Why visit Superior
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 35 parks and trails, 3 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Picketpost Mountain, Hotel Magma and Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 99°F; December lows average 44°F.
Weather in Superior
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Superior
Superior (Western Apache: Yooʼ Łigai) is a town in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States, and is the oldest town in the county. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,407. Superior was founded as a mining town for the Silver King and the later Magma mines; silver was mined at first, and then transitioned to copper. Currently, exploitation of the huge Resolution Copper deposit is being explored near the town.
From the Wikipedia article Superior, Arizona (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do5
Museums and landmarks10
Hotel Magma
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Historic hotel in Superior, Arizona, US
Parks, trails and playgrounds35
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Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Park · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Botanical garden
37615 East Arboretum Way, Superior
Oct-Apr: Mo-Su 08:00-17:00; May-Sep: 06:00-15:00
23 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes3
Jalapeños
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.6 mi
649 US-60
Mo-Sa 05:00-21:00; Su 07:00-21:00
History
Like nearby Globe, Ray, and Clifton, Arizona, Superior was once part of a huge Apache reservation, but after silver and copper deposits were discovered, those areas were withdrawn from the reservation and returned to the public domain.
In 1872, at the height of the American Indian Wars, a band of raiding Apache horsemen were ambushed by a United States Cavalry force from Picket Post Mountain. After losing 50 men, the Apache retreated up the mountain later named "Apache Leap". According to local legend, in the face of defeat, the remaining Apache leapt to their death rather than being captured by the cavalry, thus giving the mountain its name.
Superior was originally called Queen, then Hastings, and under the latter name was platted in 1900.
Queen had a population of around 100 circa 1880. There was a general store, 2 hotels, numerous saloons, and a post office. The Queen post office closed September 15, 1881.
The Superior townsite was laid out in 1902, and named after the Lake Superior and Arizona Copper Company (LS&A). The Superior post office opened on December 29, 1902.
By 1950, before the United States Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, schools in Superior segregated Anglo and Mexican students.
From the History section of Superior, Arizona on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship2
El Camino Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 2.0 mi
501 South Lobb Avenue, Superior
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Cvit- Central Campus Cac Superior Enterprise Center
School · 2.3 mi
98 N High School Ave, Superior
Map of Superior
68 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°F | 44°F | 2.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 65°F | 46°F | 2.2 in | 0.3 in |
| Mar | 72°F | 49°F | 1.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 78°F | 55°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 87°F | 64°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 97°F | 73°F | 0.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 99°F | 77°F | 2.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 97°F | 76°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 93°F | 72°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 84°F | 63°F | 1.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 72°F | 52°F | 1.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 62°F | 44°F | 2.1 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Superior (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Pinal County has had 16 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2025-05-22: Cody Fire (Fire)
- 2024-07-09: Shake Fire (Fire)
- 2024-05-29: Simmons Fire (Fire)
- 2021-06-06: Telegraph Fire (Fire)
- 2021-04-08: Margo Fire (Fire)
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
San Carlos Apache Airport (GLB) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 27 miles away.
- Miami 17 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
- Gold Canyon 18 mi west, about 30 min by car
- Claypool 19 mi northeast, about 30 min by car
- Kearny 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- Central Heights-Midland City 20 mi northeast, about 32 min by car
- Florence 22 mi southwest, about 35 min by car
- Globe 24 mi east, about 38 min by car
- San Tan Valley 25 mi west, about 40 min by car
- Apache Junction 25 mi west, about 41 min by car
- Queen Creek 28 mi west, about 46 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Apacheleap, ArizonaLincoln ( talk ), Public domain
- Superior with Snow Covered Mountains (6827992456), Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Superior industry (30032576635), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Superior Andy (30032574895), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Superior, AZ 85173, USA - panoramio, Adrian Grey, CC BY 3.0
- Superior, AZ 85173, USA - panoramio (1), Adrian Grey, CC BY 3.0
- Superior, AZ 85173, USA - panoramio (2), Adrian Grey, CC BY 3.0
- Superior, AZ 85173, USA - panoramio (3), Adrian Grey, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (14), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Superior clouds (30032598975), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Superior wood (30032575815), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (26), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (23), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (20), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (16), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (21), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (18), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (13), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (27), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (30), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (9), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (19), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- 2014, Superior, Arizona - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (32), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- A View of The Mountains Northeast of Superior, AZ - panoramio, CWanamaker, CC BY 3.0
- 2014, "The Helping Hand" Tom Macias, Superior Centennial, 1982 - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (8), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona - panoramio (12), davidpinter, CC BY 3.0
- Wildflowers, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, John Menard from Phoenix, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2021 Hotel Magma (1912), 100 Main Street at North Magma, Superior, Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Truck (6581493339), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 2014, Where the Steep Trail Gets Steep - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Damn! (29998453666), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Main Street -3 Beauty emerges everywhere because we need it to (3060404097), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- AZ 60 (33241867718), Kevin Dooley from Chandler, AZ, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 2014, Lower Trail Cliff Walk - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2014, On the Queen Creek Trail - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2013, African Sumac, Rhus lancea, After Decades of Judicious Pruning - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2014, Thompson Falls - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2014, Queen Creek, Boyce Thompson Arboretum - panoramio, Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
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