INTRODUCTION

The City of Show Low, located in the White Mountains of northeast Arizona, was incorporated in 1953 and sits within the largest Ponderosa Pine tree stand in the world.  Show Low was a 100,000 acre ranch that belonged to two ranchers named Cooley and Clark.  After deciding to part ways, the two ranchers played an all night card game to see who would get the ranch.  When the last hand began, Cooley needed one point.  Clark told Cooley “Show Low and the ranch is yours”.  Cooley turned the deuce of clubs, and gave Show Low it’s name.  The main street became the Deuce of Clubs.

At an elevation of 6,400 feet, Show Low is a recreation destination.  With a large state park within the city and a major ski resort within 50 miles, Show Low serves a large tourist and seasonal population.  Show Low serves a population of 12,000 to 18,000 depending upon the season.  There is also a service population of approximately 95,000 people who live within a 50 mile radius of Show Low.  These are people who come to Show Low to attend school, shop, work, obtain medical care and retail services.  There are approximately 1,445,277 vehicles traveling 150 miles of roadways within the city limits on a monthly basis.  Three major road systems come through the city, State Route 260, State Route 77 and US Highway 60.  Obviously with the high volume of traffic, for a smaller agency this creates a great concern for traffic safety.

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