Brenda, Arizona
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1942 and the latest in 1990. It stands in the Parker census division. It lies in ZIP code area 85348. The Survey maps it on the Bear Hills quadrangle. 466 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,375 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresBrenda fell from 676 to 466 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 676 | |
| 2020 | 466 | -210 (-31%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1942 USGS Vicksburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1957 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Vicksburg quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1971 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Salome quadrangle1:100000
- 1990 USGS Bear Hills quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
26 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Brenda between 1993 and 2020, burning about 18 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Colorado River District | NUGGET |
| 3 September 1995 | Smoking | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | not named |
| 13 September 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado River District | BRENDA |
| 21 August 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Colorado River District | GUN SIGHT |
| 9 July 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado River District | BRENDA 2 |
| 4 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Quartzsite Fire District | 785 |
| 25 July 1993 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | not named |
| 24 July 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | RANECRAS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Brenda: 7 past producers, 3 producers, 1 occurrence. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Copper, Gemstone, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Silver-Copper | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Arizona Silver-Copper Prospect | Silver, Copper | Past Producer | Vein | |
| National Debt Mine | Manganese, Beryllium | Past Producer | ||
| Ramsey Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Strontium, Barium-Barite, Vanadium | Producer | 1921 | |
| Ramsey Mine | Barium-Barite, Strontium, Silver, Vanadium, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Iron, Lead, Manganese | Past Producer | ||
| Shamrock Mine | Manganese, Silver, Lead, Gold, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Silver Star | Copper, Silver, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Stafford Mine | Copper, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Bear Hills Jasper Field | Gemstone | Producer | UNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS | |
| Copper Queen | Copper | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
10 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Brenda in 10 storm reports between 1996 and 2021: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | $45,000 | The Arizona Department of Transportation along with chasers in the area reported that multiple semi trucks had been blown over on I-10 westbound east of Quartzsite near mile post 41, resulting in the closure of the interstate. No injuries were reported. |
| August 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | $25,000 | Strong thunderstorms developed across portions of La Paz County during the afternoon hours on August 10th and some affected the Interstate 10 corridor near the town of Brenda. According to a delayed reported received from the public, at about 1400MST strong winds blew the roof off of an RV at the Gateway Ranch RV Resort about one mile east of the town of Brenda. The report came from a renter at the resort who also reported that an awning was blown away and tangled. Multiple trees were also reported to be downed by the strong winds. The damaging wind gusts were estimated to be as high as 75 mph. No injuries were reported due to the strong winds. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Brenda | $20,000 | Copious amounts of tropical moisture continued to flow into southern Arizona on August 24th, and this led to a very moist and unstable airmass. Scattered thunderstorms developed across much of La Paz county during the middle of the morning and they produced very heavy rain with rain rates in excess of 2 inches at times. The heavy rain affected both Highway 60 and Interstate 10 east of Brenda, and led to flash flooding which continued into the early afternoon hours. Small stream flood advisories were issued for portions of northeast and central La Paz counties starting at 0630MST, and they were upgraded to Flash Flood Warnings at 0933MST. Flash Flood Warnings for central La Paz county continued until about 1345MST. According to reports from the public, at 1100MST water was flowing across Avenue 42E and numerous washes east of Brenda were running heavily. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | $20,000 | An accident on I-10 at milepost 45 was blamed on high winds and low visibility. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | $10,000 | Scattered thunderstorms developed over central La Paz county during the evening hours on August 21st. The thunderstorms were able to generate strong, gusty and damaging microburst winds, estimated to be in excess of 70 mph. The storms prompted the issuance of a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, effective from 555 pm until 7 pm. According to a local newspaper report, at 657 pm gusty microburst winds blew down a power pole and some power lines 6 miles northeast of Brenda, along U.S. Highway 60. The downed power lines affected power to the residents of Bouse. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | $10,000 | Awnings ripped off, and trees flattened by strong winds, very heavy rain and small hail. |
| September 2019 | Flash Flood | Brenda | $2,000 | Showers and thunderstorms persisted across the central portions of La Paz County into the early morning hours on September 24th; they continued to produce heavy rain with peak rain rates in excess of one inch per hour. The heavy rain led to flash flooding near the town of Brenda. According to a local county official, at about 0100MST flash flooding 2 miles northeast of Brenda resulted in the closure of road 42E. Flash flooding was occurring in multiple washes, rendering the road impassable. A Flash Flood Warning had been issued more than one hour before the report of the flooding. No injuries or accidents were reported fortunately. |
| September 2019 | Flash Flood | Brenda | - | Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developed across portions of La Paz County during the morning hours on September 23rd, and they continued into the afternoon. The stronger storms generated intense rainfall with peak rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. The heavy rain led to episodes of flash flooding across central portions of the county and north of Interstate 10. According to local county officials, at 1100MST flash flooding resulted in the closure of Plomosa Road between Highways 95 and 72, roughly 6 miles to the southwest of Bouse. A Flash Flood Warning had been issued at 1015MST and was in effect at the time of the flooding. No accidents were reported. |
| August 2018 | Hail | Brenda | - | Isolated thunderstorms developed across the central portion of La Paz County during the early afternoon hours on August 2nd. One of the stronger storms produced large hail that impacted the town of Brenda. According to a report from the general public, at 1300MST hailstones with a diameter of 0.88 inches fell at an RV repair facility in the west part of the town of Brenda. No damage was reported. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for the area at 1300MST and it was in effect through 1330MST. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brenda | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer | 2.8 miles | 16 | |
| Desert Wells | 6.8 miles | 16 | |
| Plomosa | 9.7 miles | 18 | |
| Vicksburg Junction | 9.8 miles | 16 | |
| New Hope | 10.0 miles | 16 | |
| McVay | 10.2 miles | 16 | |
| Bush Pit | 10.5 miles | 16 | |
| Vicksburg | 11.1 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Brenda | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3709549 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 24335. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









