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Snowflake, Arizona
—  Town  —
SnowflakeTemple
The LDS Temple in Snowflake
Navajo County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Snowflake highlighted
Location in Navajo County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 34°30′40″N 110°4′59″W / 34.51111, -110.08306Coordinates: 34°30′40″N 110°4′59″W / 34.51111, -110.08306
Country United States
State Arizona
County Navajo
Government
 • Mayor Kelly Willis
Area
 • Total 30.9 sq mi (80 km2)
 • Land 30.8 sq mi (79.8 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 5,579 ft (1,700 m)
Population (2007)[1]
 • Total 5,343
 • Density 144.8/sq mi (55.9/km2)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 85937, 85942
Area code(s) 928
FIPS code 04-67800
Website http://www.ci.snowflake.az.us/

Snowflake is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1878 by Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake, Mormon pioneers and colonizers.[2] According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 4,958.[3]

Snowflake is 25 miles south of Interstate 40 (formerly U.S. Route 66) via Highway 77. The Apache Railway provides freight service.

Geography[]

Snowflake is located at 34°30′40″N 110°4′59″W / 34.51111, -110.08306 (34.511187, -110.082974).[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.9 square miles (80 km2), of which, 30.8 square miles (80 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.16%) is water.

Weather[]

Snowflake experiences a four season climate with a warm (sometimes hot) summer, mild autumn, mild to cold winter and cool, windy spring. Typical high temperatures hover around 90 °F (32 °C) during July and August and 30 to 55 °F (13 °C) in December/January.

Demographics[]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,460 people, 1,312 households, and 1,070 families residing in the town. The population density was 144.8 people per square mile (55.9/km²). There were 1,536 housing units at an average density of 49.9 per square mile (19.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.24% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 6.93% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.00% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 8.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,312 households out of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.5% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 3.81.

In the town the population was spread out with 37.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,439, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $30,517 versus $21,164 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,391. About 10.4% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Recently, the town and surrounding area have experienced steady growth, primarily to the east, west and south. An additional 9-holes were added to the 18-hole golf course where the Snowflake Arizona Temple was built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2002. To the east of town, a substantial community of individuals suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome has grown since the 1980s.[6]

In popular culture[]

  • The logging crew involved in the Travis Walton abduction incident lived in this town, and several events surrounding that incident happened here. These events were dramatized in the 1993 science fiction film Fire in the Sky.[7][8]
  • References to Snowflake are made in the 2001 murder mystery Brigham City, and the 2004 war film Saints and Soldiers.
  • A character named Jonah Flake appears in Armistead Maupin's Mary Ann in Autumn, a Tales of the City novel published in 2010. Jonah is from Snowflake and says he is a descendant of the Flake family that helped found the city.

Education[]

Snowflake is a part of the Snowflake Unified School District, consisting of Highland Primary School, Snowflake Intermediate School, Snowflake Junior High, and Snowflake High School. Taylor Elementary School in the neighboring town of Taylor, Arizona is also part of the Snowflake Unified school District.

Northland Pioneer College's Silver Creek campus extension is located in Snowflake.

See also[]

  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona

References[]

Further reading[]

  • Bernstein, Fred (2005). "In One Arizona Community, an Oasis in a Toxic World". The New York Times, July 10.

External links[]


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Snowflake, Arizona. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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