Summerhaven is a small Census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 on Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of...

 in the Santa Catalina Mountains

Santa Catalina Mountains

The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains, are located north, and northeast of Tucson, Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation...

 north of Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

 in Pima County

Pima County, Arizona

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Summerhaven sits at an elevation of approximately 8,200 feet. Summerhaven is accessed via the Catalina Highway

Catalina Highway

The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona...

 from suburban northeast Tucson, and it is about 24.5 miles from the base of the mountain to Summerhaven.

Summerhaven is a popular tourist destination. Several small shops in Summerhaven attract visitors, including the Mount Lemmon General Store and The Cookie Cabin, which offers homemade cookies and pizzas. In the winter, residents from lower elevations travel to Summerhaven, when the Catalina Highway

Catalina Highway

The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona...

 is open, to enjoy the snow. Also during the summer, the same residents will frequent the area to get away from the heat. Because of the elevation difference between the Tucson area (5-6000 feet), the temperature in Summerhaven will be anywhere from 15-30 degrees cooler depending on weather patterns, which usually makes it a very comfortable place to be compared to the hot desert heat in the summer time.

The Summerhaven area was originally used by the U.S. Army at Fort Lowell

Fort Lowell

Fort Lowell was a United States Army post active from 1873 to 1891 on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Fort Lowell was the successor to Camp Lowell, an earlier Army installation. The Army chose a location just south of the confluence of the Tanque Verde and Pantano creeks, at the point where they...

 in Tucson as a military camp in its campaign against the Apache

Apache

Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...

 people in the 1870s and 1880s.

The Aspen wildfire

Aspen Fire

The Aspen Fire burned from June 17, 2003 for about a month on Mount Lemmon, part of the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, and in the surrounding area...

 struck Summerhaven in the summer of 2003, which resulted in the destruction of more than 250 of the 700 homes in the community. Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...

 assessed the damage, and both federal and county officials surveyed the extensive loss. In the months that followed, Tucson residents organized "Lemmon Aid" to help rebuild Summerhaven. Summerhaven continues to recover from the wildfire.

The Mount Lemmon Ski Valley

Mount Lemmon Ski Valley

Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is a recreational ski area in the U.S. state of Arizona, and the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States. Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is located on the slopes of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson, Arizona. It is part of the...

 located outside Summerhaven is the southernmost ski location in the continental United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

A wind storm hit the mountain in May 2010 and caused extensive damage to the forest. Some trails were severely damaged, however repair efforts are underway.

October 2010 saw the inaugural running of the Mount Lemmon Marathon

Mount Lemmon Marathon

The Mount Lemmon Marathon is an annual marathon that takes place in the Santa Catalina Mountains near the city of Tucson, Arizona, United States. The race starts near the desert floor and ends at the village of Summerhaven near the top of Mount Lemmon. It is noted for the entire course being...

 which saw nearly 800 participants finish the race from near the start of the Catalina Highway up to Summerhaven.

Geography

Summerhaven is located at 32°29′10"N 110°46′35"W (32.4415965, -110.7766004). According to the 2010 Census, the Summerhaven census designated place had a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²), of which, 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²) of it is land and 0.00 square miles (0.00 km²) of it (0.00%) is water. It's permanent population is 40.

Summerhaven has the ZIP Code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 of 85619; in 2000, the population of the 85619 ZCTA

ZIP Code Tabulation Area

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics from Census 2000. This new entity was developed to overcome the difficulties in precisely defining the land area covered by each ZIP code...

was 73. Note that this includes only people who were living in Summerhaven on the day of the census, thus excluding many part-time or seasonal residents.

There is a general store and several food venues, but no gasoline or automotive services. The Mount Lemmon Fire Department maintains a station near Summerhaven, providing fire and EMS services.