Navajo County, Arizona
Navajo County offers not only the Monument Valley, but Keams Canyon, part of the Petrified Forest National Park, and one of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in North America. Navajo County has of federally designated Indian reservation within its borders, the third most of any county in the United States (neighboring Apache County and Coconino County are first and second). In descending order of territory within the county, the reservations are the Navajo Nation, Hopi Indian Reservation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation, all of which are partly located within Navajo County.As of the 2000 census, there were 97,470 people, 30,043 households, and 23,073 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 47,413 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 47.74% Native American, 45.91% White, 0.88% Black or African American, 0.33% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.15% from other races, and 55.94% from two or more races. 8.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.77% reported speaking Navajo at home, 5.94% other Southern Athabaskan languages, 4.71% Spanish, and 3.23% Hopi.
Navajo, New Mexico
To the east of Navajo is Assayi Lake, and just north of Navajo is Red Lake, Wheatfields Lake, and Tsaile Lake. There is an old existing strata volcano, Fuzzy Mountain, which in the winter gives radial sources of water to the environment. The area is rich with culture and traditions. Many of the water resources around Navajo leave the evidence of rushing streams and washes. The evergreen trees offer shading to many of the animals in the summer and provide shelter in the winter. Navajo had employed many Navajos at the sawmill, N.F.P.I. (Navajo Forest Products Industry). The mill has since gone out of business and left Navajo to struggle in the economic development. Many of the people left the Navajo area to relocate to places that had jobs readily available. Today the mill stands alone and empty. Still, Navajo exists because of the schools, the hometown market, the gas station, and the homes.