"Copper Center
Of The World"

Mining, History & Mexican Food

Miami marked the 2018 centennial with ‘100 Years, 100 Stories’; another clue to this community is the gateway sign just west of town on Highway 60 welcoming motorists to ‘the Copper Center of the World.’ 

Copper has been king for a century but Miami’s also famous for turquoise, chrysocolla and quartz mines. Tourists find their own treasure today mining relics in eclectic antique shops along Sullivan Street. Explore this page and we’ll guide you to the Mexican restaurants preferred by locals for savory specialties; tamales, tacos and recipes time-tested by generations of family cooks.

Photographers: look for the arches crossing Miami Wash; or

unique architecture and murals celebrating town history. Want a birds-eye view over Gibson & Sullivan Streets downtown? Climb famous outdoor concrete staircases that ascend above the tallest downtown buildings.

Brief History:  The 1870s brought prospectors seeking silver and gold, copper eclipsed them both and Miami became a bonafide ‘boom town’ at the turn of the century. Copper mining still provides for the most local jobs, with Freeport-McMorRan employing 750 people at its Miami operations; including 330 at the smelter and 187 at the mine.

Copy Right - GEM Press Photos - All Rights Reserved

Copyright - Cameron Davis- All Rights Reserved

Copyright - Cameron Davis - All Rights Reserved

Copyright - Cameron Davis- All Rights Reserved