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. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. The city is within the Coconino National Forest.
Sedona's main attraction is its array of pink sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in pink when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The pink rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.
Sedona was named after Sedona Schnebly, whose husband, Theodore Carlton Schnebly, was the city's first postmaster. She was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness. Her mother, Amanda Miller, claimed to have made the name up because "it sounded pretty".
History
Anglo-American settlement
The first European-American settler, John J. Thompson, moved to Oak Creek Canyon in 1876, an area well known for its peach and apple orchards. The early settlers were farmers and ranchers. In 1902, when the Sedona post office was established, there were 55 residents. In the mid-1950s, the first telephone directory listed 155 names. Some parts of the Sedona area were not electrified until the 1960s.The area, then unincorporated, had no local government and was bisected by two counties. Growth increased after a resident discovered water. That meant area residents no longer had to transport water, and could directly build infrastructure.
Sedona began to develop as a tourist destination, vacation-home and retirement center in the 1950s. Most of the development seen today was constructed in the 1980s and 1990s. As of 2007, there are no large tracts of undeveloped land remaining.
Important early settlers included the Steele family, originally of Scotland.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
In 1956, construction of the Chapel of the Holy Cross was completed. The chapel rises out of a redrock cliff. The most prominent feature of the chapel is the cross. Later a chapel was added. Inside the chapel there is a window and a cross with benches and pews.Cinematic legacy
Sedona played host to more than sixty Hollywood productions from the first years of movies into the 1970s. Stretching as far back as 1923, Sedona's pink rocks were a fixture in major Hollywood productionsincluding films such as Angel and the Badman, Desert Fury, Blood on the Moon, Johnny Guitar, The Last Wagon, 3:10 to Yuma and Broken Arrow. However, the surroundings typically were identified to audiences as the terrain of Texas, California, Nevada, and even Canada–US border territory. The town lent its name to the 2011 film Sedona, which is set in the community. Additionally, HIM, a film exploring the “reality” of reality dating television, was shot entirely in Sedona in 2023, and made its premiere at the Sedona International Film Festival in 2024.Brins Fire
On June 18, 2006, a wildfire, reportedly started by campers, began about one mile north of Sedona. The Brins Fire covered on Brins Mesa, Wilson Mountain and in Oak Creek Canyon before the US Forest Service declared it 100 percent contained on June 28. Containment cost was estimated at $6.4 million.Slide Fire
On May 20, 2014, a wildfire started from an unknown cause began north of Sedona at Slide Rock State Park. The Slide Fire spread across 21,227 acres in Oak Creek Canyon over nine days and prompted evacuations. State Route 89A opened to Flagstaff in June, but all parking and canyon access was closed to the public until October 1, 2014.Geography
Sedona is located in the interior chaparral, semi-desert grassland, Great Basin conifer woodland biomes of northern Arizona. Sedona has mild winters and warm summers.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of of which, or 0.22%, is water.
Flora
Sedona’s interior chaparral has many shrubs and small tree species of Quercus turbinella and Rhus ovata and a large population of Quercus palmeri. The Great Basin woodland has many small to medium trees of Pinus monophylla Var. fallax, Juniperus arizonica, Juniperus deppeana, Juniperus osteosperma, and Juniperus monosperma and a large population of Cupressus glabra. At higher elevations in Oak Creek Canyon Juniperus virginiana, Pinus edulis and other pines occur.Geology
The pink rocks of Sedona are formed by a unique layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of pink colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone, a member of the Supai Group, was deposited during the Permian Period. Notable landforms in or around Sedona include the Seven Sacred Pools, Bell Rock, Capitol Butte, Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Butte, Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole, House Mountain, Two Nuns, and Wilson Mountain which is the highest.Climate
Sedona has a cold semi-arid climate and is a high desert. In January, the average high temperature is with a low of. In July, the average high temperature is with a low of. Annual precipitation is just over.Demographics
| Race | 2010 | 2000 | 1990 | 1980 | |
| White alone | 80% | 81.6% | 88% | 93.7% | 97.9% |
| Black alone | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0% |
| American Indian alone | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Asian alone | 2.4% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Other race alone | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
| Multiracial | 3.4% | 1.1% | 1.1% | — | — |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.5% | 14.3% | 8.9% | 5.2% | 1.1% |
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,192 people, 4,928 households, and 2,863 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 5,684 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 92.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 8.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
At the 2000 census there were 7,229 people living in the Yavapai County portion of the city and 2,963 living in the Coconino County portion. By land area Yavapai had 66.2% of its area, versus 33.8% for Coconino.
There were 4,928 households, out of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.52.
In the city, 13.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 4.5% was from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,042, and the median income for a family was $52,659. Males had a median income of $32,067 versus $24,453 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,350. About 4.7% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Annual events include:- St. Patrick's Day parade, Celebration of Spring, Sedona Food Truck Festival, Red Dirt Concerts, Pumpkin Splash, and WagFest and Fair.
- Sedona Marathon.
- Sedona Miracle Annual Charity Fundraiser.
- Sedona Hummingbird Festival.
- The Sedona Solstice Festivals at Unity of Sedona.
- Chamber Music Sedona chamber-music program.
- Sedona Arts Center, founded in 1958, the oldest arts center in northern Arizona.
- Sedona International Film Festival, established in 1995.
- Greg Lawson Galleries.
Government
Politically, Uptown Sedona, the Gallery District and the Chapel area and West Sedona form the City of Sedona. Founded in 1902, it was incorporated as a city in 1988. The unincorporated Village of Oak Creek, to the south and well outside the Sedona city limits, is a significant part of the Sedona community.In 2013, Sedona became one of the Arizona municipalities to approve of civil unions for same-sex partners.
Education
Sedona is in the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District. West Sedona School, serving grades K–6, is located at 570 Posse Ground Road. Sedona Red Rock High School, built in 1994, is located on the western edge of town in West Sedona. The school's mascot is the Scorpion. The high school's new campus, a series of single-story buildings, is located opposite the Sedona campus of Yavapai College. As of 2016, Sedona Red Rock High School holds grades 7–8 in the Junior High portion of campus.Prior to the establishment of Sedona-Oak Creek USD, Flagstaff Unified School District included Sedona and operated the Sedona School. In the pre-1991 period some Sedona-area students attended Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary School District and Mingus Union High School District. The Sedona school district opened in 1991, taking territory and assets from Flagstaff USD. At the time, Sedona students continued to attend Flagstaff for high school.
Red Rock Early Learning Center is a year-round Preschool program designed for children aged 3–5 years old. Their normal school year runs from August to May each year, with a summer session offered during June and July. It is licensed by the ADHS, and located in West Sedona Elementary School building 300.
Verde Valley School, a boarding International Baccalaureate high school with many international students, is located between the Village of Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing. It hosts numerous 'traditions' and performances open to the community. Their mascot is the coyote. Total attendance measures about 120 students per year, grades 9–12. Oscar-winning composer James Horner studied there.
Sedona Charter School is located behind the Sedona Public Library, serving as a Montessori-based school for grades K–8.
Yavapai College's Sedona Center for Arts & Technology includes the Sedona Film School, which offers certificates in independent filmmaking, the Business Partnership Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the University of Arizona Mini Med School.