Williams, Arizona

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Steam locomotive pulls into Williams Depot

Williams is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 3.094.^[1] It lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrak train route. It is also the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, which takes visitors to Grand Canyon Village.

Because of its location near the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Williams is a major tourist stop and has many inns and motels. Restaurants and gas stations may be seen serving mainly tourists rather than local residents, especially during holiday seasons.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Williams and Route 66
4 Education
5 Transportation
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Williams, Arizona is named after William "Old Bill" Williams, a mountain man and trader who often trapped in the area.

Williams is located at 35°14′58″N, 112°11′24″W (35.249369, -112.189872)^GR1 at 6,800 feet in elevation. Bill Willams Mountain rises to an elevation of 9,256 feet just south of Williams.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 113.4 km² (43.8 mi²). 112.7 km² (43.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.66%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,842 people, 1,057 households, and 733 families residing in the city. The population density was 25.2/km² (65.3/mi²). There were 1,204 housing units at an average density of 10.7/km² (27.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.13% White, 2.89% Black or African American, 1.72% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 14.22% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. 32.34% of the population were Hispanic 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 population was spread out with 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 for the city was $16,223. About 9.9% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Williams and Route 66

Williams, Arizona would go down in history as being the last town to have its section of Route 66 bypassed. The original plan was to have the last section of the famous highway bypassed somewhere in Texas, but lawsuits that had been filed kept the last section of Interstate 40 from being built around Williams. After settlements called for the state to build three exits for the town, the suits were dropped and I-40 was built. In 1984, Interstate 40 was opened around the town and newspapers the next day reported the essential end of the famous US 66. The following year, Route 66 was decommissioned.

[edit] Education

Williams is served by the Williams Unified School District. Two schools, Williams Elementary Middle School and Williams High School, serve the city.

[edit] Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Williams, operating its Southwest Chief between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. Rail passengers actually arrive and depart at Williams Junction, east of Williams, and are transported by bus from Williams Junction to the downtown rail station. The downtown station also serves as the southern terminus for the Grand Canyon Railway.