For the Zane Grey novel see Tonto Basin (novel)

Tonto Basin, Arizona
Location in Gila County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 33°50′24″N 111°17′5″W / 33.84, -111.28472
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Gila
Area
- Total	31.4 sq mi (81.2 km²)
- Land	31.4 sq mi (81.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	2,238 ft (682 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	840
- Density	26.6/sq mi (10.3/km²)
Time zone	MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
ZIP code	85553
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-74610
GNIS feature ID	1853170

Tonto Basin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Gila County, Arizona, United States. The population was 840 at the 2000 census.

Within Tonto Basin is located the unincorporated community of Punkin Center.

Geography

Tonto Basin is located at 33°50′24″N, 111°17′5″W (33.839953, -111.284734)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 31.4 square miles (81.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 840 people, 439 households, and 262 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 26.8 people per square mile (10.3/km²). There were 726 housing units at an average density of 23.1/sq mi (8.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.07% White, 1.43% Native American, 0.95% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 439 households out of which 9.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.38.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 10.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 13.5% from 25 to 44, 39.9% from 45 to 64, and 32.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $23,398, and the median income for a family was $29,091. Males had a median income of $30,125 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,157. About 15.9% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• Pleasant Valley War (also sometimes called the Tonto Basin War or Feud) was an 1886 Arizona range war between two feuding families, the cattle-herding Grahams and the sheep-herding Tewksburys.
• Frederick Russell Burnham participated on the losing side in the real-life Tonto Basin Feud and narrowly escaped alive. After the feud, he went home to California and left for Africa only a few years later.^[3][4]
• Tonto Basin Outlaws (1941) - A film based very loosely on the Tonto Basin Feud. These cowboys are out to stop a cattle-rustling scandal soon after they enlist with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.^[5]. In the real-life feud, one man did go on to join the Rough Riders.^[3]
• To the Last Man (film) is a 1933 Henry Hathaway film based on the Zane Grey novel starring Randolph Scott, Esther Ralston, Buster Crabbe, Barton MacLane, Noah Beery, Shirley Temple, and Eugenie Besserer.

Popular culture

According to an NPR story on the Lone Ranger, Tonto Basin is the inspiration of Tonto, the native American companion to the Lone Ranger.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ ^{a b} Burnham, Frederick Russell (1926). Scouting on Two Continents. New York: Doubleday, Page and Co, Chapters 3 & 4. ASIN B000F1UKOA. 
4. ^ R. R. Money (April 1962). "Tonto Basin Feud". Blackwood's Magazine 291. ISSN 0006-436X. 
5. ^ Tonto Basin Outlaws (1941) (html). Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.

External links

• Tonto Basin, Arizona is at coordinates 33°50′24″N 111°17′05″W / 33.839953, -111.284734 (Tonto Basin, Arizona)Coordinates: 33°50′24″N 111°17′05″W / 33.839953, -111.284734 (Tonto Basin, Arizona)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Gila County, Arizona
County seat: Globe
City	Globe
Towns	Hayden | Miami | Payson | Star Valley | Winkelman
CDPs	Canyon Day | Central Heights-Midland City | Claypool | Gisela | Peridot | Pine | San Carlos | Strawberry | Tonto Basin | Top-of-the-World | Young
Unincorporated communities	Kohls Ranch | Punkin Center