Big Park, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Big Park is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona
, United States. The population was 5,245 at the 2000 census. Big Park is more commonly known as the Village of Oak Creek (VOC), and is a bedroom community for Sedona, Arizona
. Tourism and service to retirees and second-home owners are the basis for the local economy. Big Park, the pioneers' name for the large open area that became the Village of Oak Creek in the early 1960s, is set among scenic red-rock buttes and canyons. The Bell Rock
scenic area adjoins the north end of VOC, and the town is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest
. A Forest Service
Visitor Center is located at the south end of VOC.
Big Park's FIPS code
is 07570. Residents of VOC have a Sedona ZIP code
, 86351.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), all of it land.
, 0.36% Black
or African American
, 0.36% Native American
, 0.61% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 1.53% from other races
, and 1.56% from two or more races. 6.79% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 2,560 households out of which 14.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.44.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 12.7% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 17.7% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 33.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,477, and the median income for a family was $46,268. Males had a median income of $38,007 versus $24,826 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $30,026. About 5.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
, whose son attended the school. Normally a mostly-acoustical show, past headliners include Browne (who almost always performs), Neil Young
, and Bruce Cockburn
. Source:
Verde Valley School
, an International Baccalaureate boarding/college preparatory high school with many international and Native American
students, is located between the Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing. VVS was founded in 1948 by Hamilton and Barbara Warren. Scholars who helped found the school and guide its early years included Harvard anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn
, anthropologist Margaret Mead
, and John Collier
, Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.
) with her then-husband, TWA
President Jack Frye
, built another notable estate in the Village of Oak Creek, "Sky Fires", in what is now the Sedona Golf Resort. The house was badly damaged in a 1983 fire, and was later demolished.
Source:
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona
Yavapai County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, United States. The population was 5,245 at the 2000 census. Big Park is more commonly known as the Village of Oak Creek (VOC), and is a bedroom community for Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
. Tourism and service to retirees and second-home owners are the basis for the local economy. Big Park, the pioneers' name for the large open area that became the Village of Oak Creek in the early 1960s, is set among scenic red-rock buttes and canyons. The Bell Rock
Bell Rock (Arizona)
Bell Rock is a popular tourist attraction just north of the Village of Oak Creek, Arizona, south of Sedona in Yavapai County. Its summit elevation is 4816 ft. . It is an area of spiritual significance to New Agers...
scenic area adjoins the north end of VOC, and the town is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest
Coconino National Forest
The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S...
. A Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
Visitor Center is located at the south end of VOC.
Big Park's FIPS code
Federal Information Processing Standard
A Federal Information Processing Standard is a publicly announced standardization developed by the United States federal government for use in computer systems by all non-military government agencies and by government contractors, when properly invoked and tailored on a contract...
is 07570. Residents of VOC have a Sedona ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 86351.
Geography
Big Park is located at 34°46′59"N 111°45′40"W (34.783149, -111.761017).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,245 people, 2,560 households, and 1,602 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,154.1 people per square mile (446.1/km²). There were 3,117 housing units at an average density of 685.9 per square mile (265.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.56% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.36% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.36% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.61% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.53% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.56% from two or more races. 6.79% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 2,560 households out of which 14.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.44.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 12.7% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 17.7% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 33.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,477, and the median income for a family was $46,268. Males had a median income of $38,007 versus $24,826 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $30,026. About 5.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
Arts
The Verde Valley Music Festival was held on the first weekend of each October at the Verde Valley School, just west of VOC. The Festival was a fundraiser for Native American scholarships at VVS, and long benefited from the sponsorship and generosity of Jackson BrowneJackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, whose son attended the school. Normally a mostly-acoustical show, past headliners include Browne (who almost always performs), Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, and Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
. Source:
Education
The Village of Oak Creek is served by the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District, and hosts the Big Park Community School (K-8), "Home of the Coyotes".Verde Valley School
Verde Valley School
Verde Valley School is an international college preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12. It is one of only a few U.S. boarding schools to offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum as its sole curriculum for 11th and 12th grades. The school is located in Sedona,...
, an International Baccalaureate boarding/college preparatory high school with many international and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
students, is located between the Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing. VVS was founded in 1948 by Hamilton and Barbara Warren. Scholars who helped found the school and guide its early years included Harvard anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn
Clyde Kluckhohn
Clyde Kluckhohn , was an American anthropologist and social theorist, best known for his long-term ethnographic work among the Navajo and his contributions to the development of theory of culture within American anthropology.-Early life and education:...
, anthropologist Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
, and John Collier
John Collier (reformer)
John Collier was an American social reformer and Native American advocate. He served as Commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, from 1933-1945...
, Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.
Notable residents
Sedona legend Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye (1908–1979), who built the better-known House of Apache Fire (now part of Red Rock State ParkRed Rock State Park
Red Rock State Park is a state park of Arizona, USA, featuring a red sandstone canyon outside the city of Sedona. This day-use park hosts numerous environmental education events for the public and for school or private groups.-Natural history:...
) with her then-husband, TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
President Jack Frye
Jack Frye
William John "Jack" Frye was an aviation pioneer, who with Paul E. Richter and Walter A. Hamilton, built TWA into a world class airline during his tenure as chairman from 1934-1947....
, built another notable estate in the Village of Oak Creek, "Sky Fires", in what is now the Sedona Golf Resort. The house was badly damaged in a 1983 fire, and was later demolished.
Source:
External links
- Welcome to Red Rock Country! Coconino National Forest.
- Photos of area
- The Jack and Helen Frye story