We recently visited Bisbee. Located 90 miles southeast of Tucson and nestled in the Mule Mountains, Bisbee is a mining town turned artist colony. The community was founded in 1880 and was one of the richest mineral sites in the world. By the early 1900s, Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. With a population of over 20,000 people in the early 1900’s, Bisbee had become one of the most cultured cities in the Southwest.
Bisbee was a thriving community until the large scale mining operations became unprofitable in the mid 1970’s. As mining employees left to go elsewhere, many artists moved in. Today Bisbee has evolved into an attractive artist colony and retirement community. Old miners' boarding houses have been refurbished into many small bed and breakfast establishments. Former saloons are now quaint shops, antique stores or art galleries, cafes and restaurants. Bisbee is a fun day trip!
