Beaver Dam, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beaver Dam, Arizona
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Location in Mohave County, Arizona.
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 Beaver Dam, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Beaver Dam, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Mohave |
| Founded | 1863 |
| Founded by | Henry W. Miller |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.49 sq mi (21.99 km2) |
| • Land | 8.49 sq mi (21.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,552 |
| • Density | 182.80/sq mi (70.58/km2) |
| Time zone | MST |
| ZIP code |
86432
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| FIPS code | 04-05490 |
Beaver Dam is a small community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It's not an official city but a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's an area that the government counts as a town for population surveys.
Beaver Dam is located in a special part of Arizona called the Arizona Strip. This area is northwest of the Grand Canyon. It's also near Interstate 15, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Mesquite, Nevada. In 2020, about 1,552 people lived there.
Beaver Dam, along with nearby Littlefield and Scenic, are the only towns in Arizona along I-15. Because of where they are, these towns are quite far from the rest of Arizona. To travel to other Arizona towns, people usually have to drive through Nevada or Utah. It's like being connected to Utah geographically, but politically part of Arizona!
Contents
History of Beaver Dam
The area where Beaver Dam is located was once part of an old trade route called the Old Spanish Trail. Later, it became a wagon road known as the Mormon Road in 1847. This road connected Salt Lake City to Los Angeles.
The town and a nearby stream, called Beaver Dam Wash, got their name from the many beaver dams that used to be there. The first people to explore the area saw these dams. The original name of the settlement was "Beaver Dams" when it was founded in 1863. Around 1947, the Arizona Department of Highways started using the singular name, "Beaver Dam," on road signs, and the name stuck.
The Mormon Road was very important. It was used by people heading to California for the Gold Rush in 1849. Mormon settlers and other travelers also used it often. The road was a major way to transport goods by wagon until trains arrived in Nevada in 1905. Mormon colonists first settled Beaver Dam in 1863.
Life in Beaver Dam Today
Beaver Dam is home to schools that are part of the Littlefield Unified School District. These include Beaver Dam Elementary and Beaver Dam Jr./Sr. High School.
As mentioned, Beaver Dam is quite isolated from most of Arizona. It's separated by the Grand Canyon National Park and the Virgin River. This means that to get to other parts of Arizona, people often drive through Nevada or Utah. There are some unpaved roads that connect to the Arizona State Route 389, but this only links to the "Arizona Strip" area, not the main part of the state.
Just east of Beaver Dam is the Virgin River Gorge. This is a beautiful canyon that I-15 passes through.
Beaver Dam has the only post office in the area, located on McKnight Boulevard. It also has a fire station. During the colder months, many "snowbirds" come to Beaver Dam. These are retirees from colder places who come to enjoy the mild winter weather.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 58 | — | |
| 2010 | 1,962 | — | |
| 2020 | 1,552 | −20.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Beaver Dam was first counted in the U.S. Census in 1930. At that time, it had 58 residents. It didn't appear separately in the census again until 2010, when it was named a census-designated place (CDP).
According to recent information, the community is made up of people from various backgrounds.
Beaver Dam on Screen
Beaver Dam has been a filming location for some movies and TV shows.
Movies filmed here
- The 1988 movie On Our Own had scenes filmed at the Beaver Dam Station.
- The 2002 movie Crazy Horse also filmed scenes at the Beaver Dam Station.
- The 1996 movie Navajo Blues used areas around Beaver Dam for filming.
TV shows filmed here
- Unsolved Mysteries filmed a part of their show in 1995 on Old Highway 91, between Beaver Dam and Mesquite.
- News channels from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and national news like The Weather Channel and CNN have reported from Beaver Dam. These reports often covered flooding from the Beaver Dam Wash.
Education
The schools in Beaver Dam are part of the Littlefield Unified School District.
See also
In Spanish: Beaver Dam (Arizona) para niños
