San Manuel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pinal County, Arizona, United States.

In 1955 the San Manuel Arizona Railroad was built to connect with the Copper Basin Railway at Hayden.

[2] When copper prices fell in the late 1990s, BHP, the owner of the mine and smelter complex shuttered both operations in June 1999.

The community is on the edge of the Sonoran Desert with its saguaros and overlooks the San Pedro River valley and panoramic Galiuro Mountains.

Today, San Manuel is a leisure destination popular for hunting, sightseeing, and is a hub for off-road adventure for dirt bikes, UTV's and ATV's.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 20.9 sq mi (54 km2) all land.

The unfinished grade still remains at the southern end of Veterans Memorial Boulevard, blocked by a permanent traffic barrier.

[6][9][10] SR 76 was later decommissioned as a state highway and handed to local jurisdictions for ownership and maintenance.