Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More weak spots than strong ones. Where it falls short is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. At D overall, Lake Montezuma is better than 15% of U.S. towns and ranks 117th of 139 in Arizona. Hazard risk is weaker too (D−) — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Health is its strong suit — residents are healthier than 59% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $285K, 4.1 years of the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income. This Arizona town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Montezuma Castle National Monument and Beaver Creek Ranger Station.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Lake Montezuma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1923 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Where Lake Montezuma’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Montezuma.
Lake Montezuma has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sends most of its workers to Camp Verde and beyond.
Its public schools are run by the Beaver Creek Elementary District. Lake Montezuma’s only public school teaches 331 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 331 | B− |
| Sedona Sky Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 31 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests
Of the losses FEMA expects in Lake Montezuma, 89% come from inland flooding and 6% from wildfires.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lake Montezuma has 302 jobs for its 1,869 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
For most workers, Lake Montezuma is a place to come home to: only 5% work in town. Its typical journey to work comes in at 31 minutes. Jobs locally fell by 50 from 2013 to 2023, to 302. The top destinations are Camp Verde (14%), Phoenix (14%) and Sedona (9%).
| Lake Montezuma | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.7% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Montezuma Castle Nm weather station records that about 135 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 100.6°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 29.4°.
Lake Montezuma’s July high stands at 101°F, where Arizona’s towns sit at 100°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. For Lake Montezuma, the January low is 29°F. It almost never snows.
| Lake Montezuma | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 101°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,818 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Montezuma’s, it is healthier than 80%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Lake Montezuma: just over one in ten adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, below Arizona’s towns (12%) but above U.S. towns (8.1%). The share of adults in Lake Montezuma who feel lonely: 29%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Lake Montezuma beats Arizona on 3 and trails on 9. In Lake Montezuma, 29% of adults have obesity, and 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Lake Montezuma | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Lake Montezuma | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.3% | 73.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
There are 5.0 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Coconino National Forest, at 273 acres. In Lake Montezuma, the trail network density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Lake Montezuma | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coconino National Forest | 0.2 mi | 273 |
| 2. Montezuma Castle National Monument | — | 161 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among households in Lake Montezuma, 65% are owner-occupiers. In Lake Montezuma, the typical sale closed at 96.9% of the list price. Also worth knowing: the town’s typical rent stands at $1,238 a month.
| Lake Montezuma | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,238 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Montezuma. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National MonumentMontezuma Castle National Monument320K visitors a year
13 mi MountainCathedral Rock
9 mi National forestCoconino National Forest
20 mi Canyon & gorgeOak Creek Canyon
15 mi National MonumentTuzigoot National Monument86K visitors a year
39 mi National MonumentWalnut Canyon National Monument153K visitors a yearMontezuma Castle National Monument: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cathedral Rock: Terrydarc, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Coconino National Forest: Adam Baker from Houston / Moscow / Toulouse (travel a lot), CC BY 2.0 · Oak Creek Canyon: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tuzigoot National Monument: The original uploader was Jhugg at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walnut Canyon National Monument: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake Montezuma is unincorporated, so Yavapai County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
None within 15 miles of Lake Montezuma; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Lake Montezuma residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
CDP in Yavapai County, Arizona
Lake Montezuma is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 5,111 at the 2020 census. The CDP includes the communities of Rimrock and McGuireville. Located along Interstate 17, it is 20 miles (32 km) south of Sedona and 8 miles (13 km) north of Camp Verde in central Arizona's Verde Valley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Montezuma grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #117 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $285,000, 32% below the Arizona typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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