Houck () 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 ...

(CDP) in

Apache County Apache County is a county 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 occupie ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States. The population was 1,024 at the 2010 census.

History

Houck was founded by a mail carrier by that name working a route from

Prescott Prescott may refer to: People Given name * Prescott E. Bloom, American lawyer and politician * Prescott Bush, American banker and politician * Samuel Prescott Bush, American industrialist * Prescott F. Hall, American lawyer, author and eugenicist ...

Fort Wingate Fort Wingate was a military installation near Gallup, New Mexico, United States. There were two other locations in New Mexico called Fort Wingate: Seboyeta, New Mexico, Seboyeta (1849–1862) and San Rafael, New Mexico, San Rafael (1862–1868 ...

. In 1877, he established a trading post called Houck's Tank here. Houck left in 1885. Houck was home to Fort Courage (a replica of the set of the 1960s television series

F Troop ''F Troop'' is a satirical American television Western sitcom about U.S. soldiers and American Indians in the Wild West during the 1860s. The series originally aired for two seasons on ABC. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 ...

, which was a tourist attraction along

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 ...

) and a Greyhound bus stop. It once had a gas station, a Taco Bell, and a pancake house. It is home to the Native American Baha'i Institute.

Geography

Houck is located at (35.283615, -109.237695). 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 , of which , or 0.05%, is water.

Climate

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 ...

system, Houck has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,087 people, 312 households, and 234 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 414 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.6% Native American, 2.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Asian, and 2.0% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 312 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.48 and the average family size was 4.19. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 42.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $12,353, and the median income for a family was $20,208. Males had a median income of $18,750 versus $22,788 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 $5,219. About 53.8% of families and 53.5% 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 55.7% of those under age 18 and 51.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The area is served by

Sanders Unified School District Sanders Unified School District is a school district in the community of Sanders in Apache County in the US state of Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, s ...

. The area is served by Sanders Elementary School, Sanders Middle School, and Valley High School.

Gallery

Exit 348 to Houck, Arizona.jpg, Exit 348 to Houck, Arizona BahaiPrayerHogan.JPEG, The prayer hogan at the Native American Baha'i Institute on Houck, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. Fort Courage, L.O. Candelaria (NBY 434758).jpg, Fort Courage post card, showing the location in the mid-1900s. Fort Courage sign in Houck, Arizona.jpg, Fort Courage sign in Houck, Arizona Remnants of Fort Courage in Houck, AZ.jpg, Remnants of Fort Courage in Houck, AZ Remnants of Fort Courage in Houck, AZ 2.jpg, Remnants of Fort Courage in Houck, AZ Fort Courage water tower in Houck, AZ.jpg, Fort Courage water tower in Houck, AZ Gas station sign behind a building on Fort Courage.jpg, Gas station sign behind a building on Fort Courage The remains of a pancake house peaks above the horizon in Houck, AZ.jpg, The remains of a pancake house peaks above the horizon in Houck, AZ Remains of a Van de Kamps in Houck, Arizona.jpg, Remains of a building originally built as a Van de Kamp's Dutch Holland Bakery

References

External links

{{authority control Census-designated places in Apache County, Arizona Census-designated places in Arizona Populated places on the Navajo Nation U.S. Route 66 in Arizona