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Parker, Arizona

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1911 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Parker census division. It lies in ZIP code area 85344. It lies near Headgate Rock. The Survey maps it on the Parker quadrangle. 3,417 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 423 feet above sea level.

Parker within La Paz County

On record in Parker

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 3 records

Surveyed buildings and structures 2 records

Population over time

3 figures

Parker grew from 3,140 to 3,417 between 2000 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.

YearPeople Change
20003,140
20103,083-57 (-2%)
20203,417+334 (+11%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 22 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Photographs

2 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Parker Dam, Spanning Colorado River between AZ & CA, Parker, La Paz County, AZ
Parker Dam, Spanning Colorado River between AZ & CA, Parker, La Paz County, AZ
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Colorado River Aqueduct, From Colorado River to Lake Mathews, Parker Dam, San Bernardino County, CA
Colorado River Aqueduct, From Colorado River to Lake Mathews, Parker Dam, San Bernardino County, CA
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

201 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 201 fires within 5 miles of Parker between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,100 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 7 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/undetermined116
Debris and open burning35
Misuse of fire by a minor19
Arson/incendiarism7
Recreation and ceremony6
Natural5
Smoking4
Equipment and vehicle use4
Fireworks3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River AgencyLUIGI
8 September 1999Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River AgencyBROWN
7 September 2005Debris and open burningunder an acreColorado River AgencyMARIO
6 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresColorado River AgencyBOOTH
5 September 1999Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River AgencyMOHAVE RD
27 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River Agency2 PALM
25 September 2000Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River AgencyMOHAVE RD
22 September 1998Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado River AgencyS. LOST LK

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in La Paz County

Mines and quarries near this place

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Parker: 4 occurrences, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Gold, 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Morgan ClaimGold, SilverOccurrence
UnknownPumiceOccurrence
Clay King MineClayOccurrence
Clay King MineClayOccurrence
Blue River PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Parker PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Tamer S & G PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Tanner Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in La Paz County

Storms near this place

23 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Parker in 23 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 14 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 2 heavy rain, 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2014Thunderstorm WindParker$80,000Intense thunderstorms developed across portions of northwest La Paz county during the late afternoon hours on July 8th, and they affected the town of Parker. The strong storms produced damaging microburst outflow winds estimated to be in excess of 80 mph. According to local law enforcement, 4 mobile homes were overturned in Parker. In addition, the gusty winds blew down power poles and caused roof damage to local residences. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindParker$75,000Intense thunderstorms developed across La Paz county during the late morning and early afternoon hours on July 31st. In addition to producing heavy rain, a few of the storms generated strong and damaging wet microburst winds, estimated to be at least 50 knots. Local law enforcement reported that power lines were down along Arizona highway 95 both north and south of Parker. The Parker airport experienced a peak wind gust to 56 mph with the storms, and according to APS, 7 power poles were downed in the Parker area.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindParker$30,000Isolated to scattered monsoon thunderstorms developed during the evening hours in the Parker area on September 1st and some of the stronger storms produced gusty and damaging outflow winds. According to a local newspaper report, at 2150MST gusty winds estimated to be as high as 70 mph caused severe roof damage to a standalone business located near the intersection of Kofa Avenue and 4th Street, about 2 miles northwest of Parker. Additionally the paper reported that the strong winds stripped a carport awning off of a mobile home and blew the awning across some power lines. No injuries were reported as a result of the damage.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindParker$25,000Alamo Lake State Park reported damage to several RV's due to winds. APS power outage lasted for about 9 hours.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindParker$20,000Tree limbs down and buildings damaged.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindParker$10,000Multiple trees were down around Parker including a palm tree that fell into the street along the 900 block of California Avenue/State Route 95. Timing estimated from radar and wind estimated from damage report. No injuries were reported.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindParker$10,000Power lines down.
July 2013Heavy RainParker$6,000Scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of La Paz county during the late morning hours on July 26th and they affected the area around Parker. The storms produced locally heavy rainfall with rain rates in excess of one inch per hour. The heavy rain led to the issuance of an Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory for northern La Paz county, including the community of Parker. The advisory was issued at 1150 am and continued until 145 pm. At 1145 am, a local Emergency Manager reported that heavy rain caused roadway flooding in Parker, with water over curbs in some locations. Additionally, the heavy rain and associated gusty winds downed a few trees of unspecified diameters, and also downed a railroad crossing arm.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindParker$6,000Thunderstorms with heavy rain and damaging winds moved east across the northern portion of the county. Winds blew down 6 utility power poles.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindParker$4,000Power poles blown down near Route 72 and McVay roads.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindParker$2,000A 1 foot diameter mesquite tree fell on a home near 15th Street and Ocotillo Avenue. Damage to the home was not reported. Timing estimated from radar and wind estimated from damage report. No injuries reported.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindParker$2,000Scattered monsoon thunderstorms developed around Parker during the evening hours on September 1st. Some of the stronger storms produced gusty and damaging outflow winds. According to a report from the public, at 2150MST outflow winds estimated to be at least 65 mph in strength knocked over a large pine tree located at the Wallace Elementary School. The trunk of the tree had an estimated diameter of nearly 18 inches. No injuries were reported.
June 2025Flash FloodParker-The intersection of 4th Street and California Avenue in Parker was closed due to flooding. No damages nor injuries were reported.
July 2021Flash FloodParker-The Arizona Department of Transportation reported water, mud, rocks, and debris flowing onto Riverside Drive in Parker, impeding travel. No damage or injuries were reported.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindParker-Several power poles blown down.
September 2006Heavy RainParker-Very heavy rainfall associated with thunderstorms and strong winds affected much of Northern La Paz County during the early morning hours.
August 2005Flash FloodParker-Vicksburg Road closed from I-10 to route 60 due to flooding. Street flooding reported in Quartzsite.
September 2004Flash FloodParker-Very heavy rain resulted in flooding of homes and highways in the Parker area. One gauge indicated 1.15 inches.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindParker-Trees and power lines down.
September 1997Flash FloodParker-Heavy rainfall left many low spots and highway dips flooded between Bouse and Parker.
September 1997Flash FloodParker-Heavy rain, with total rainfall of up to 3 inches, fell in Parker. The rain was associated with Tropical Storm Nora. There was a foot of standing water on many roads and many more were closed.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindParker-Winds blew down street signs and damaged many awnings during a severe thunderstorm.
September 1999HailParker-no account filed

Every storm recorded in La Paz County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Bluewater1.8 miles22
Cienega Springs4.3 miles25
Parker Strip6.8 miles25
Poston12.4 miles22
Planet18.5 miles18
Bouse21.2 miles19
Midway22.0 miles18
Swansea23.5 miles18

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 ParkerAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q916314The 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 9220. 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.