McNary (Western Apache: Cha’bii’tú’) 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 The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

and

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

counties in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The population was 528 at the 2010 census.

History

The community was originally named "Cluff Cienega" by European Americans after Benjamin Cluff, a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

who harvested hay here in 1879 and 1880 for use at Fort Apache. In 1919, the name was changed to "Cooley" in honor of Corydon Cooley (d. March 18, 1917), a hotelier of Show Low. In 1924, the Cady Lumber Company moved its entire operations, plus hundreds of employees, from McNary, Louisiana, to Cooley, Arizona. For marketing purposes, the company received permission from the federal government to rename Cooley as McNary. This company was later renamed Southwest Lumber Mills and then Southwest Forest Industries. The mill closed in 1979 after a fire.

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 , of which is land and , or 1.30%, is water. At an elevation of , it is the second highest community in Arizona after Alpine.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. 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, McNary has a

marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. McNary has recorded one of the lowest temperature in the southwestern state of Arizona, as on January 7, 1971, the temperature froze at around −40 °F / −40 °C. McNary averages 65 inches of snow per year and is one of the coldest places in Arizona, along with Hawley Lake, which recorded the same temperature of −40 °F / −40 °C

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 349 people, 91 households, and 73 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 101 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.8% Native American, 8.3%

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 ...

, 2.6%

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 ...

, 2.9% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. 11.2% 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 91 households, out of which 63.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 31.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.84 and the average family size was 4.18. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 48.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 9.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 19 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $4,375. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $18,375 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 $2,917. About 78.9% of families and 86.4% 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 96.6% of those under age 18 and 100% of those age 65 or over.

Education

McNary is served by the McNary Elementary School District, and by the Blue Ridge Junior High School, and Blue Ridge High School in nearby Pinetop-Lakeside. and Alchesay High School which is part of Whiteriver Unified School District.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The White Mountain Apache Tribe operates the Fort Apache Connection Transit, which provides local bus service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcnary, Arizona Census-designated places in Apache County, Arizona Census-designated places in Arizona Census-designated places in Navajo County, Arizona White Mountain Apache Tribe