Payson, Arizona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Payson is a town at the meeting of three roads in Gila County, Arizona, USA. Its location puts it almost exactly in the geographic center of Arizona. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 14,279.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Located at (34.239462, -111.327456)GR1, the town has a total area of 50.4 km² (19.5 mi²). The Mogollon Rim lies to the north; there are a few small lakes.
Neighboring communities include Star Valley and Pine, Arizona. The smaller communities of Rye and Strawberry are also within Gila county.
[edit] Education
Payson Unified School District #10 includes five major schools. Grammar schools include Julia Randall Elementary, Frontier Elementary, and Payson Elementary. Rim Country Middle School and Payson High School are essentially contained within one property. However, both facilities are organized and maintained by separate administration. All schools are subject to district laws enforced by the district board. Payson also has a campus of the Gila County Community College.
[edit] Recreation
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Payson has plenty of trails for the off-roader. Ninety-seven percent of the land around Payson is owned by the US Government or the tribal governments, consequently much of the land is available for hiking, horseback riding and off roading. It also has a six-screen movie theatre and a bowling alley. The area incorporates three golf courses, two of which belong to private country clubs. Dining choices include Mexican, American, Italian, and Chinese cuisine.
The Payson area is also a favorite for rockhounds. In various areas surrounding the community can be found quartz crystals rivaling Herkimer diamonds in quality; geodes; blue and white agate; onyx and more.
Payson is known for its rodeo which is the oldest continuous rodeo in the world! Every year in August dozens of cowboys and cowgirls gather to compete for fame and prizes.
Payson has two large parks, Green Valley Park and Rumsey Park. A community swimming pool is located near Rumsey Park and the town hosts free outdoor concerts in the summer. Other activities include intramural sports like baseball and football.
[edit] Government
The town government consists of the mayor, Bob Edwards, and six council members: Vice-Mayor Tim Fruth, Ed Blair, Su Connell, Andy Romance, John Wilson, and Mike Vogel.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 13,620 people, 5,832 households, and 4,070 families residing in the town. The population density was 270.1/km² (699.6/mi²). There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 139.5/km² (361.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.75% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 1.89% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 5.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,832 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 29.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,638, and the median income for a family was $38,713. Males had a median income of $30,900 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,513. About 6.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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