Oracle, Arizona
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1911 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the San Manuel census division. It lies in ZIP code area 85623. It lies near Alto Hill. The Survey maps it on the Oracle quadrangle. 3,051 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,524 feet above sea level.
On record in Oracle
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 6 records
Acadia Ranchlisted 1984
All Saint's Churchlisted 1984
Kannally Ranchlisted 1996
La Casa del High Jinkslisted 1996
Rancho Linda Vistalisted 1999- American Flag Post Office Ranchlisted 1979
Population over time
2 figuresOracle fell from 3,686 to 3,051 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 | 3,686 | |
| 2020 | 3,051 | -635 (-17%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 20 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.
- 1911 USGS Winkelman quadrangle1:125000
- 1913 USGS Winkelman quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Tucson quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Tucson quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Oracle quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Tucson quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Tucson quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Tucson quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS Mammoth quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1988 USGS Oracle quadrangle1:24000
- 1996 USGS Oracle quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
79 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 79 fires within 5 miles of Oracle between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,045 acres in total. 18 started naturally. 5 were 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 | 37 |
| Natural | 18 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | FALCON |
| 3 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Oracle Volunteer Fire District | not named |
| 3 September 1996 | Smoking | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | not named |
| 12 September 2016 | Natural | under an acre | Coronado National Forest | COD RANCH |
| 9 August 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | not named |
| 5 August 1993 | Natural | 10 acres | Coronado National Forest | JINKS |
| 4 August 2001 | Natural | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | ALTO |
| 27 August 2015 | Natural | under an acre | Coronado National Forest | PALISADES |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 44 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 44 workings within 5 miles of Oracle: 23 past producers, 8 prospects, 8 occurrences, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Tungsten, Copper, Lead, Silver. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Flag | Stone, Tungsten, Copper, Gold, Lead, Molybdenum, Vanadium | Past Producer | ||
| American Flag Mine | Silver, Copper, Lead, Gold | Producer | 1901, 1961 | |
| Bear Cat Claims | Tungsten, Silver, Vanadium, Molybdenum, Gold | Past Producer | 1939 | |
| Burney | Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Molybdenum, Tungsten | Past Producer | ||
| Burney Mines | Silver, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Gold, Manganese | Producer | 1947, 1967 | |
| Campo Bonito Group | Tungsten, Gold, Lead, Molybdenum | Past Producer | 1908 | |
| Cody Tunnel | Tungsten, Gold | Past Producer | Gold, Scheelite | |
| Copper Belle Claims | Gold, Silver, Copper, Molybdenum | Occurrence | ||
| Copper Belle Property | Gold, Molybdenum, Copper, Silver | Occurrence | ||
| Irene Wash | Vermiculite | Occurrence | Metamorphic |
Storms near this place
32 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oracle in 32 storm reports between 1993 and 2022: 10 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 2 lightning. The reports record 1 death. 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 2003 | Flash Flood | Oracle | 1 killed, $50,000 | Around 1.50 to 1.75 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes, with isolated reports of 1.90 inches. The Bonito Wash flooded several homes in the Campo Bonito area. Along the Canada del Oro Wash, the Rancho Solano gauge recorded a 9 foot rise of water. Several houses sustained flood damage. To compound the problem of the fast rising water, two culverts at a bridge downstream became blocked. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $100,000 | Thunderstorms moving into Oracle resulted in trees and power lines downed across a roadway. The most extensive damage was a roof blown off of a home located on Bonito Drive in Oracle. |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Oracle | $50,000 | Numerous streets flooded in Oracle, along with a swift water rescue. The gage at Oracle Ridge recorded 0.94 inches in 30 minutes. Over 40 homes were evacuated in the Catalina area along the Canada del Oro Wash. |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Oracle | $40,000 | Heavy rain caused ponding of water along Highway 79 north of Park Link Drive, and caused Durham Wash and other small washes to flow across the highway, making it impassable for 2 hours. Farther south, heavy rain also occurred near I-10 along the Pinal/Pima county line. Flash flooding occurred at Pinal Air Park, where flood waters entered several buildings. Runoff flooded small washes near Red Rock and washed out Sasco Road at the Santa Cruz River. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $30,000 | Power lines were downed by high winds in Oracle. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees in Saddlebrooke One and blew numerous roof tiles off one residence. |
| July 2021 | Lightning | Oracle | $5,000 | Lightning started a small fire at a residence in the Saddlebrooke area. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $2,000 | Several small trees were uprooted in Saddlebrooke. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed 2 power poles in the town of Oracle. |
| July 2014 | Lightning | Oracle | $1,000 | Lightning incinerated a palm tree in Saddlebrook. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Oracle | $1,000 | Thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall on the north side of the Catalina Mountains, producing flash flooding. Rainfall estimates were locally as high as six inches in portions of southeast Pinal County, specifically near Camp Bonito. Law enforcement barricaded Mt. Lemmon and Peppersauce Roads due to flash flooding. A trained spotter measured 2.40 inches of rain 4 miles southeast of Oracle. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $1,000 | no account filed |
| September 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | $500 | Thunderstorm winds downed large tree limbs in Saddlebrooke. |
| August 2022 | Flash Flood | Oracle | - | Heavy rain of 2 in 1 hour in Oracle caused extensive street flooding throughout the town. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | - | A trained spotter estimated 70 mph wind gusts in Catalina. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Oracle | - | Two to three inches in one hour caused flash flooding of washes and several road closures in Oracle. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Oracle | - | Golfball size hail was reported in Oracle. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Oracle | - | Two spotters in Oracle reported a maximum hail size of one inch, mixed in with smaller pieces. Hail fell for about 20 minutes. |
| September 2005 | Flash Flood | Oracle | - | Motorist trapped on Old Web Road between Peppersauce and Alder washes due to flooding. All roads intersecting those washes were closed. |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Oracle | - | Several homes near Golder Ranch Road were impacted when water in Canada del Oro wash rose 2 to 6 feet. A gauge near Oracle Ridge reported 1.10 inches of rain. |
| August 1993 | Tornado (F0) | Oracle | - | This short-lived tornado over a remote area was observed by a tornado chaser. It touched down and lifted up several times, with lots of desert debris in the funnel. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| September 2022 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Funnel Cloud | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| September 2011 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Oracle | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oracle | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highjinks | 3.2 miles | 28 | |
| Campo Bonito | 3.7 miles | 28 | |
| Casa del Oro | 4.5 miles | 20 | |
| San Manuel | 7.5 miles | 28 | |
| Saddle Brooke | 7.6 miles | 20 | |
| Fordville | 7.6 miles | 25 | |
| Tiger | 8.2 miles | 25 | |
| Oracle Junction | 9.4 miles | 21 |
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 Oracle | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2740714 | 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 32541. 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.










