Williams, Arizona
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Williams () is a city in
Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
,
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, located west of Flagstaff. Its population was 3,023 at the 2010 census. It lies on the routes of Historic Route 66 and
Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...
. It is also the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, which takes visitors to Grand Canyon Village. Also known as the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon", Williams was the last city on Historic Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. The Historic Downtown District covers six square blocks.


History

Founded in 1881, Williams was named for William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams (1787–1849), a famous trapper, trader, scout and mountain man, who often trapped in the area. A statue of "Old Bill" stands in Monument Park, located on the west side of the city. The large mountain directly to the south is named Bill Williams Mountain. The city was incorporated on July 9, 1901. Williams was the last city whose section of Route 66 was bypassed, due to lawsuits that kept the last section of Interstate 40 in Arizona from being built around the city. After settlements called for the state to build three Williams exits, the suits were dropped and I-40 was completed. On October 13, 1984, Interstate 40 was opened around the town and newspapers the next day reported the essential end of US 66. The following year, Route 66 was decommissioned. The Williams Historic Business District and Urban Route 66, Williams were added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1984 and 1989, respectively.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,842 people, 1,057 households, and 733 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,204 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.1%
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 ...
, 2.9%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 1.7% Native American, 1.3% Asian, <0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 14.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 32.3% 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 1,057 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,455, and the median income for a family was $39,063. Males had a median income of $27,237 versus $25,162 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 city was $16,223. About 9.9% of families and 12.8% 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 18.2% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.


Geography

Bill Williams Mountain rises to an elevation of just south of Williams. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.66%, is water.


Climate

On average in Williams, December is the coldest month, July is the warmest month, and August is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Williams was in 1909; the coldest temperature recorded was in 1937. It has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(''Cfb''
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
/''Dobk'' Trewartha), a rarity in Arizona. All months average between freezing and and six months average above .


Government

The City of Williams has adopted the Council-Manager form of government. The Williams City Council is the city's legislative body. The seven-member council oversee the operations of the city government and sets policy by approving programs, appropriating funds, enacting laws and appointing the City Manager and other officers such as the City Attorney, City Clerk and City Magistrate. Williams' Mayor and City Council are elected at large. The Mayor serves a two-year term and Council members serve overlapping four-year terms. The City Manager is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of, the City Council and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the city. The role of the City Manager is to execute the policies and programs established by the City Council and to provide administrative leadership and management of municipal operations. Federally, Williams is part of Arizona's 2nd congressional district.


Education

Williams is served by the Williams Unified School District. Two schools, Williams Elementary Middle School, and Williams High School, serve the city. A charter school, Heritage Elementary Charter School, also provides services.


Parks and recreation

The city of Williams Parks and Recreation Department operates several parks and public facilities throughout the city. Recreation Center & Skate Park is centered around youth activities and entertainment and features an indoor skate park called the "Shed". The city hosts a public swimming pool located at the Williams Aquatic Center, an indoor facility offering seasonal and recreational swimming activities. The pool is open the Saturday before Memorial Day and closes the Saturday before Labor Day every year. Cureton Park offers softball, baseball and basketball courts, picnic area and public restrooms. Buckskinner Park has a basketball and volleyball court and a lake that is stocked regularly by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and features a trail head to several trails maintained by the
United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...
. Cataract Lake County Park is a joint venture between
Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
and the City of Williams and includes several barbecue pits, a playground and public restroom facilities including a lake stocked regularly by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Dogtown Reservoir and its recreational facilities are nearby. The city also maintains a rodeo facility that hosts the annual Williams Reunion Rodeo.


Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
‘s ''
Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and American Southwest ...
'' train served Williams between 1999 and 2017, calling at Williams Junction, east of town. Passengers were shuttled from the station to downtown Williams by
Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
. Following the closure of Williams Junction in 2018, Amtrak introduced a new Thruway bus service between Williams and Flagstaff. The surviving downtown station is the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway. Williams has a small
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, the H.A. Clark Memorial Field.


Arts and culture

Williams has an arts and cultural events schedule that runs year round. Starting in December and running through January, The Polar Express operated by the Grand Canyon Railway is a train ride based on the popular children's book The Polar Express written by
Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and '' The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he al ...
. The city also hosts the Historic Route 66 Car Show featuring automobiles from Route 66's heyday. During the summer months The Cataract Creek Gang acts out a gun fight every night in the streets of Williams. This cast of Old West characters also tend to "rob" the Grand Canyon Railway train upon its return from the canyon.


Films

A few Hollywood films with A-list actors and actresses have been shot in and around the town of Williams and the surrounding area. * '' Guns of the Timberland'' (1960), starring
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...
,
Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...
and
Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in ''Pinky (film), Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films ''In the Meantime, Da ...
* ''
Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest from a screenplay by George Gallo. It stars Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton (actor), John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano. In the ...
'' (1988), starring
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
and
Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting acto ...
* '' Nurse Betty'' (2000), starring
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...
,
Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger ( ; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Renée Zellweger, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four ...
and
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...
* '' Speechless'' (1994), starring
Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...
,
Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...
and
Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, activist, director, and author. He amassed Christopher Reeve on stage and screen, several stage and screen credits in his 34-year career, including playin ...


Tourism

The majority of economic activity for Williams is derived from tourism. Williams is approximately a one-hour, sixty mile car drive from the South Entrance of the Grand Canyon, and forty-two miles west of the City of Flagstaff via the Interstate 40. Other notable Williams attractions include Bearizona Wildlife Park, the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, Grand Canyon Deer Farm, Canyon Coaster Adventure Park, Pete's Route 66 Gas Station Museum, and the Planes of Fame Air Museum.


Notable people

* Hap Collard,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
* Diana Gabaldon, writer and actress known for the ''Outlander'' novels and ''Outlander'' TV series *
Ross Hagen Ross Hagen (born Leland Lando Lilly; May 21, 1938 – May 7, 2011) was an American actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter and producer whose television acting credits included ''Daktari''. His film credits included ''The Hellcats'' in 1967 a ...
, voice actor, director, screenwriter and producer * Billy Hatcher, baseball player and coach * Tom Ray, animator for Warner Brothers cartoons * Old Bill Williams, namesake of the town


See also

* Keyhole Sink * Kaibab Lake * Dogtown Lake


References


External links


City of Williams
{{authority control Cities in Coconino County, Arizona Cities in Arizona