From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sedona, Arizona
Location in Yavapai County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.86, -111.78917
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Counties	Yavapai, Coconino
Government
- Mayor	Pud Colquitt
Area
- Total	18.6 sq mi (48.2 km²)
- Land	18.6 sq mi (48.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	4,326 ft (1,319 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	11,220
- Density	548.0/sq mi (211.6/km²)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
ZIP code	86336
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-65350
GNIS feature ID	0034242
Website: http://www.sedonaaz.gov/

For the Kia Motors Sedona automobile, see Kia Carnival

Sedona (pronounced /sɨˈdoʊnə/) is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 11,220.^[1]

Sedona's main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. Among the rock formations is one that closely resembles the character Snoopy (from the popular Peanuts comic strip) lying on top of his doghouse. Another nearby rock is said to resemble Lucy, also from Peanuts. Other landmark rock formations include Coffeepot Rock, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, the Mittens, the Cow Pies, and the Rabbit Ears.

There are several events that are hosted annually in the Sedona area, including:

• Sedona Miracle [1]
• Sedona International Film Festival
• Sedona Marathon
• Jazz on the Rocks Festival[2]
• Sedona Skatefest

Politically, Uptown Sedona (the part in Coconino County) and West Sedona (the Yavapai County portion) form the City of Sedona. Originally founded in 1902, the town was incorporated into a city in January 1988. The Village of Oak Creek, despite its location seven miles (11 km) to the south and outside Sedona city limits, is a significant part of the community.

Sedona is named after Sedona Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.^[2]

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007)

Panoramic view of the immediate Sedona area, covering an angle of view of approximately 90 degrees. The line of bare (deciduous) trees at center left marks the course of Oak Creek.

Panoramic north view of Sedona from Airport Mesa. Visible in the center is Greyback, also called Thunder Mountain, and Coffeepot to the right.

Sedona is located at 34°51′36″N, 111°47′21″W (34.859897, -111.789199),^GR1 which is in the Upper Sonoran Desert of northern Arizona. At an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,372 m), Sedona has mild winters and summers that are often described as being, "not as hot as Phoenix."

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km²), all of it land.

The famous red rocks of Sedona are formed by a layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of red to orange-colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone is thought to have been deposited during the Permian period.

Courthouse Butte near Sedona, Arizona

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,192 people, 4,928 households, and 2,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 548.0 people per square mile (211.6/km²). There were 5,684 housing units at an average density of 305.6/sq mi (118.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.17% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 8.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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 the population was spread out with 13.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 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.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

People of the Sun, Lady of the Pearl: the story of the first people of Sedona. (Bronze monument by Charles Oldham.)

According to the Yavapai Native Americans, their ancestors were the first people of Sedona, descendants of "The First Lady," daughter of the Lady of the Pearl. The Yavapai Creation Story recounts how The Lady of the Pearl was sealed in a log with the Woodpecker and sent from Montezuma Well at the beginning of a Great Flood. For days and nights to follow, it rained incessantly and flood waters rose to cover every land form on earth. After 40 days, the rain stopped, the water receded and the log finally came to rest in Sedona. The Woodpecker freed the beautiful young woman from the log and guided her to the summit of Mingus Mountain, bearing a white stone or "Pearl" her people had given her for protection on the journey. There, she met the Sun, who fell in love with her. Returning to Sedona, she bathed in an enchanted pool in Boynton Canyon. Soon afterward, she gave birth to a daughter, referred to as the "First Lady," mother to all the Yavapai people. (Source: Spokesperson/representative of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Clarkdale, AZ.)

The Brins fire of 2006.

Many of Hollywood's classic westerns were filmed in or near Sedona. The red rock buttes and desert landscape provided a striking setting for these films. Most notably is 1950’s Broken Arrow, starring James Stewart. A number of its shooting locations can still be visited via off-road trails.

An intricate chase scene in the Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin comedy Midnight Run was filmed on the trails surrounding Sedona.

One rock formation appears to be a replica of the Nautilus, from the Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but in reality the rock formation was visited by Walt Disney and used intentionally as a model for the submarine.

On June 18, 2006, a wildfire reportedly started by campers began about one mile (1.6 km) north of Sedona.^[3] The so-called "Brins Fire" covered 4,317 acres (17 km²) on Brins Mesa, Wilson Mountain and in Oak Creek Canyon before the USDA Forest Service declared it 100% contained as of 6 p.m. on June 28. Containment cost was estimated at $6,400,000.^[4]

The McDonald's in Sedona, Arizona is the only one in the world with turquoise arches. They are not yellow because the city thought they would mesh poorly with the surrounding red rocks. The first color McDonalds offered was turquoise which the city accepted.

Sedona is home to several large arts organizations in northern Arizona.

• The Sedona Arts Center, founded in 1958, is the oldest arts center in northern Arizona.
• The Sedona Jazz on the Rocks festival, founded in 1982, takes place annually at Radisson Poco Diablo Resort and other locations over four days in September.
• Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop was established in 1995. The weeklong annual festival takes place in late February and early March at Harkins Theatres while supplemental events take place at area resorts. The festival also hosts monthly events.
• GumptionFest, established in 2006 by GumptionFest Artistic Support Foundation Executive Director Dylan Jung, is a grassroots, local art street festival takes place the first weekend of June.
• NORAZ Poets, founded in 2003, a nonprofit poetry network based in Sedona.

Sedona has also inspired the following songs and albums:

• Sedona is mentioned in the Pixies song "Havalina" the last song on their album "Bossanova." The lyrics are: "Walking in the breeze / On the plains of old Sedona / Arizona / Among the trees."
• The Electro group Dynamix II released a single by the name of Sedona.
• Aerosmith recorded a song called "Sedona Sunrise" released on their 2006 compilation Devil's Got a New Disguise. The lyrics and laidback tone of the song were apparently inspired by the songwriters' visit to Sedona.
• Sedona is the home of German-born renowned guitarist Ralf Illenberger; one of his albums is named "Sedona".
• Inspired by the gorgeous rock formations surrounding the town, music composer Steven Reineke wrote a piece which he named "Sedona."
• In Jamie O'Neal's love ballad, "There Is No Arizona", Jamie belts out the name Sedona in the chorus, "There is no Arizona. No painted desert, no Sedona."

• While relaxing on vacation, Walt Disney became inspired by Oak Creek Canyon and wrote the movie "Fantasia."

Sedona is served by the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District.

Sedona Red Rock High School (SRRHS), is located near the 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, in West Sedona.

Sedona Charter School (SCS) is located behind the Sedona Public Library, it serves as Montessori based school for grades K-8th grade.

Yavapai College's Sedona Center for Arts & Technology includes the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, the Business Partnership Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the University of Arizona Mini Med School.

Verde Valley School, a boarding/preparatory high school with many international students, is located between the Village of Oak Creek and Red Rock Crossing.

University of Sedona provides education up to a Doctoral Degree level which prepares graduates to teach, counsel, coach, and/or practice spiritual healing.

Cairns can signify a vortex, but more commonly, a hiking trail.

There is a specialized New Age tourist industry in Sedona, where the "Harmonic Convergence" was organized by Jose Arguelles in 1987. Some purported "spiritual vortices" are said to be concentrated in the Sedona area at Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Schnebly Hill.^{[5] [6]}

• Max Ernst (1881-1976), the German Dadaist and surrealist artist, lived in Sedona from 1948 to 1953 with his fourth wife, the artist Dorothea Tanning.
• Israel Regardie, former secretary and friend of Aleister Crowley and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn died in Sedona in 1985.
• Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan lives in Jerome, 20 miles (32 km) outside Sedona. He is a partner in a Merkin Vineyards winery in Page Springs, near Sedona.
• Michelle Branch, musician

Susan Kliewer's statue of Sedona Schnebly outside the Sedona Public Library

Sunset over the red rocks

Sinkhole called The Devil's Kitchen in Soldier's Pass. The giant rock in the center is called The Grand Piano.

Sinagua fountain statue, also by Susan Kliewer, Sinagua Plaza

• Chapel of the Holy Cross
• Village of Oak Creek
• Oak Creek Canyon
• Mogollon Rim

• City website
• Sedona Chamber of Commerce
• How Sedona got its Name
• Sedona WebCam Views
• Sedona Public Library
• Sedona travel guide from Wikitravel

• Sedona, Arizona is at coordinates 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.859897, -111.789199Coordinates: 34°51′36″N 111°47′21″W / 34.859897, -111.789199

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Coconino County, Arizona
County seat: Flagstaff
Cities	Flagstaff | Sedona | Williams
Towns	Fredonia | Page | Supai
CDPs	Bitter Springs | Cameron | Grand Canyon Village | Kachina Village | Kaibab | Kaibito | Lechee | Leupp | Moenkopi | Mountainaire | Munds Park | Parks | Tonalea | Tuba City | Tusayan | Winslow West
Communities	Doney Park | Jacob Lake | Valle | Winona

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Yavapai County, Arizona
County seat: Prescott
Cities	Cottonwood | Peoria | Prescott | Sedona
Towns	Camp Verde | Chino Valley | Clarkdale | Dewey-Humboldt | Jerome | Prescott Valley
CDPs	Ash Fork | Bagdad | Big Park | Black Canyon City | Congress | Cordes Lakes | Cornville | Cottonwood-Verde Village | Lake Montezuma | Mayer | Paulden | Peeples Valley | Seligman | Spring Valley | Wilhoit | Williamson | Yarnell
Communities	Bumble Bee | Cherry | Cleator | Clemenceau | Cordes | Crown King | Skull Valley | Tip Top