Most towns lose population slowly, gradually, over time. Jerome lost virtually everyone within a matter of decades, and the reason comes down to a single mineral. The small mountain town practically disappeared because of the mineral mined in the mountain it was built on. According to the Arizona Memory Project, Jerome's population peaked at nearly 15,000 and dropped to roughly 400 today. That single statistic captures the arc of this little mining town built into the side of Cleopatra Hill.
A copper discovery that turned a hillside into a city
