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Ash Fork is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 457 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Ash Fork is located at 35°13'16?N, 112°29'14?W (35.221236, -112.487100)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), all of it land.
Geologic places of interest to visit include Cathedral Caverns which are approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of town off Arizona Road, and Dante's Descent, a 380-foot (120 m) deep sinkhole that is also known as Devil's Hole, which is approximately five miles north west of town off Crookton Road.
Approximately 15 miles (24 km) to the north of Ash Fork is Beale Road, which has the distinction of being the first federally funded highway.
History
The town was purportedly named in 1882 by F.W. Smith, General Superintendent of the old Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, because of ash trees at the site. The first official post office was established April 12, 1883, with one Henry W. Kline serving as the first Postmaster.[2] In later years, Ash Fork was the location of the Escalante, a large hotel and "Harvey House" built in 1907 and closed in 1948, operated by the Fred Harvey Company. Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66 made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of Classical Hollywood cinema, such as 1947's Dark Passage starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Certain areas of the town were also selected to be used as sets in the filming of 1992's Universal Soldier, supposedly due to the extremely low purchase price of several buildings, including an old motel, which were blown up for cinematic effect.
The Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam is located outside of Ash Fork.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 457 people, 149 households, and 109 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 199.1 people per square mile (76.7/km²). There were 189 housing units at an average density of 82.3/sq mi (31.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.28% White, 1.31% Native American, 1.53% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 51.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 149 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 161.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $21,094 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $11,802. About 16.5% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
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