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Navajo County, Arizona facts for kids

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Navajo County
Navajo County
Historic Navajo County Courthouse and Museum in Holbrook
Historic Navajo County Courthouse and Museum in Holbrook
Official seal of Navajo County
Seal
Map of Arizona highlighting Navajo County
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Map of the United States highlighting Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Arizona
Founded March 21, 1895
Named for Navajo Nation
Seat Holbrook
Largest city Show Low
Area
 • Total 9,960 sq mi (25,800 km2)
 • Land 9,950 sq mi (25,800 km2)
 • Water 9.3 sq mi (24 km2)  0.09%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 107,449
 • Estimate 
(2019)
110,924
 • Density 10.788/sq mi (4.1653/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional district 1st

Navajo County is in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 107,449. The county seat is Holbrook.

Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Navajo County contains parts of the Hopi Indian reservation, the Navajo Nation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

History

Navajo County was split from Apache County on March 21, 1895. The first county sheriff was legendary gunman Commodore Perry Owens, who had previously served as the sheriff of Apache County. It was the location for many of the events that played out during the Pleasant Valley War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,960 square miles (25,800 km2), of which 9,950 square miles (25,800 km2) is land and 9.3 square miles (24 km2) (0.09%) is water.

Many people think that Arizona is a vast, open desert without vegetation. However, Navajo County offers not only the Monument Valley, but Keams Canyon, part of the Petrified Forest National Park, and the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in North America.

Adjacent counties

Indian reservations

Navajo County has 6,632.73 square miles (17,178.7 km2) of federally designated Indian reservation within its borders, the third most of any county in the United States (neighboring Apache County and Coconino County are first and second). In descending order of territory within the county, the reservations are the Navajo Indian Reservation, Hopi Indian Reservation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation, all of which are partly located within Navajo County.

National protected areas

Giants, Petroglyphs at Rock Art Ranch
Petroglyphs at Rock Art Canyon Ranch near Winslow

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 8,829
1910 11,471 29.9%
1920 16,077 40.2%
1930 21,202 31.9%
1940 25,309 19.4%
1950 29,446 16.3%
1960 37,994 29.0%
1970 47,715 25.6%
1980 67,629 41.7%
1990 77,658 14.8%
2000 97,470 25.5%
2010 107,449 10.2%
2019 (est.) 110,924 3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 107,449 people, 35,658 households, and 25,923 families living in the county. The population density was 10.8 inhabitants per square mile (4.2/km2). There were 56,938 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile (2.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 49.3% white, 43.4% American Indian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.4% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.7% were German, 12.5% were English, 9.3% were Irish, and 2.3% were American.

Of the 35,658 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.3% were non-families, and 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.50. The median age was 34.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,774 and the median income for a family was $45,906. Males had a median income of $41,516 versus $28,969 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,745. About 19.1% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census of religion

Navajo County is among the most religiously diverse places in the United States. A 2020 census by the Public Religion Research Institute (unconnected to the official US census) calculates a religious diversity score of 0.876 for Navajo County, where 1 represents complete diversity (each religious group of equal size) and 0 a total lack of diversity. Only three other counties in the US have higher scores, all much more urban than Navajo County.

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-40 (AZ).svg Interstate 40
  • US 60.svg U.S. Route 60
  • US 160.svg U.S. Route 160
  • US 163.svg U.S. Route 163
  • US 180.svg U.S. Route 180
  • Arizona 73.svg State Route 73
  • Arizona 77.svg State Route 77
  • Arizona 87.svg State Route 87
  • Arizona 98.svg State Route 98
  • Arizona 99.svg State Route 99
  • Arizona 260.svg State Route 260
  • Arizona 264.svg State Route 264
  • Arizona 277.svg State Route 277
  • Arizona 377.svg State Route 377

Airports

The following public-use airports are located within the county:

  • Cibecue Airport (Z95) – Cibecue
  • Holbrook Municipal Airport (P14) – Holbrook
  • Kayenta Airport (0V7) – Kayenta
  • Polacca Airport (P10) – Polacca
  • Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) – Show Low
  • Taylor Airport (TYL) – Taylor
  • Whiteriver Airport (E24) – Whiteriver
  • Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport (INW) – Winslow

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other communities

Indian reservations

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Navajo County.

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Population (2010 Census) Municipal type Incorporated
1 Show Low 10,660 City 1953
2 Winslow 9,655 City 1900
3 Snowflake 5,590 Town 1953 (founded)
4 Kayenta 5,189 CDP
5 Holbrook 5,053 City 1917
6 Pinetop-Lakeside 4,282 Town 1984
7 Taylor 4,112 Town 1966
8 Whiteriver 4,104 CDP
9 Lake of the Woods 4,094 CDP
10 Heber-Overgaard 2,822 CDP
11 Linden 2,597 CDP
12 White Mountain Lake 2,205 CDP
13 Pinetop Country Club 1,794 CDP
14 Cibecue 1,730 CDP
15 Wagon Wheel 1,652 CDP
16 First Mesa 1,555 CDP
17 North Fork 1,417 CDP
18 Joseph City 1,386 CDP
19 Dilkon 1,184 CDP
20 Rainbow City 968 CDP
21 Second Mesa 962 CDP
22 Hotevilla-Bacavi 957 CDP
23 Pinon 904 CDP
24 Shongopovi 831 CDP
25 Whitecone 817 CDP
26 Hondah 812 CDP
27 Low Mountain 757 CDP
28 Kykotsmovi Village 746 CDP
29 Seven Mile 707 CDP
30 East Fork 699 CDP
31 Shonto 591 CDP
32 Greasewood 547 CDP
33 McNary (mostly in Apache County) 528 CDP
34 Chilchinbito 506 CDP
35 Pinedale 487 CDP
36 Tees Toh 448 CDP
37 Winslow West (partially in Coconino County) 438 CDP
38 Clay Springs 401 CDP
39 Sun Valley 316 CDP
40 Keams Canyon 304 CDP
41 Turkey Creek 294 CDP
42 Jeddito 293 CDP
43 Indian Wells 255 CDP
44 Woodruff 191 CDP
45 Oljato-Monument Valley 154 CDP
46 Fort Apache 143 CDP
47 Seba Dalkai 136 CDP
48 Hard Rock 94 CDP

Education

School districts that serve the county include:

  • Blue Ridge Unified School District
  • Cedar Unified School District
  • Heber-Overgaard Unified School District
  • Holbrook Unified School District
  • Joseph City Unified School District
  • Kayenta Unified School District
  • Piñon Unified School District
  • Show Low Unified School District
  • Snowflake Unified School District
  • Whiteriver Unified School District
  • Winslow Unified School District

There is a tribal elementary school called Little Singer Community School, affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Hataalii Yazhi, a medicine man, in the 1970s proposed establishing the school so area children did not have to travel far for their education. The school was named after him. The original buildings used two geodesic domes as features. In 2014 the school had 81 students. By 2014 the original campus was described by the Associated Press as being in poor repair. In 2004 the school first asked the BIE to get funding for a new building. The current campus had a cost of $28 million and an area of 32,000 square feet (3,000 m2). It uses intersecting circles as an architectural feature. The current building was dedicated in November 2020. It is physically in an unincorporated area 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Birdsprings, and has a postal address of Winslow.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Navajo para niños

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