Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona
City
Courthouse Butte
Location in Yavapai County and the state of Arizona
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Counties	Yavapai, Coconino
Area
• Total	18.6 sq mi (48.2 km2)
• Land	18.6 sq mi (48.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	4,326 ft (1,319 m)
Population  (2007)
• Total	11,471
• Density	548.0/sq mi (211.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
ZIP code	86336
Area code	928
FIPS code	04-65350
Website	http://www.sedonaaz.gov/

For the Kia Motors Sedona automobile, see Kia Carnival

Sedona (Template:PronEng) is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 11,220.

Sedona's main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.

Sedona is named after Sedona Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.

Climate

Sedona has a temperate mountain climate. In January, the normal high temperature is 51 degrees with a low of 21. In July, the normal high temperature is 93 degrees with a low of 63. Annual precipitation is around 19 inches.

Geography and geology

Sedona is located at 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W (34.859897, -111.789199),Template:GR which is in the Upper Sonoran Desert of northern Arizona. At an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,372 m), Sedona has mild winters and summers that are often described as being, "not as hot as Phoenix."

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km²), all of it land.

The famous red rocks of Sedona are formed by a layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of red to orange-colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone, a member of the Supai Group, was deposited during the Permian period.

Among the rock formations is one that closely resembles the character Snoopy (from the popular Peanuts comic strip) lying on top of his doghouse. Another nearby rock is said to resemble Lucy, also from Peanuts. Other landmark rock formations include Coffeepot Rock, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Chimney Rock, Courthouse Butte, the Mittens, the Cow Pies, and the Rabbit Ears.

Panoramic view of the immediate Sedona area, covering an angle of view of approximately 90 degrees. The line of bare (deciduous) trees at center left marks the course of Oak Creek.

Panoramic north view of Sedona from Airport Mesa. Visible in the center is Greyback, also called Thunder Mountain, and Coffeepot to the right.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 10,192 people, 4,928 households, and 2,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 548.0 people per square mile (211.6/km²). There were 5,684 housing units at an average density of 305.6/sq mi (118.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.17% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 8.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

At the 2000 census there were 7,229 people living in the Yavapai County (western) portion of the city (70.9% of its population) and 2,963 living in the Coconino County (eastern) portion (29.1%). By land area Yavapai had 66.2% of its area, versus 33.8% for Coconino.

There were 4,928 households out of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.52.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,042, and the median income for a family was $52,659. Males had a median income of $32,067 versus $24,453 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,350. About 4.7% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

Native American

According to the Yavapai Native Americans, their ancestors were the first people of Sedona, descendants of "The First Lady," daughter of the Lady of the Pearl. The Yavapai Creation Story recounts how The Lady of the Pearl was sealed in a log with the Woodpecker and sent from Montezuma Well at the beginning of a Great Flood. For days and nights to follow, it rained incessantly and flood waters rose to cover every land form on earth. After 40 days, the rain stopped, the water receded and the log finally came to rest in Sedona. The Woodpecker freed the beautiful young woman from the log and guided her to the summit of Mingus Mountain, bearing a white stone or "Pearl" her people had given her for protection on the journey. There, she met the Sun, who fell in love with her. Returning to Sedona, she bathed in an enchanted pool in Boynton Canyon. Soon afterward, she gave birth to a daughter, referred to as the "First Lady," mother to all the Yavapai people. (Source: Spokesperson/representative of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Clarkdale, AZ.)

The Yavapai-Apache tribe were forcefully removed from the Verde Valley in 1876, to the San Carlos Indian Reservation, 180 miles southeast. 1500 people were marched, in midwinter, to San Carlos. Several hundred lost their lives. The survivors were interned for 25 years. About 200 Yavapai-Apache people returned to the Verde Valley in 1900.

Anglo-American settlement

The McDonald's in Sedona, Arizona is the only one in the world with teal arches. They are not yellow because the city thought they would mesh poorly with the surrounding red rocks. The first color McDonalds offered was teal which the city accepted.

The first Anglo settler, John J. Thompson, moved into Oak Creek Canyon in 1876. The early settlers were farmers and ranchers. Oak Creek Canyon was well-known for its peach and apple orchards. In 1902, when the Sedona post office was established, there were 55 residents. In the mid-1950s, the first telephone directory listed 155 names. Parts of the Sedona area weren't electrified until the 1960s.

Sedona began to develop as a tourist destination, vacation-home and retirement center in the 1950s. Most of the development seen today was constructed in the 1980s and 1990s. As of 2007, there are no large tracts of undeveloped land remaining. Section source:

Political structure

Politically, Uptown Sedona (the part in Coconino County) and West Sedona (the Yavapai County portion) form the City of Sedona. Originally founded in 1902, the town was incorporated into a city in January 1988. The Village of Oak Creek, despite its location seven miles (11 km) to the south and outside Sedona city limits, is a significant part of the community.

Cinematic legacy

Many of Hollywood's classic westerns were filmed in or near Sedona. The red rock buttes and desert landscape provided a striking setting for these films, most notably Broken Arrow (1950), starring James Stewart. A number of the movie's shooting locations can still be visited via off-road trails.

An intricate chase scene in the Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin comedy Midnight Run was filmed on the trails surrounding Sedona.

Fire

The Brins fire of 2006

On June 18, 2006, a wildfire, reportedly started by campers, began about one mile (1.6 km) north of Sedona. The so-called "Brins Fire" covered 4,317 acres (17 km²) on Brins Mesa, Wilson Mountain and in Oak Creek Canyon before the USDA Forest Service declared it 100% contained as of 6 p.m. on June 28. Containment cost was estimated at $6,400,000.

Arts and special events

There are several events that are hosted annually in the Sedona area, including:

• Sedona International Film Festival
• Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival[1]
• Sedona Marathon[2]
• Sedona Miracle Annual Charity Fundraiser [3]

Sedona is home to several notable arts organizations in Northern Arizona.

• The Sedona Arts Center, founded in 1958, is the oldest arts center in northern Arizona.
• The Sedona Jazz on the Rocks festival, founded in 1982, takes place annually at Radisson Poco Diablo Resort and other locations over four days in September.
• Chamber Music Sedona sponsors a chamber music program annually from October to May. 2007-2008 is the 25th anniversary season for this organization.
• Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop was established in 1995. The weeklong annual festival takes place in late February and early March at Harkins Theatres while supplemental events take place at area resorts. The festival also hosts monthly events.
• GumptionFest, established in 2006 by GumptionFest Artistic Support Foundation Executive Director Dylan Jung, is a grassroots, local art street festival takes place the first weekend of June.
• NORAZ Poets, founded in 2003, is a nonprofit poetry network based in Sedona.

Popular Culture References

• Sedona is mentioned in the Pixies song "Havalina" the last song on their album "Bossanova." The lyrics are: "Walking in the breeze / On the plains of old Sedona / Arizona / Among the trees."
• The Electro group Dynamix II released a single by the name of Sedona.
• Aerosmith recorded a song called "Sedona Sunrise" released on their 2006 compilation Devil's Got a New Disguise. The lyrics and laidback tone of the song were apparently inspired by the songwriters' visit to Sedona.
• Inspired by the gorgeous rock formations surrounding the town, music composer Steven Reineke wrote a piece which he named "Sedona."
• In Jamie O'Neal's love ballad, "There Is No Arizona", Jamie belts out the name Sedona in the chorus, "There is no Arizona. No painted desert, no Sedona."
• Since the 2007 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks professional baseball club, which plays its home games in Phoenix, has had uniforms dominated by a shade of red called "Sedona Red".

Education

Sedona is served by the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District.

Verde Valley School, a boarding International Baccalaureate high school with many international students, is located between the Village of Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing. It hosts numerous 'traditions' and performances open to the community. The mascot is the Coyote. Total attendance measures about 120 students per year, grades 9-12, Monday through Friday.

Sedona Red Rock High School (SRRHS), is located near the edge of town in West Sedona. The school's mascot is the Scorpion. The high school's new campus, a series of single story buildings, is located opposite the Sedona campus of Yavapai College, in West Sedona.

Sedona Charter School (SCS) is located behind the Sedona Public Library, it serves as Montessori based school for grades K-8th grade.

Yavapai College's Sedona Center for Arts & Technology includes the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, the Business Partnership Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the University of Arizona Mini Med School.

University of Sedona, a non-traditional institute providing ministerial training and education in metaphysics.

Vortexes

Cairns can signify a vortex, but more commonly, a hiking trail.

There is a specialized New Age tourist industry in Sedona, where the "Harmonic Convergence" was organized by Jose Arguelles in 1987. Some purported "spiritual vortices" are said to be concentrated in the Sedona area at Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Schnebly Hill.

Notable current residents

• Maynard James Keenan
• Samaire Armstrong
• Michelle Branch Sedona native
• Ted Danson
• Justin Frankel Sedona native
• Stanley Jordan
• Diane Lane owns a second home in Sedona.
• Gerard Maguire
• U.S. Sen. John McCain, (R-Arizona) owns a ranch southwest of the city
• Al Pacino owns a second home in Sedona
• Debbie Reynolds owns a vacation home in Sedona
• Jane Russell
• Glenn Scarpelli openly gay American actor (of One Day at a Time fame) and co-proprietor of the Sedona Now television network
• Robert Shields

Notable former residents

• Lucille Ball
• Joe Beeler lived and worked in Sedona, 1961-2006.
• Max Ernst lived in Sedona from 1948 to 1953 with his fourth wife, the artist Dorothea Tanning.
• James Gregory
• Ann Miller owned a Sedona vacation home
• Lois Moran
• Donald O'Connor
• Israel Regardie died in Sedona in 1985.
• Orson Welles
• Deborah Walley
• Mary Wills
• Sean Young lived in Sedona in the '90s

Photos

File:SedonaSchenblyStatue4898.jpg Susan Kliewer's statue of Sedona Schnebly outside the Sedona Public Library

Sunset over the red rocks

Sinkhole called The Devil's Kitchen in Soldier's Pass. The giant rock in the center is called The Grand Piano.

File:Susan kliewer 'sinagua' statue sedona arizona.jpg Sinagua fountain statue, also by Susan Kliewer, Sinagua Plaza

Devil's Bridge

See also

• Chapel of the Holy Cross
• Village of Oak Creek
• Oak Creek Canyon
• Mogollon Rim
• Sedona Airport

External links

• City website
• Sedona Chamber of Commerce
• Sedona Public Library
• Template:Wikitravel

• Oak Creek Canyon information