Ash Fork, Arizona
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Ash Fork is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in
Yavapai County, Arizona Yavapai County ( ) is a County (United States), county near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county s ...
, United States. Its population was 396 at the 2010 U.S. Census, down from 457 in 2000.


History

Ash Fork has proclaimed itself "The Flagstone Capital of the World", due to the large number of stone quarries and stone yards in and around the town. The title of "Flagstone Capital of the World," was bestowed upon Ash Fork by the Ash Fork Development Association and Ash Fork Historical Society. The title was officially bestowed upon the town in 2014 by the Arizona House of Representatives with the passage of H.R. 2001. The community was established as a siding of the
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was an American railroad that owned or operated two individual segments of track. One connected St. Louis, Missouri, with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connected Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Needles in Southe ...
, later known as the
Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...
, in October 1882. It was purportedly named in 1883 by F.W. Smith, general superintendent of the railroad, in reference to a thicket of ash trees at the site.Trimble, Marshall
''Ash Fork''
Arcadia, 2008.
The first official post office was established on April 12, 1883, with one Henry W. Kline serving as the first Postmaster. Following an uncontrollable fire in 1885, the entire town of Ash Fork burned in 1893, and was rebuilt on the opposite side of the railroad tracks from its original location, where it remains today. In later years, Ash Fork was the location of the Escalante, a large hotel and " Harvey House" built in 1907 and closed in 1948, operated by the
Fred Harvey Company The Fred Harvey Company was the owner of the Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels and other hospitality industry businesses alongside railroads in the Western United States. It was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey (entrepreneur), Fred Harve ...
. Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66 made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of
classical Hollywood cinema In film criticism, Classical Hollywood cinema is both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking that first developed in the 1910s to 1920s during the later years of the Silent film#Silent film era, silent film era. It then became characteristi ...
such as 1947's '' Dark Passage'', starring
Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...
and
Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
. U.S. Route 66 provided a slight boost to the town's economy in the 1950s, but construction of the divided highway through the town resulted in the destruction of many of the storefronts, sidewalks, and residential streets, forever altering the aesthetic qualities of the downtown area. When the Santa Fe Railroad moved its main line north and away from the town in 1960, Ash Fork lost nearly half its population, as most families employed by the railway were forced to leave the area. Another large fire, known locally as the "Big Fire", devastated the community on November 20, 1977, destroying most of the downtown businesses. When I-40 bypassed the town soon after, drastically reducing traffic on Route 66, the local economy never fully recovered. The community's last major fire occurred on October 7, 1987, destroying nearly all the remaining buildings along the two-block business district located on the south side of Route 66. Part of what was once Route 66 still runs directly through Ash Fork, though as a divided highway, with Park Avenue running east and Lewis Avenue running west, both serving as a main thoroughfare. Historic buildings, including a false-front structure and old railroad company houses can be seen along these streets. The majority of the town's limited commercial establishments can be found along Park Avenue. The Ash Fork Post Office is also located on this street. Certain areas of the town were selected to be used as sets in the filming of 1992's '' Universal Soldier'', supposedly due to the extremely low purchase price and poor condition of several buildings, including an old motel, which were blown up for cinematic effect.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Geologic places of interest include the Cathedral Caves, which are about west of town off Arizona Road, and Dante's Descent, a -deep sinkhole also known as "Devil's Hole", which is around 5 miles northwest of Ash Fork, off Crookton Road. After its closing by the state, however, Dante's Descent cannot legally be visited by the public. Pictorial and historic documentation of the natural attraction may be found at the Ash Fork Library. Ash Fork lies near
Kaibab National Forest Kaibab National Forest (, ) borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. Its 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) is divided into three sections: the ''North Kaibab Ranger District'' (offices in Fredonia), the ...
and
Coconino National Forest The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre (751,000 ha) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff, with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (H ...
, and international attractions such as the
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...
are roughly an hour's drive away using major roads. Service roads allow swifter access to back areas of
Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyo ...
, but may not be open to public thoroughfare. Approximately to the north of Ash Fork is Beale Road, which has the distinction of being the first federally funded highway. The internationally renowned
U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...
also runs directly through the town. Notably, the longest original, uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 still in existence (about 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long) can be found between Ash Fork and
Seligman, Arizona Seligman () is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 446 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is one of the stops on Historic U.S. Route 66 (Arizona), hi ...
, beginning just beyond Ash Fork at Crookton Road. The surrounding geographical area and settlements served as inspiration for the 2006
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
film ''Cars''.


Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 89 °F. According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Ash Fork has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, ''Csb'' on climate maps.


Demographics

Ash Fork (or Ashfork) first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village with 517 residents, the fourth-largest community in Yavapai County (behind Prescott, Jerome, and Humboldt). Although it did not report a separate population for the village, it did report as the Ash Fork precinct in 1920 and 1930 (reporting a majority White population in the latter). The population of Ash Fork was 681in the 1960 census. In 2000, it was made a census-designated place (CDP). As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, 457 people, 149 households, and 109 families were residing in the CDP. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 199.1 people.sq mi (76.7/km2). The 189 housing units had an average density of 82.3/sq mi (31.7/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.3% White, 1.3% Native American, 1.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 51.4% of the population. Of the 149 households, 35.6% had children under 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were not families. About 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07, and the average family size was 3.45. In the CDP, the age distribution was 28.7% under 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 161.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,893, and for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $21,094 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $11,802. About 16.5% of families and 20.4% 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 27.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over. The numerous flagstone quarries and companies are often cited as the largest employers in the area, as is the local school district, to which most teachers commute from nearby cities.


Education

It is in the Ash Fork School District.


Notable people

* Lee Patton, Hall of Fame coach at West Virginia University, coach at Ash Fork High School. * Marshall Trimble, Arizona's official historian


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Yavapai County, Arizona


References


External links


Ash Fork Community Profile (Arizona Dept. of Commerce)
{{authority control Census-designated places in Yavapai County, Arizona Census-designated places in Arizona U.S. Route 66 in Arizona