Taylor, on the banks of Silver Creek, is in a broad, flat valley
in east-central Arizona. With the Mogollon Rim and White
Mountains to the south and west, the town lies at an elevation of
5,640 feet. The mountains form an almost continuous barrier protecting
Taylor from severe winters and creating a semi-arid climate.
Taylor was settled by James Pearce and named after John Taylor,
English-born president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. The town was established in 1881 and incorporated in 1966.
Taylor has seven sites listed on the National Register.
Stone Container, Arizona’s only pulp and paper mill, is Snowflake
and Taylor’s largest industry. Located on a 640-acre site 15 miles
west of Taylor, it is one of the most modern and efficient facilities
of its type in America. Its daily production of newsprint and Kraft
liner board supplies the fast-growing Southwest region. The plant’s
permanent employees are supplemented by another large group
who work as woodcutters, truckers and in other plant-affiliated
jobs. The present annual payroll and substantial contribution to
local taxes have contributed immensely to the economy and growth
of the Snowflake/Taylor area.
Precision Pine and Timber maintains a sawmill in the Heber area
that converts the logs into rough boards. Precision Pine and Timber
Planer Mill surfaces the rough lumber that is wholesaled to retailers
and dealers needing finished lumber and rough lumber for railroad
ties, and all kinds of timber, posts. There are three molding
companies that are large employers in the Snowflake/Taylor vicinity,
manufacturing interior, and exterior pine moldings.
Livestock production in the Snowflake/Taylor area is significant.
Recently, 32,000 head of cattle has grazed annually in the county,
many of them in the Snowflake/Taylor area. Hog production has
also greatly increased in importance, reaching 250,000 head in
1994.
Taylor lies in an area of great contrasts–barren desert to the north
and mountain ranges to the south. The Petrified Forest National
Park is one of the nation’s most unique parks. Within the Petrified
Forest is the Painted Desert and Navajo Indian Reservation with such
attractions as Monument Valley and Oraibi, the oldest continually
occupied village in the U.S. To the south and west of Taylor are
high mountains and forests, including the White Mountains,
Sitgreaves National Forest, and the Mogollon Rim. Many small
lakes, perfect for trout fishing and swimming, are scattered
throughout these mountains. The Sunrise Park Ski Resort is located
65 miles south of Taylor on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.