Forest Lakes

History

The area that would become Forest Lakes began as a mining operation in 1939 when the Denison family began mining manganese in the area. Heavy demand for the metal from the United States federal government helped ensure steady mining operations into the 1960s, when the family turned to logging to sustain their income. In May 1964, the land was subdivided into the first Forest Lakes Estates subdivision unit, and the homeowners association, the Forest Lakes Owners Association, was organized. With the construction of numerous recreational lakes in the area, demand for vacation homes grew and spurred the creation of 10 additional units to the subdivision, with the last being created in May 1969. On the afternoon of June 18, 2002, a fire - later determined to be set by an arsonist - was spotted near Cibecue, southeast of Forest Lakes. While the fire rapidly grew to cover , there was no immediate threat to the Forest Lakes area. Two days later on June 20, a stranded hiker who had been lost for 3 days set a signal fire to get the attention of news helicopters that had been covering the Rodeo Fire. While the hiker was rescued, the signal fire unexpectedly grew in the dry conditions and quickly flared up. The resultant blaze, the Chediski Fire, was considerably closer, south of Forest Lakes. On June 22, the fires combined and moved further northward, threatening several communities including Show Low, Heber-Overgaard and Pinetop-Lakeside. Forest Lakes, also threatened, was evacuated at 1:00 PM that afternoon. The blaze moved to within of Forest Lakes on June 28, but efforts to save the community prevailed and no homes in the settlement were damaged.

Geography

Forest Lakes stretches roughly 3 miles north–south and 2 miles east–west. However, most of that area is national forest. The Forest Lakes Estates subdivision as recorded on the Coconino County Assessor's maps, has an area of approximately , all land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Forest Lakes has a Highland Continental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps. According to the NOAA, July averages a high of 80 °F, and a low of 50 °F. January averages a high of 43 °F and a low of 14 °F. Forest Lakes gets 19 inches of rain per year. Most of the rain falls during Monsoon season, which is usually July to September. They receive an average of 31 inches of snow.

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