[8] Mining in the Mule Mountains proved quite successful: in the early 20th century the population of Bisbee soared.

Incorporated in 1902, by 1910 its population had swelled to 9,019, the third largest in the territory, and it sported a constellation of suburbs, including Warren, Lowell, and San Jose, some of which had been founded on their own (ultimately less successful) mines.

Many high-quality mineral specimens have come from Bisbee area mines and are to be found in museum collections worldwide.

In 1917, the Phelps Dodge Corporation, using private police and deputized sheriffs in conjunction with Cochise County Sheriff Harry C. Wheeler, kidnapped at gunpoint over 1,000 striking miners, packed them into cattle cars, and shipped them for sixteen hours through the desert without food or water to the town to Hermanas, New Mexico, due to allegations that they were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

The company wanted to prevent unionization, while the IWW sought safer mining conditions and the end of discrimination between US-born and immigrant workers.

[11][12] Earlier that year, industry police conducted the Jerome Deportation, similarly intended to expel striking miners.

From 1950 to 1960, the sharp population decline happening over the previous few decades changed course and the number of residents of Bisbee increased by nearly 160 percent when open-pit mining was undertaken and the city annexed nearby areas.

Coupled with an attractive climate and picturesque scenery, Bisbee became a destination in the 1960s for artists and hippies of the counter culture.

Artist Stephen Hutchison and his wife Marcia purchased the Copper Queen Hotel, the town's anchor business and architectural gem, from the Phelps-Dodge mining company in 1970.

It was at this time that Bisbee became a haven for artists and hippies fleeing the larger cities of Arizona and California.

In the 1990s, additional people were attracted to Bisbee, leading it to develop such amenities as coffee shops and live theatre.

Many of the old houses have been renovated, and property values in Bisbee now greatly exceed those of other southeastern Arizona cities.

This area is noted for its architecture, including Victorian-style houses and an elegant Art Deco county courthouse.

The town's hilly terrain is exemplified by the old four-story high school; each floor has a ground-level entrance.

The Lowell and Warren townsites were consolidated into Bisbee proper during the early part of the twentieth century.

There are also smaller neighborhoods interspersed between these larger boroughs, including Galena, Bakerville, Tintown, South Bisbee, Briggs, and Saginaw.

All that is left today is a small portion of Erie Street, along with Evergreen Cemetery, Saginaw subdivision and Lowell Middle School.

Named after a nearby Mexican mountain peak, it is the location of many newer county government buildings, the Huachuca Terrace Elementary School, and a large shopping center.

[15] Freeport has invested in Bisbee by remediating soil contaminated in previous mining operations, donations to the school system, and other civic activities.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.4 km2), all land.

[16] Natural vegetation around Bisbee has a semi-desert appearance with shrubby acacia, oak and the like, along with cacti, grass, ocotillo and yucca.

As of the 2020 U.S. Census Redistricting Data there were 3,138 housing units (21.5% of which were vacant or possibly secondary homes) at an average density of 605.8 per square mile (233.9/km2).

The festival effectively lengthens the tourist season, and provides a large amount of business to local bars and breweries.

[27] Bisbee joined with Clifton in forming a cricket team that travelled to Santa Monica, California, in 1908 to play the Santa Monica Cricket Club in two games overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the grounds of the Polo Field.