Show Low is a city in

Navajo County, Arizona Navajo County () is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717. The county seat is Holbrook. Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. N ...

. It lies on the

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topography, topographical and geological feature cutting across Northern Arizona, the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapa ...

in east central Arizona, at an elevation of 6,345 feet (1,934 m). The city was established in 1870 and incorporated in 1953. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 11,732.

Name and history

According to a legend, the city's unusual name resulted from a marathon poker game between Corydon E. Cooley and Marion Clark. The two men were equal partners in a ranch; however, the partners determined that there was not enough room for both of them in their settlement, and agreed to settle the issue over a game of "Seven Up" (with the winner taking the ranch and the loser leaving). After the game seemed to have no winner in sight, Clark said, "If you can show low, you win." In response, Cooley turned up the deuce of clubs (the lowest possible card) and replied, "Show low it is." As a tribute to the legend, Show Low's main street is named "Deuce of Clubs" in remembrance. In 2002, a large forest fire, the

Rodeo–Chediski Fire The Rodeo–Chediski Fire was a wildfire that burned in east-central Arizona beginning on June 18, 2002, and was not controlled until July 7.http://www.floa.org/rodeo_chediski/fire_photos12.htm Rodeo-Chediski fire, Forest lakes owners associat ...

, threatened the city and forced an evacuation. The fire was extinguished less than a half mile from the city's border, and Show Low was completely spared. The city is near extensive forests, and is a popular recreational area.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.25%) is water.

Climate

Winters in Show Low bring highs between 45 °F (7 °C) and 55 °F (13 °C), with lows usually below freezing between November and March, averaging in the 20s December through February, and in the low 30s for November and March. In the summer, highs in Show Low average approximately 85 °F (29 °C), with an occasional day above 90 °F (32 °C) not uncommon for the city. As the sun sets in the summertime, temperatures plummet dramatically, sometimes upwards of 30 °F (17 °C). This nightly temperature swing results in summertime lows typically ranging between 50 °F (10 °C) and 60 °F (16 °C). Show Low has reached below-freezing temperatures every month at least once in its history except July and August, where temperatures have only reached 38 °F (3 °C) and 37 °F (3 °C) respectively. Show Low has twice reached 100 °F (38 °C), its record high temperature: once on May 31, 1969, and again on July 14, 2003. Show Low's record low temperature of -25 °F (-32 °C) was set on January 8, 1971. Show Low averages about of rain per year. The city has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Csa''). Unlike most locations with this climate, but similar to most of Arizona, the rainfall maximum is in the summer due to the North American Monsoon.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,695 people, 2,885 households, and 2,117 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7186 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.4% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 9.4% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 2,885 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,356, and the median income for a family was $36,397. Males had a median income of $28,882 versus $24,590 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,536. About 11.7% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Show Low Regional Airport ( IATA: SOW, ICAO: KSOW) provides passenger airline service through Southern Airways Express to Phoenix. The airport maintains a single passenger terminal for this purpose. The airport is also commonly used for air cargo, air-taxi, and as a

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

for general aviation. The city also maintains a minor

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

ation operation in conjunction with neighboring Pinetop-Lakeside. Two shuttles service multiple retail, high-traffic, and government offices and also the airport and nearby Hon-Dah casino (57 stops in al

The city also operates the White Mountain Connection bus, which serves Pinetop-Lakeside, Taylor, Arizona, Taylor,

Snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that is large enough to fall through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100–107.Hobbs, P.V. 1974. Ice Physics. Oxford: C ...

, and Holbrook. Mountain Valley Shuttle provides a daily shuttle from Show Low to Phoenix.

Education

Almost all of the city is a part of the Show Low Unified School District. A portion of the city is within the boundaries of the Blue Ridge Unified School District. Schools that serve the SLUSD portion of the city include Linden Elementary, Nikolaus Homestead Elementary, Whipple Ranch Elementary, White Mountain Institute, Show Low Junior High School, and

Show Low High School Show Low High School is a public high school in Show Low, Arizona. It is the only traditional high school under the jurisdiction of the Show Low Unified School District. The school enrolls an estimated 767 students in grades 9– 12. Show Low ...

. Additionally St. Anthony School (K-8) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup is in Show Low. Circa 2009 it covered to grade 4. As of that time it was adding the 5th grade the following year and adding another grade each year until grade 8. Show Low is home to one of

Northland Pioneer College Northland Pioneer College (NPC) is a public community college serving the communities of northeastern Arizona. Campuses are located in four of the largest Navajo County communities: Holbrook, Show Low, Snowflake, and Winslow. Five centers are l ...

's four regional campuses, the White Mountain Campus.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2014 ''Comprehensive Annual Financial Report'', the top employers in the city are:

Notable people

Doug Mathis Douglas Alan Mathis (born June 7, 1983) is a former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for their Triple–A affiliate in Oklahoma City. He played in Major League Baseball, the KBO L ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

for the Texas Rangers organization *

Paul Ulibarri Paul Ulibarri (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional disc golfer from Show Low, Arizona. In 2006, he won the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships and began playing professionally the following season. As of June 2020, Ulibarri ...

, professional disc golfer and 2006 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Champion

Nearest cities and towns

* Clay Springs * Linden * McNary * Pinedale * Pinetop-Lakeside *

* Taylor, Arizona, Taylor * Vernon

References

Schools, Show Low Unified School District
Retrieved July 24, 2009

External links

{{authority control Populated places of the Mogollon Rim White Mountains (Arizona) Cities in Arizona Cities in Navajo County, Arizona Populated places established in 1870 Micropolitan areas of Arizona 1870 establishments in Arizona Territory