Apache Junction
When people visit Arizona they flock to our tourist spots, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley and Tombstone. If they're not tourists they're probably in the Phoenix metro area or Tucson on business, or maybe Flagstaff. Few travel to Apache Junction.
AJ, is its know to locals, is one of the weirdest towns in the Phoenix area. I remember when I was planning our move to AZ, 14 years ago, thinking Apache Junction is a cool name and must be a uniquely Arizona place. It is, but not for necessarily good reasons.
When Hollywood sets a film in the southwest they're often looking for an isolated, run down town that's seen better years. They want a shit hole and AJ has everything a director could want in a southwest dump, including the contrast of shitsville up against desert beauty. AJ is nestled against the cliffs of the Superstition Mountians, one of the most beautifully rugged places I've ever hiked. It's really a perfect example of rural Arizona, where the edge of civilization meets the most inhospitable terrain the southwest has to offer.
AJ is at the extreme eastern edge of the Valley of the Sun. A place too far from the city to enjoy the fruits of progress but close enough to experience the ills of urban life. AJ is as economically depressed as any ghetto and it has a serious meth problem. Driving along the Apache Highway you'll pass auto repair businesses, gun shops, pawn shops, sleazy dive bars and an assortment of buildings that time forgot, vacant shells of once thriving businesses ... but it's hard to imagine AJ as thriving at any time in history.
There are many trailer parks and retirement villages filled with old people who retire on a low budget, people with challenges and stories I can only imagine. Appearances don't matter in AJ, the people are just there and there's no one to impress with your well kept home and garden. There is no upkeep, everything has gone to hell.
The roadside motels, some abandoned and some hanging on by a thread, are a perfect picture of decrepit Americana. I cannot imagine sliding between the sheets in one of these places knowing what seedy activity has likely taken place in those rooms. I shudder at the thought of it.
No lone leaves the city and goes to AJ to spend the day. You're either there on a sad business trip, passing through or exploring. I was there exploring, in the middle of the night, no need to explain.
Highway 60 runs east from PHX through Tempe, Mesa and AJ on its way into the Superstition Wilderness where it eventually reaches the mining towns of Superior, Globe and Miami... places that give AJ a run for its money in shitiness. No one is stopping in Apache Junction unless they need food, gas or God forbid roadside assistance.
My words cannot paint the picture clear enough. AJ is depressed, dumpy, ugly, squalid and every other synonym you can come up with, and it's home to roughly 36,000 souls. How can that many people be wrong? Many ways is my guess, countless versions of wrong turns and unfortunate fates.
AJ is not without its charms, the beautiful mountains and surrounding desert, some very campy tourist places like the Goldfield Mine Camp and the Lost Dutchman State Park, complete with its legend of the Lost Dutchman gold mine. It's been the launching point for countless treasure seekers who've attempted to find the mythological stash of riches left in the wilderness many decades ago.
I'm fascinated with AJ but I don't know why. If you're driving down route 60 you'll see the Home Depot, golf courses and modern apartment complexes. You're being fooled by a facade of development. You must exit the highway and venture 1/2 mile from the beaten path to appreciate Apache Junction in all its faded glory.
On my recent visit I saw several lonely souls wandering down the Apache Highway alone in the wee hours and I wondered why. Where could they be going at this hour on the dark stretch of depressed, barely inhabited road? I dare not stop to ask. In my mind everyone in Apache Junction is carrying a gun.
If you ever visit PHX and want to get away from the glass and concrete to see a version of Arizona most people would rather hide, jump on interstate 10 southbound, take the 60 east and get off when you see the cliffs of the Superstitions. You won't forget it but you might regret it. Be warned, don't stay for long. I suspect AJ is one of those places no one intends on going, they just end up there, and you don't want that fate.
AJ, is its know to locals, is one of the weirdest towns in the Phoenix area. I remember when I was planning our move to AZ, 14 years ago, thinking Apache Junction is a cool name and must be a uniquely Arizona place. It is, but not for necessarily good reasons.
When Hollywood sets a film in the southwest they're often looking for an isolated, run down town that's seen better years. They want a shit hole and AJ has everything a director could want in a southwest dump, including the contrast of shitsville up against desert beauty. AJ is nestled against the cliffs of the Superstition Mountians, one of the most beautifully rugged places I've ever hiked. It's really a perfect example of rural Arizona, where the edge of civilization meets the most inhospitable terrain the southwest has to offer.
AJ is at the extreme eastern edge of the Valley of the Sun. A place too far from the city to enjoy the fruits of progress but close enough to experience the ills of urban life. AJ is as economically depressed as any ghetto and it has a serious meth problem. Driving along the Apache Highway you'll pass auto repair businesses, gun shops, pawn shops, sleazy dive bars and an assortment of buildings that time forgot, vacant shells of once thriving businesses ... but it's hard to imagine AJ as thriving at any time in history.
There are many trailer parks and retirement villages filled with old people who retire on a low budget, people with challenges and stories I can only imagine. Appearances don't matter in AJ, the people are just there and there's no one to impress with your well kept home and garden. There is no upkeep, everything has gone to hell.
The roadside motels, some abandoned and some hanging on by a thread, are a perfect picture of decrepit Americana. I cannot imagine sliding between the sheets in one of these places knowing what seedy activity has likely taken place in those rooms. I shudder at the thought of it.
No lone leaves the city and goes to AJ to spend the day. You're either there on a sad business trip, passing through or exploring. I was there exploring, in the middle of the night, no need to explain.
Highway 60 runs east from PHX through Tempe, Mesa and AJ on its way into the Superstition Wilderness where it eventually reaches the mining towns of Superior, Globe and Miami... places that give AJ a run for its money in shitiness. No one is stopping in Apache Junction unless they need food, gas or God forbid roadside assistance.
My words cannot paint the picture clear enough. AJ is depressed, dumpy, ugly, squalid and every other synonym you can come up with, and it's home to roughly 36,000 souls. How can that many people be wrong? Many ways is my guess, countless versions of wrong turns and unfortunate fates.
AJ is not without its charms, the beautiful mountains and surrounding desert, some very campy tourist places like the Goldfield Mine Camp and the Lost Dutchman State Park, complete with its legend of the Lost Dutchman gold mine. It's been the launching point for countless treasure seekers who've attempted to find the mythological stash of riches left in the wilderness many decades ago.
I'm fascinated with AJ but I don't know why. If you're driving down route 60 you'll see the Home Depot, golf courses and modern apartment complexes. You're being fooled by a facade of development. You must exit the highway and venture 1/2 mile from the beaten path to appreciate Apache Junction in all its faded glory.
On my recent visit I saw several lonely souls wandering down the Apache Highway alone in the wee hours and I wondered why. Where could they be going at this hour on the dark stretch of depressed, barely inhabited road? I dare not stop to ask. In my mind everyone in Apache Junction is carrying a gun.
If you ever visit PHX and want to get away from the glass and concrete to see a version of Arizona most people would rather hide, jump on interstate 10 southbound, take the 60 east and get off when you see the cliffs of the Superstitions. You won't forget it but you might regret it. Be warned, don't stay for long. I suspect AJ is one of those places no one intends on going, they just end up there, and you don't want that fate.