Supai, Arizona

Supai, Arizona
CDP
Havasu Falls, located 2 miles further into the canyon from Supai
Location in Coconino County and the state of Arizona
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Coconino
Area
• Total	1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2)
• Land	1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	3,195 ft (974 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	423
• Density	0.0/sq mi (0.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
ZIP code	86435
Area code	928
FIPS code	04-71230
GNIS feature ID	0012003

Supai (Havasupai: Havasuuw) is a town in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. As of the 1990 census, the town had a population of 423; the 2000 census erroneously recorded a population of 0 for the town. The town is the capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Supai is currently the only town in the United States where mail is still carried out by mules. It is also the most remote town in the lower 48 states, and the only way to get to it is to hike, ride a mule, or take a helicopter. Supai is eight miles (13 km) from the nearest road. There are no cars in the town.

History

Residents and tourists were evacuated from the town and surrounding area on 17 August 2008 due to a break in the earthen Redlands Dam after a night of heavy rainfall. Evacuees were taken to Peach Springs, Arizona. More heavy rains were expected and a flash flood warning was put into effect, necessitating the evacuation, according to the Grand Canyon National Park Service. The floods were significant enough to attract coverage from international media.

Geography

Being located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the town is only accessible by foot, burro, or horse, or by helicopter. Mail and package delivery to the town is thus delayed; delivery time for mail from Bullhead City, Arizona, via the United States Postal Service is at least a week because it is carried out by mule (D. Varty, personal communication, 2004).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²), all land. The town is located 3,195 feet (974 m) above sea level.

Demographics

As of the 1990 census, there were 423 people, 104 households, and 88 families residing in Supai. The population density was 248.8 people per square mile (94.0/km²). There were 136 housing units at an average density of 80.0/sq mi (30.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.56% Native American, 4.96% White, and 0.47% Asian. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 104 households out of which 60.6% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 39.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 12.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who are 65 years of age or older. For every 100 males there are 98.6 females. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there are 87.4 females.

Access

Supai can be reached by hiking eight miles (13 km), descending 3,000 vertical feet (900 meters) from Hualapai Hilltop through the Hualapai Canyon, and the AirWest Helicopters service schedules flights from Hualapai Hilltop to Supai. Hualapai Hilltop is located about 70 miles (110 km) from the town of Peach Springs, along paved BIA Road 18.

Services

Supai has one small, air-conditioned lodge (Havasupai Lodge), a convenience store, and one cafe serving fast food meals.

External links

• Havasupai Tourism
• History of the United States Postal Service 1775-1993

36°14′06.21″N 112°41′18.97″W