Snowflake, Arizona
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Snowflake is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded by Christopher Layton a Mormon leader and colonizer. The population was 4,460 at the 2000 census.
Since the 1980s the town developed a substantial community of individuals suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity.
Geography
Snowflake is located at (34.511187, -110.082974)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 79.9 km² (30.9 mi²). 79.8 km² (30.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.16%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 4,460 people, 1,312 households, and 1,070 families residing in the town. The population density was 55.9/km² (144.8/mi²). There were 1,536 housing units at an average density of 19.2/km² (49.9/mi²). 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.
History of the name
The name comes not from snowflakes, though it does snow, but from the names of William J. Flake, who first settled in the area by order of Brigham Young, and Erastus Snow, the Latter Day Saint apostle in charge of the colonization of Arizona. Keeping with its history, most of the residents of Snowflake belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as "Mormons."Events
The logging crew involved in the Travis Walton abduction incident lived in this town, and several events surrounding that incident happened here.Education
Snowflake is a part of the Snowflake Unified School District.Highland Primary School, Snowflake Intermediate School, and Snowflake High School serve Snowflake.
References
- Bernstein, Fred (2005). "In One Arizona Community, an Oasis in a Toxic World". The New York Times, July 10.
- References to Snowflake are made in the movies "Saints and Soldiers" and "Brigham City". Both are 'Mormon' movies.
External links
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