Welcome to Sedona
Self-fulfillment
among the red rocks
Located at the mouth of Oak
Creek Canyon, Sedona is the crown jewel of the Verde Valley.
Established in 1902 and incorporated
in 1988, the city is named for Sedona Schnebly, the wife of early settler
T. Carl Schnebly.
The 4,500-foot elevation,
mild climate, and scenic splendor, work together to draw an estimated
4 million tourists each year. Many of those tourists come from out of
state or foreign countries, and their effect is felt in every community
in the valley.
Many of those tourists
have chosen to stay and make Sedona their home-some as full-time and some
as seasonal residents. The influx has created a building boom in the area
and a dynamic, primarily high-end, real estate market.
Sedona has something for everyone-world-class
resorts, small family-run motels, quaint bed-and-breakfasts, fine restaurants,
outstanding shops, and diverse art galleries.
The area's beauty makes sightseeing
and hiking popular. Golf and tennis are almost year-round activities.
Visitors can take a jeep tour
into the backcountry or view the red-rock monoliths from horseback or
in a hot-air balloon.
Other attractions include Slide
Rock and Red Rock state parks, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona Arts Center,
and Tlaquepaque (a Mexican-style arts-and-crafts village).
With the opening of the Zaki
Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, and the Sedona International
Film Festival & Workshop, a four-day celebration of independent films,
Sedona has put itself at the forefront of independent filmmaking.
Arizona 89A through Oak Creek
Canyon is the state's first designated Scenic Highway, and both Rand-McNally
and Readers Digest have designated it one of America's most beautiful
drives.
Sedona also is a hub for visitors
to Northern Arizona. Many tourist sites-such as Indian ruins, reservations,
the Grand Canyon, Jerome, Meteor Crater, and Sunset Crater-are just a
daytrip.
The State of Arizona has two
visitor centers in the area, one in Sedona at the Chamber of Commerce
Building (Arizona 89A and Forest Road) and one in the Village of Oak Creek
in Tequa Plaza.
The U.S. Forest Service has
two visitor centers in the area-one at the top of Oak Creek Canyon in
the Vista Overlook and one at Indian Gardens in Oak Creek Canyon.
A Red Rock Pass is required
to park anywhere on Forest Service land and can be purchased at any gateway
center. Visitors also can obtain tourist information, maps, and information
on ecological and archaeological sites.
The Forest Service administers
many area campgrounds including several on Oak Creek. The crystal clear
creek is stocked with trout from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School
District includes a high school (Grades 9-12) in Sedona and two elementary
schools (Grades K-8), one in Sedona and the other in the Village of Oak
Creek, six miles south of Sedona. There are several area private elementary
and high schools.
Coconino and Yavapai community
colleges and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, also serve the
Sedona area.
Sedona boasts a wide choice
of physicians, surgeons and dentists, with many specialties represented.
Sedona Medical Center, an outpatient facility, has an emergency room and
a cancer center, laboratory, X-ray, and a mammography unit.
Two regional medical facilities
-- Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood, 20 miles west, and Flagstaff
Medical Center in Flagstaff, also serve Sedona.
Sedona has seven financial
institutions. The Arizona Department of Commerce will customize a package
containing forms needed for starting a business. Information on licenses,
applications, applicable taxes, clarification of government regulations,
and much more is included. (For a customized package, call the department's
Business Assistance Center in Phoenix toll-free at (800) 542-5684.)
More than 30 churches, representing
many faiths, serve the area. Many churches are nondenominational.
The Sedona Airport has a 5,100
foot paved runway, and the airport is lighted and radio-equipped. Charter-air
services, and scheduled air and van shuttle services, are available between
Sedona and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
For more information,
call the Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce at (928) 282-7722;
or the City of Sedona at (928) 282-3113.
Courtesy of The Verde Independent
Thursday, June 19, 2008
For more information,
see Sedona Community Profile, prepared by the
Arizona Department of Commerce.
