Page, Arizona

Unlike other cities in the area, Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for workers and their families during the construction of nearby Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Its 17-square-mile (44 km²) site was obtained in a land exchange with the Navajo Nation. The city is perched atop Manson Mesa at an elevation of 4,300 feet (1,300 m) above sea level and 600 feet (180 m) above Lake Powell.

The city was originally called Government Camp, but was later named for John C. Page, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, 1936–1943.

After the dam was completed in the 1960s, and was officially incorporated (March 1, 1975), the city grew steadily to today's population of over 7,000. Because of the new roads and bridge built for use during construction, it has become the gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, attracting more than 3 million visitors per year. Page is also the home of two of the largest electrical generation units in the western United States. Glen Canyon Dam has a 1,288,000-kilowatt capacity when fully online. The other power plant to the southeast is the Navajo Generating Station, which ceased operations in 2019. It was a coal-fired steam plant with an output capability of 2,250,000 kilowatts.

In 1997, Antelope Canyon was discovered on Navajo land adjacent to Page. This natural slot canyon, formed by erosion, has created a steady increase in tourism for Page, as word spread of the beauty of the canyon. Several tour companies, all Navajo owned, now offer guided excursions into Antelope Canyon. Visitors are not allowed to explore on their own, and must be accompanied by a Navajo guide from one of the local tour companies. Another natural treasure that has recently increased in popularity is Horseshoe Bend Overlook. This dramatic view from above allows visitors to see the U-shape turn in the Colorado River. Half of Horseshoe Bend Overlook is owned by the City of Page. The other half is on Navajo land and is privately owned. On the side owned by the city, visitors can pay a small parking fee, and walk about 20 minutes to the overlook.

Due to the popularity of social media, the awareness of Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and the City of Page has grown significantly in recent years. Many new hotels and other services have opened to support the increase in tourism to the area. Although Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam have had a longer time to draw tourists, they now combine with these more recently known attractions to offer a multi-faceted tourism destination.

Page is located at 36°54′51″N 111°27′35″W (36.914296, -111.459717).[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6 square miles (43 km²), of which 16.6 square miles (43 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²), or 0.12%, is water. The city's elevation is 4,117' (1,255 m).

As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 7,247 people, 2,518 households, and 1,822 families residing in the city. The population density was 426.3 inhabitants per square mile (164.6/km²). There were 2,787 housing units at an average density of 163.9 per square mile (63.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.6% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 34.0% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% (two people) Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 7.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,518 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

As of the 2015 American Community Survey[9] The median income for a household in the city was $57,161, and the median income for a family was $64,135. Males had a median full-time income of $47,779 versus $37,656 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,338. About 14.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Satellite photo showing Page, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, Navajo Generating Station and Colorado River

Aerial view of Page from a plane

Colorado River, Page city area on the right and Navajo Generating Station in the background

Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge

Page is served by the Page Unified School District. There are two public elementary schools, Desert View Elementary School and Lake View Elementary School, a middle school, and a high school.

Page is located on U.S. Route 89. Arizona State Route 98 heads east into the Navajo reservation. Page Shuttle provides 24/7, non-stop, door to door shuttle service between Page and any city in Arizona. Public transportation is provided by Helping Hands Agency, a local nonprofit, under the name Helping Hands Express.[11] Salt Lake Express provides a shuttle between Page and St. George, Utah.[12] National Park Express provides a daily shuttle between Page and Las Vegas.

Page Municipal Airport serves Page with scheduled, charter, and general aviation.

• KNAD 91.7 NPR repeater station.
• KXAZ 93.3 Page
• KPLD 105.1 Kanab
• KPGE 1340 AM

The Lake Powell Chronicle is the weekly newspaper in Page.

• Mary Antonia Wood, artist

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Page, Arizona.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Page, Arizona.

• City of Page official website
• Page Arizona Chamber of Commerce