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About Salome
Salome is a town in the McMullen Valley of western Arizona. The valley is several miles wide, bordered by the Harquahala Mountains to the south and the Harcuvar Mountains to the north. The Centennial Wash, a dry riverbed, runs by Salome a few miles to the southeast, and then through a gap in the Harquahala Mountains called Harrisburg Valley. The elevation at Salome is 1870 feet. It is a very hot and dry climate. The Mogollon Rim lies fifty miles to the northwest, beyond which the elevations are much higher and more moisture is forced out of the air. To the southwest the elevation drops more and is known as the Sonoran Desert. Many exotic desert plants can be seen around Salome, including saguaro cactus, ocotillo, cholla and lots of creosote. Some farming is done east of Salome, thanks to irrigation water.
Salome is on U.S. Highway 60, which was built in the early 1900s, following the railroad tracks. Before these days there was a stagecoach route, the Prescott-Eherenberg trail, that ran through here. Highway 60 travels a short distance eastward to Wenden, and westward towards its terminus at the I-10 interchange. The Salome Highway begins at Salome and heads southeast towards Phoenix. Since it parallels Interstate 10, it receives little traffic today. Interstate 10 bypasses Salome on the south side of the Harquahala Mountains.
Salome was the home of Dick Wick Hall, a writer and humorist who published the Salome Sun. His humorous writings brought some fame to the town.
Salome is unincorporated, but is home to 1,690 people, as of the year 2000. The town is spread out, with a large part of them living a couple miles south of the original town. Many people migrate from colder climates to the north for the winter, and then leave in summer. Winters are not cold, and summers are very hot.
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Wikipedia has a short article on Salome.