Moving to Globe: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Globe means moving to Gila County's seat and a real, currently active copper-mining-district anchor -- genuinely distinct from Bisbee's mining-to-arts-colony reinvention elsewhere in this build wave -- alongside a real, recent, and deadly flash flood risk this page treats with the seriousness it warrants, not as a routine seasonal footnote.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreA Real, Currently Active Mining Economy -- Not Just Mining History
Unlike Bisbee's now-closed (since 1975) mining industry and subsequent arts-colony transformation, built alongside this record, the adjacent Globe-Miami district hosts a genuinely operating industry today: Freeport-McMoRan's Miami smelter, rod mill, and open-pit operation produces a cited 420 million pounds of copper and 725,000 tons of sulfuric acid annually, one of only two smelters currently operating anywhere in Arizona (the nation's leading copper-producing state). Globe has not undergone a comparable tourism/arts reinvention and remains more of a working mining-legacy community, verified directly this session rather than assumed.
A Real, Genuine Relationship with the San Carlos Apache Reservation
Globe sits a real, documented few miles (cited distances range roughly 5-20 miles depending on measurement point) from the San Carlos Apache Reservation. The relationship is genuine and multidimensional: Apache Jii Day, an annual Globe civic festival, celebrates the connection through Native American art, dance, and culture, and the nearby Apache Gold Casino Resort is a major area employer and visitor draw. The reservation's own economy runs on forestry, tourism, agriculture, a documented tribally owned cattle association, and globally significant peridot gem deposits -- though its own poverty (~49%) and unemployment (~37%) rates, disclosed honestly here, run well above Globe's own city-level figures and reflect real, separate economic conditions on tribal land.
The Single Most Important Fact: The September 2025 Flash Flood
This deserves direct, serious treatment, not a passing mention. On the evening of September 26, 2025, roughly 2.5 inches of rain fell on Globe in 24 hours, striking the 2021 Telegraph Fire burn scar south of town and producing flooding worse than a comparable August 2021 event (which itself damaged more than 50 homes and structures near Russell Gulch). The 2025 flood killed three people, damaged hundreds of homes and businesses, destroyed numerous downtown businesses, closed U.S. 60 near Pinal Creek Road, and triggered a state of emergency -- final damage assessment came to roughly $96 million. FEMA denied Arizona's initial major-disaster-declaration request and, in July 2026, denied the state's appeal, leaving local and state government to fund recovery independently. Anyone considering property near Pinal Creek, Bloody Tanks Wash, or Russell Gulch should confirm current flood-zone status and mitigation work directly before moving.
Crime Data: Consistently Unfavorable Across Sources
Unlike Bisbee's sharply disagreeing crime sources elsewhere in this build wave, Globe's two sources checked this session broadly agree in framing: NeighborhoodScout cites an overall crime rate higher than 99% of Arizona communities (1-in-16 odds of victimization), and CrimeGrade separately places Globe in the 38th percentile for overall safety and the 23rd percentile for violent-crime safety specifically. This is disclosed directly, not softened -- though no specific neighborhood is named as unsafe, and citywide averages can mask real block-by-block variation.
Key takeaways
- Globe's Globe-Miami mining district is a real, currently active copper-production hub (Freeport-McMoRan's Miami smelter, one of only two operating in Arizona) -- genuinely distinct from Bisbee's mining-to-arts-colony reinvention elsewhere in this dataset.
- Globe has a real, genuine, multidimensional relationship with the nearby San Carlos Apache Reservation (Apache Jii Day, the Apache Gold Casino Resort as a major employer), though the reservation's own economic hardship statistics are real, separate, and disclosed honestly rather than glossed over.
- A real, recent, deadly flash flood struck Globe on September 26-27, 2025 (3 deaths, ~$96 million in damage), tied to the 2021 Telegraph Fire burn scar and Pinal Creek/Bloody Tanks Wash/Russell Gulch drainage -- FEMA denied both Arizona's disaster-declaration request and its July 2026 appeal. Confirm current flood-zone status directly before buying near these drainages.
- Crime data is consistently unfavorable across both NeighborhoodScout and CrimeGrade this session (unlike Bisbee's split sources) -- a real, disclosed elevated-crime picture, though median household income ($69,170) runs notably higher here than in Tombstone, Bisbee, or Douglas.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Globe overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert