Eagar is a town in

Apache County, Arizona Apache County is in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county seat is St. Johns. Most of the county is occupied by part ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 4,885. Eagar was first settled in 1871.

History

Brothers William Walter John Thomas and Joel Sixtus settled the area under the direction of The Mormon prophet Brigham Young. They each acquired 160 acres of land under the homestead act. Once they received the deeds to their properties, again under the direction of Brigham Young, they each subdivided their properties to sell at a discounted rate to other church members who were also settling the area. The first postmistress, Emma Goldsbrough Udall, wanted to name the town "Union", in a desire for eventually combining the town with other towns such as Amity and Springerville, to unite the small community. However, the US postmaster general rejected the name as too common. Therefore, she submitted the name "Eagarville" to honor the Eagar brothers. However, that name was also changed by the postmaster general to just "Eagar" sometime before December 1892 when the school district was renamed. A battle took place near what is now the town cemetery in which 9 members of the Snyder gang were killed. The town of Eagar was incorporated in 1948.

Geography

Eagar is located in southern Apache County, just north of Apache National Forest and at the foot of the White Mountains. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.07%, is water. The town of

Springerville Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States, within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP Code is 85938. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 1,961. Springerville sits at an elevation of above sea level. A ...

borders Eagar to the north.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Eagar has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,033 people, 1,344 households, and 1,073 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,713 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.1%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 3.4% Native American, 0.4%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.1% Asian, 0.4%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 4.9% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. 14.0% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,344 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 36.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,378, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $36,111 versus $21,274 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $14,623. About 7.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The

Apache County Library District Apache County is in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county seat is St. Johns. Most of the county is occupied by part ...

operates the Round Valley Public Library in Eagar. Two sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including, Colter Ranch, once one of the largest cattle operations in Northeastern Arizona, and Eagar Elementary School, built after the original frame school house burned in 1930. The building served as a school for 53 years.

Government

The current town mayor is Bryce Hamblin. The town is home to the first enclosed high school football field, the Round Valley Ensphere.Miner, Carrie. ''Off the Beaten Path Arizona: A Guide to Unique Places.'' p79. Google Books

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Education

The town is served by Round Valley Unified School District. The town is served by three neighborhood schools: Round Valley Elementary School, Round Valley Middle School, and Round Valley High School. In addition, White Mountain Academy, a K–12 charter school, is located in Eagar.

Notable people

* Joseph Isaac (Ike) Clanton (1847–1887), member of

the Cowboys ''The Cowboys'' is a 1972 American Western film starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Bruce Dern, and featuring Colleen Dewhurst and Slim Pickens. It was the feature film debut of Robert Carradine. Based on the 1971 novel of the same nam ...

Milton William Cooper Milton William "Bill" Cooper (May 6, 1943 – November 5, 2001) was an American conspiracy theorist, radio broadcaster, and author known for his 1991 book ''Behold a Pale Horse'', in which he warned of multiple global conspiracies, some i ...

, conspiracy theorist ( UFOs and

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 ...

) * Don Taylor Udall, state legislator and judge *

Jesse Addison Udall Jesse Addison Udall (June 24, 1893 – April 18, 1980) was an American jurist and member of the Udall family, Udall political family who served as chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Udall was born and raised in Arizona, he was the son ...

, state legislator and chief justice of the

Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justice ...

* Joseph Udall (1860–1943), early settler, served on the Apache County Board of Supervisors for nearly 20 years

References

External links

*
History of Eagar
{{authority control White Mountains (Arizona) Towns in Apache County, Arizona Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Arizona Territory