
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[Countries of the World|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arizona|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arizona]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[La Paz County, Arizona|La Paz]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|established_title        =
|established_date         =
|government_type          =
<!-- Area -->
|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>
|area_total_km2           = 31.43
|area_total_sq_mi         = 12.13
|area_land_km2            = 30.88
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.92
|area_water_km2           = 0.54
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.21
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 763
|population_density_km2   = 24.71
|population_density_sq_mi = 63.99
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Standard Time Zone|MST]] (no [[Daylight savings time|DST]])
|utc_offset               = -7
|elevation_ft             = 377
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|coordinates              = {{coord|33|37|03|N|114|29|18|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 85334
|area_code                = [[Area code 928|928]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 04-21800
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2408050<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2408050}}</ref>
|footnotes                =
}}
{{Lists of historic properties}}

'''Ehrenberg''', also historically spelled "Ehrenburg", is an [[unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[La Paz County, Arizona|La Paz County]], [[Arizona]], United States. The population was 1,470 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US0421800| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Ehrenberg CDP, Arizona| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American FactFinder| access-date=August 19, 2019| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213090726/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US0421800| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> Ehrenberg is named for its founder, [[Herman Ehrenberg]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n114 115]}}</ref>

Ehrenberg is located on the [[Colorado River]], which forms the border with [[Riverside County, California|Riverside County]], [[California]], near the city of [[Blythe, California|Blythe]]. It is situated close to [[Interstate 10]], at the southern end of the [[Parker Valley]] and next to the [[Palo Verde Valley]].

==History==
<gallery widths="180px>
File:Townspeople of Ehrenburg, Ariz. Terr., greet a stranger in an automobile on his pioneer cross country tour. Saloon in ba - NARA - 513354.tif|'''Ehrenberg in 1911'''
</gallery>
In 1863, German mining engineer Herman Ehrenberg was hired to survey a new townsite along the Colorado River, approximately {{convert|6|mi|0}} from [[La Paz, Arizona]]. The town, named [[Mineral City, Arizona|Mineral City]], began to grow in 1866, after a new landing was established there, supported by the steamboat captains of the George A. Johnson Company. Mineral City attracted miners and many businessmen away from La Paz and by September 20, 1869, had grown large enough to win a post office.<ref name=hinckley44>Hinckley and James, p. 44.</ref> The same year it was renamed "Ehrenberg".<ref name=Theobald>John and Lillian Theobald, ''Arizona Territory Post Offices & Postmasters'', The Arizona Historical Foundation, Phoenix, 1961.</ref>{{rp|96}}

Over the next several years the town continued to grow, surpassing La Paz. By 1875 there were 500 residents. The population of La Paz dwindled, and many storekeepers relocated to Ehrenberg.<ref name=hinckley44/>

Around the start of the 20th century, railroads began to bypass the river as the major means of transporting goods. The town's population declined, and it lost its post office on December 31, 1913.<ref name=hinckley46>Hinckley and James, p. 46.</ref>

Many of the surviving older buildings in town were torn down in the 1950s to make way for a [[trailer park]].<ref name=hinckley46/>

==Geography==

Ehrenberg is located in western La Paz County and is located on the Colorado River, which forms the border between Arizona and California. The community is along [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]], which leads east {{convert|145|mi}} to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and west {{convert|100|mi}} to [[Indio, California]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the Ehrenberg CDP has a total area of {{convert|31.4|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|30.9|km2|order=flip}} are land and, or 1.78%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

===Climate===
This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Ehrenberg has a [[desert climate]], abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=787220&cityname=Ehrenberg%2C+Arizona%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Ehrenberg, Arizona]</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Ehrenburg, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1977–2018
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Y
|Jan record high F = 87
|Feb record high F = 92
|Mar record high F = 98
|Apr record high F = 107
|May record high F = 115
|Jun record high F = 123
|Jul record high F = 123
|Aug record high F = 119
|Sep record high F = 116
|Oct record high F = 110
|Nov record high F = 96
|Dec record high F = 84

|Jan avg record high F = 77.1
|Feb avg record high F = 83.1
|Mar avg record high F = 91.0
|Apr avg record high F = 99.9
|May avg record high F = 106.8
|Jun avg record high F = 113.1
|Jul avg record high F = 115.7
|Aug avg record high F = 114.3
|Sep avg record high F = 110.7
|Oct avg record high F = 100.6
|Nov avg record high F = 87.5
|Dec avg record high F = 75.5
|year avg record high F = 116.5

|Jan high F = 67.8
|Feb high F = 72.3
|Mar high F = 78.8
|Apr high F = 86.2
|May high F = 94.7
|Jun high F = 104.5
|Jul high F = 107.9
|Aug high F = 107.4
|Sep high F = 101.7
|Oct high F = 89.8
|Nov high F = 76.7
|Dec high F = 65.8
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 55.3
|Feb mean F = 58.7
|Mar mean F = 64.7
|Apr mean F = 71.2
|May mean F = 79.9
|Jun mean F = 89.1
|Jul mean F = 94.3
|Aug mean F = 94.1
|Sep mean F = 87.9
|Oct mean F = 75.6
|Nov mean F = 62.8
|Dec mean F = 53.2
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 42.7
|Feb low F = 45.2
|Mar low F = 50.6
|Apr low F = 56.2
|May low F = 65.2
|Jun low F = 73.7
|Jul low F = 80.6
|Aug low F = 80.8
|Sep low F = 74.1
|Oct low F = 61.4
|Nov low F = 48.8
|Dec low F = 40.6
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 34.9
|Feb avg record low F = 37.0
|Mar avg record low F = 41.6
|Apr avg record low F = 48.4
|May avg record low F = 55.0
|Jun avg record low F = 63.6
|Jul avg record low F = 74.0
|Aug avg record low F = 72.4
|Sep avg record low F = 64.3
|Oct avg record low F = 51.6
|Nov avg record low F = 39.1
|Dec avg record low F = 32.3
|year avg record low F = 31.1

|Jan record low F = 28
|Feb record low F = 26
|Mar record low F = 35
|Apr record low F = 37
|May record low F = 40
|Jun record low F = 51
|Jul record low F = 62
|Aug record low F = 63
|Sep record low F = 57
|Oct record low F = 42
|Nov record low F = 31
|Dec record low F = 25

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.70
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.65
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.47
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.11
|May precipitation inch = 0.06
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.00
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.23
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.33
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.47
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.30
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.18
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.55
|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 2.4
|Feb precipitation days = 2.4
|Mar precipitation days = 2.0
|Apr precipitation days = 0.6
|May precipitation days = 0.3
|Jun precipitation days = 0.0
|Jul precipitation days = 0.9
|Aug precipitation days = 1.1
|Sep precipitation days = 1.9
|Oct precipitation days = 1.1
|Nov precipitation days = 0.8
|Dec precipitation days = 1.7

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00022790&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: Ehrenburg 2E, AZ
|access-date = March 28, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = XMACIS2 (mean maxima/minima 1981&ndash;2010)<ref name = XMACIS2>
{{cite web
|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = xmACIS2
|access-date = March 28, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 763
|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>
}}
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 1,357 people, 545 households, and 348 families residing in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|113.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 824 housing units at an average density of {{convert|69.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.8% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 1.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.6% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 10.5% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.8% from two or more races.  [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race were 30.1% of the population.

There were 545 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.1.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,000, and the median income for a family was $28,000. Males had a median income of $35,956 versus $18,100 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $14,372.  About 17.0% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Infrastructure==
The Ehrenberg Improvement District provides drinking water to the community.<ref>https://ehrenbergwater.com/</ref>

==Image gallery==
Pictured are some of the remaining structures in Ehrenberg:
* '''Ehrenberg General Store''' – 1896, now with an Arizona Oasis RV Resort sign on its side wall.
* Old '''Meat Market''' – This building once housed the "Mercado de Amigos Meat Market"
* The '''Blythe-Ehrenberg-Pipeline suspension bridge''' – over the Colorado River, built in 1916
* The  '''Ehrenberg-Blythe Colorado River Bridge'''
* The '''Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery''' – established in 1869
{{Gallery
|title=Ehrenberg<br>[[File:Ehrenberg-Building-Mecado de Amigos Meat Market.jpg|center|thumb|250px|{{center|'''Mercado de Amigos Meat Market sign'''}}]]
|width=180px
|height=200px
|align=center
|File:Ehrenberg-Building-1896.jpg|'''General Store'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Building-Mecado de Amigos Meat Market-3.jpg|Old '''Meat Market'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Community Church-2.jpg|Old '''Ehrenberg Community Church'''
|File:|''' '''
|File:Ehrenberg-Pipeline suspension bridge over Colorado River-1916-2.jpg|The '''Blythe-Ehrenberg-Pipeline suspension bridge'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Blythe Colorado River Bridge.jpg|[[Interstate 10]]/[[US Route 95]] The Ehrenberg-Blythe ''' Colorado River Bridge''' as seen from Ehrenberg
|File:Ehrenberg-Pioneer Cemetery-1869.jpg|'''Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery Marker'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Pioneer Cemetery Memorial-1869-1935.jpg|'''Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery Monument'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Pioneer Cemetery-1869-3.jpg|Unmarked graves in the '''Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery'''
|File:Ehrenberg-Pioneer Cemetery-1869-4.jpg|Remains of an old wagon in the '''Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery'''
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{citation|last1=Hinckley|first1=Jim|last2=James|first2=Kerrick|title=Ghost Towns of the Southwest: Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps and Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico|publisher=Voyageur Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0760332214}}

==Further reading==
* Setzler, Grady. "Ramblings of a Country Editor". [[Mesa, Arizona|Mesa]]: ''Central'', 1970. {{ISBN?}}
* Setzler, Grady. "Another Wilderness Conquered".  [[Blythe, California|Blythe]]: ''Palo Verde Times'', 1967. {{ISBN?}}
* Dekens, Camile. "Riverman, Desertman".  [[Riverside, California|Riverside]]: ''Press Enterprise'', 1962. {{ISBN?}}

==External links==
* [https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/ehrenburg.html Ehrenberg] – ghosttowns.com
{{Commonscat}}
{{La Paz County, Arizona}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in La Paz County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Arizona]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in La Paz County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Sonoran Desert]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1863]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Arizona Territory]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Arizona]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Arizona]]
[[Category:Bradshaw Trail]]
[[Category:La Paz–Wikenburg Road]]
[[Category:Arizona populated places on the Colorado River]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in Arizona]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Arizona]]