Seligman is a
census-designated placeA 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-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:...
,
ArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.
History
Between 1889-1891, Seligman was established by the Theut and Moultrie families. Both were prosperous slaughterhouse owners in Southern antebellum families who lost everything in the Civil War and the following Reconstruction periods. They moved West hoping to find a new life in the largely uninhabited territory of Arizona. They took over the area of Seligman Campsite from the Apache Indians.
Geography
Seligman is located at 35°19′42"N 112°52′27"W (35.328199, -112.874303), at 5240 feet (1,597.2 m) in elevation, along side the Big Chino Wash, in a north section of
Chino ValleyThe Chino Valley of Arizona is a large, 70-mi long valley, centered on Seligman, Arizona in northwest Yavapai County and southwest Coconino County...
; the wash is a major tributary of the
Verde RiverThe Verde River is the north and northwestern watershed of the Salt River–Verde River Watershed that co-join and enter the Gila River at Phoenix, Arizona, located in the U.S. state of Arizona...
. Seligman was a stage stop on the
Mojave RoadThe Mojave Road or Mojave Trail is a historic route and present day 'four-wheel drive road' across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert of California, United States.-History:...
, and its successor Historic
U.S. Route 66U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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 Seligman CDP has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 456 people, 205 households, and 121 families residing in the CDP. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 71.5 people per square mile (27.6/km²). There were 281 housing units at an average density of 44.0/sq mi (17.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.09%
WhiteRace 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...
, 0.22%
BlackRace 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 AmericanRace 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...
, 1.97%
Native AmericanRace 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...
, 1.54%
AsianRace 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...
, 0.22%
Pacific IslanderRace 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...
, 6.14% from
other racesRace 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 4.82% from two or more races.
HispanicRace 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
LatinoRace 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 were 19.08% of the population.
There were 205 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $23,833, and the median income for a family was $29,722. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $13,594 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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 $11,976. About 14.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.
In culture
John LasseterJohn Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
has said in interviews that the town of Radiator Springs in the
PixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film
CarsCars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
is loosely based on Seligman. While researching the history of Route 66, Lasseter met Seligman barber
Angel DelgadilloAngel Delgadillo is a former businessowner in Seligman, Arizona who has been dubbed the 'guardian angel' of U.S. Route 66. Over the years, multiple guidebooks and websites from the United States and even the Czech Republic that give information on the road have mentioned him...
, who told him how traffic through the town virtually disappeared on the day that nearby Interstate 40 opened.
Delgadillo's brother Juan opened
Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-InDelgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In is a historic eatery and roadside attraction located along former Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona USA. The drive-in was built in 1953 by local resident Juan Delgadillo...
in 1953; the eatery has since become a famous roadside attraction. Author, Route 66 historian and
Cars voice actor
Michael WallisMichael Wallis is a journalist and popular historian of the Western United States. He has written seventeen books, including Route 66: The Mother Road, about the historic highway U.S. Route 66...
covers the history of the restaurant in his book,
Route 66: The Mother Road.
Education
Seligman is part of the Seligman Unified School District. Its basketball team won the 1-A state championship in 2006 after consecutive second round exits in the tournament in the two previous years. As well, its baseball team has lost in the final game of the state championship for three straight years. The school colors are red, white, and black, and its teams are called the Antelopes.
Notable natives and residents
- Commodore Perry Owens
Commodore Perry Owens was an American-born lawman and gunfighter of the Old West. One of his many exploits was the Owens-Blevins Shootout in Arizona Territory during the Pleasant Valley War.- Early life :...
, Old West lawmanThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and gunman