Whiteriver () 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) located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Navajo County,

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 4,104 at the 2010 census, making it the largest settlement on the Reservation.

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.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,220 people, 1,249 households, and 1,054 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.1% Native American, 3.0%

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, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 1.9% 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 1,249 households, out of which 56.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 34.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.6% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.10 and the average family size was 4.45. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 44.4% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 13.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $17,415, and the median income for a family was $17,774. Males had a median income of $18,490 versus $20,463 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 $5,719. About 46.9% of families and 51.6% 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 59.2% of those under age 18 and 35.2% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

As of 2005, the Apache Reservation in which Whiteriver is located showed a decrease from 73% traditional or atheist to 43%. The percent of the population who consider themselves Christian was then 53%.

Transportation

Whiteriver Airport is a public use

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport located one

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...

(2 km) southwest of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

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

Education

Whiteriver is served by the Whiteriver Unified School District. Alchesay High School is the secondary school of Whiteriver. East Fork Lutheran School is a Christian grade school and high school of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

in Whiteriver. It has repeatedly disciplined and even expelled students who participate in Apache cultural traditions, considering them as

Satanism Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Climate

Whiteriver has a

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 ...

(Köppen ''Csa''/''Csb'') with summers featuring hot afternoons and mild mornings, and winters featuring comfortable afternoons and freezing mornings. Unlike most climates of its type, the summer drought only covers the first half of the hot season – monsoonal rains arrive in July and peak in August before falling off in September. During the dry early summer wildfires are however always a risk. The typical winter weather of mild days and freezing nights is sometimes interrupted by heavy rainfall or snowfall from Pacific storms, which bring an average of between of precipitation each month, and a mean of of snow – although the ''

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

'' annual snowfall is only .

References

{{authority control White Mountains (Arizona) Census-designated places in Navajo County, Arizona Census-designated places in Arizona Seats of government of American Indian reservations White Mountain Apache Tribe