Summerhaven is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a permanent population of 40. Summerhaven sits at an elevation of approximately above sea level. Summerhaven is accessed via the

Catalina Highway The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona. Also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway, the Mount Lemmon Highway and Arizona ...

from suburban northeast Tucson, and it is about from the base of the mountains to Summerhaven.

History

White Anglo-Americans originally used the area of Summerhaven when the U.S. Army at Fort Lowell in Tucson put a military camp there in its defense against the

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

in the 1870s and 1880s. As to white settlement of the vicinity, the Ransier School in Carter Canyon, run by Lydia Ransier and 'Auntie' Broadbent, had two cabins, the larger log one being built in 1912, "one of the oldest cabins on the mountain." According to historian David Leighton, Summerhaven at one point had the highest golf links in the world. He wrote, "F.E.A Kimball (namesake of Mount Kimball), head of the Summerhaven Land and Improvement Co. on Mount Lemmon, constructed a six-hole golf links. The course was on 50 acres, a mix of Forest Service and private land, with two trout streams running through the acreage. The links were about 7,800 feet above sea level, making it the highest golf course in the world...."

Geography

Summerhaven is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains and is surrounded by pine trees. According to the

U.S. 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. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Summerhaven CDP has a total area of , almost all land.

Climate

Due to its high elevation of , Summerhaven experiences moderately warm summers and cool snowy winters. Yearly snowfall averages can be significant, on average reaching a year. A windstorm hit Summerhaven in May 2010 and caused extensive damage to the forest around it. Some trails were severely damaged, although repair efforts were underway. The climate could be classified as a subtropical highland climate ( Cfb).

Demographics

In 2010, the population of the Summerhaven census-designated place was 40. Note that this includes only people who were living in Summerhaven on the day of the census, thus excluding many part-time or seasonal residents. As of the 2010 census, the racial composition of Summerhaven was: * White: 75% ( Non-Hispanic Whites: 70%) * Black or African American: 0% * Native American: 15% *

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

: 10% *

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian an ...

: 0% * Some other race: 0% *

Two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

: 0%

Tourism and recreation

Summerhaven is a popular tourist destination. Several small shops in Summerhaven attract visitors, including the Mount Lemmon General Store and The Cookie Cabin, which offers homemade cookies and pizzas. In the winter, residents from lower elevations travel to Summerhaven, when the

is open, to enjoy the snow. Also during the summer, the same residents will frequent the area to get away from the heat. Because of the elevation difference between the Tucson area (5,000–6,000 feet), the temperature in Summerhaven will be anywhere from 15–30 degrees F cooler depending on weather patterns, which usually makes it a very comfortable place to be compared to the hot desert heat in the summer time. October 2010 saw the inaugural running of the Mount Lemmon Marathon, in which nearly 800 participants finished the race from near the start of the Catalina Highway up to Summerhaven.

Mount Lemmon Ski Valley

The

Mount Lemmon Ski Valley Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is a recreational ski area in the U.S. state of Arizona, and the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States. Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is located on the slopes of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mounta ...

located outside Summerhaven is the southernmost ski location in the continental United States.

Aspen Fire

The Aspen wildfire struck Summerhaven in the summer of 2003, which resulted in the destruction of more than 250 of the 700 homes in the community. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano assessed the damage, and both federal and county officials surveyed the extensive loss. In the months that followed, Tucson residents organized "Lemmon Aid" to help rebuild Summerhaven.

City services

There is a general store and several food venues, but no gasoline or automotive services. The Mount Lemmon Fire Department maintains a station near Summerhaven, providing fire and EMS services.

References

External links

{{authority control Santa Catalina Mountains Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Census-designated places in Pima County, Arizona