Dateland, Arizona

Dateland is a CDP, populated place, and colonia in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is in an area well known for date palm dates.

Dateland has the ZIP Code of 85333; in 2000, the population of the 85333 ZCTA was 852.

The community is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Dateland began as a road stop in the 1920s. During World War II, Dateland was the site of two of General Patton's desert training camps, Camp Horn and Camp Hyder. In addition, in 1942, three airstrips were built here in Dateland for training B25 Bombers, including the Dateland Air Force Auxiliary Field. The U.S. military still uses the Dateland area for periodic training. American troops that served in Iraq and Afghanistan, have spent some time training here in Dateland.

Sugar rationing in 1942 during World War II led to the increase of date production in Arizona, leading to growing popularity for dates as a sweet alternative to candy, boosting Arizona's date industry.

After the closure of the airfield, the land was subdivided in the 1970s. The developers of one subdivision on the former airfield, El Camino Del Sol, were convicted of fraud in 1977. Most of Dateland consists of undeveloped lots.

Climate
This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Dateland has a desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

A locality near Dateland called Montezuma recorded a temperature of 105.1 °F (40.6 °C) on February 3, 1963, making it the record holder for the highest temperature in the United States in February.

Utilities
Dateland is served by the following utilities:
 * Arizona Public Service – electric
 * Arizona Telephone Co. (a subsidiary of TDS Telecom) – telephone
 * Dateland Public Service Co. (a tax-exempt utility) – water

Buildings
Dateland has several historic properties due to its history as stopping point along many pioneer trails and as a military training ground.