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Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially defined region of the U.S. state ofArizona. Generally consisting ofApache,Coconino,Mohave,Navajo, andYavapai counties, the region is geographically dominated by theColorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called theMogollon Rim.[citation needed]
Flagstaff is the largest city in northern Arizona. Other cities includeSedona,Page,Prescott,Payson, andWilliams.
Much of the territory isNational Forest Service land,parkland, or otherBLM-administered lands. In the north-east are largeHopi andNavajo reservations, parts of which overlap, leading to occasional territorial disputes.[citation needed]Native Americans make up 48% of the population in Coconino County, Navajo County, and Apache County. Ruins of the ancient Anasazi, Sinagua, and other Puebloan people can be found in northern Arizona.
MostNorthern Arizona University students are Arizonans, with 66% being Arizona residents.[1]
The region features several mountain ranges, including the state's highest, theSan Francisco Peaks. It also contains most of the state's natural lakes. In the east lies the White Mountain range. TheGrand Canyon is in the west. The central portion of northern Arizona has thePainted Desert.
The area is known for its rugged landscape and variety of environment. Northern Arizona is home to millions of acres ofponderosa pine,aspen, and mixed-conifer forests, including the largest ponderosa pine forest in North America. Attractions in addition to the Grand Canyon includeMonument Valley,Canyon de Chelly, thePainted Desert, andMeteor Crater. The major highway isInterstate 40 (roughly following thehistoric Route 66) which connects the larger cities of this region. Northern Arizona also goes by the nameAlta Arizona, which means "Upper Arizona" in Spanish. Northern Arizona has a large Mormon population, with a temple inSnowflake.[citation needed]
Northern Arizona consists of five different counties:
Northern Arizona has various points of interest. The area is known for its variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, hiking trails and forest service roads, extreme topographical and environmental variability, and its geologic and human history. The following is a list of popular attractions in northern Arizona.[2]
Northeast Arizona commonly includesApache County andNavajo County. Some notabletowns there areSt. Johns,Eagar,Holbrook,Show Low,Winslow,Window Rock,Fort Defiance,Ganado,Chinle, andKayenta.
It is the location of severalIndian reservations including all of theZuni Indian Reservation and most parts of theHopi Reservation, theNavajo Nation, and theFort Apache Indian Reservation. The rugged desert landscape of Northeast Arizona has been inhabited byindigenous peoples since at least the construction of what are now the ruins atMonument Valley,Navajo National Monument, andCanyon de Chelly National Monument.
Northeast Arizona is arid, largely free ofgreenery, and characterized by hills, mesas, buttes, cliffs, and canyons. The windy stony plains of thePetrified Forest National Park exhibits parts of the barren colorfulPainted Desert as well as preservedNative Americanpetroglyphs. Northeast Arizona is also home to theApache-Sitgreaves National Forest andFour Corners Monument.
The Arizona Strip is the segment of Arizona to the north of theColorado River. Geographically isolated from the rest of the state, it has fewer than 10,000 people.
