Navajo Reservation, The Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation covers the corners of three states: Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Consisting of 27,635 square miles, the Navajo Nation is the largest Indian reservation in the United States. Arizona’s portion of the Navajo Nation alone measures 11.6 million acres. Arid deserts and alpine forests characterize the land. High plateaus, mesas, and mountains as high as 10,500 feet are interspersed among lower desert regions as low as 5,500 feet. Volcanic activity and wind and water erosion have formed and carved the Navajo Nation’s many majestic mesas, mountains, and canyons. Navajoland boasts many world-renowned, scenic sites such as Canyon de Chelly, Shiprock, Monument Valley, the Chuska Mountains, and the Painted Desert. The beauty and culture of the Navajo Nation draws 5 million tourists annually.

Major natural resources of the Navajo Nation are land, minerals, and water, with local water sources being rather scarce. The reservation holds 523,000 acres of Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, and 4.5 million acres of Piñon pine and Juniper. The subsurface geology is rich in coal, oil, and gas, which provide major sources of revenues for the Navajo Nation. Other mineral resources include uranium, copper, fractured sand, helium, gypsum, clay, sand, and gravel.

Census Profile

Industrial Park Sites

The Navajo Nation has established seven industrial sites, three of which are located in Arizona.

Chinle Industrial Site, Chinle, AZ: Thirty acres, 3 acres developed, 2 warehouses, all utilities available. Tenants include Navajo Wool Marketing Industry, Coca Cola Bottling Plant, Plateau Materials, Inc., Midway Resale Outlet.
Fort Defiance Industrial Site, Ft. Defiance, AZ: Fifty acres, 9.6 acres developed, 1 plant, 3 warehouses, all utilities available. Tenants include Packard/Hughes’ Interconnect wiring facility, Navajo Housing Authority, Navajo Wool Marketing Industry.
Leupp Industrial Site, Leupp, AZ: Hundred acres, 5 acres developed, multi-purpose facility for office space and light industry, all utilities available. Tenants include Leupp Chapter, Navajo Nation Water Development, and Coconino County Solid Waste. (Source: Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development.)

For more detailed information contact the Division of Economic Development’s Project Development Department (928) 871-7647.

Gaming

The Navajo Nation signed a gaming compact with the State of Arizona in 2002, and in 2003 signed a new compact enabling it to lease its slot machine allocation to another tribe. In 2004, the Navajo Nation legalized gambling, paving the way for a casino to built on the Navajo Nation Reservation.

Tribal Enterprises

To promote tourism on the Navajo Nation and to capture more tourist dollars, a number of projects have been planned. A major project is described below.

Antelope Point Marina & Resort Project:

Of all the projects related to tourism development on the Navajo Nation, Antelope Point Marina and Resort has a special significance, as it is to be located at one of the most magnificent places on the Navajo land. Once the four phase project is completed in December 2006, The Antelope Point Holdings, LLC will have invested up to $75 million to develop the marina and resort and it will comprise of:

A 225 room lodge,
300 wet slips for lease,
120 wet slips for the boat rental fleet,
80 wet slips for courtesy docking,
A floating marina village,
A 30 acre dry storage site,
A Recreation Vehicle Park and campgrounds.

Economic Development

The important accomplishments of the Division in the last couple of years are described below:

Dilkon Shopping Center:

Dilkon Shopping Center is a 26,000 square foot commercial building that has five tenants and two vacant lease areas. Construction of the center began in October 2001 and was completed in 9 months at a cost of $4 million. In October, 2000, the Navajo Nation was awarded a Public Works Grant in the amount of $2.5 million from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration-Seattle Regional Office. Other funding sources include Navajo Nation DED and Navajo Nation Shopping Center Management Program.

In September 2002, the project was recognized by the US Department of Commerce-Economic Development Administration for achievement in business development at their annual conference in San Diego, California.

Karigan Child Care Center:

Navajo Nation purchased 113 acres of private land known as Karigan Estates and the DDE was responsible for developing it. The overall master plan of development included housing, office building complex, restaurant, a commercial area and a day care center.

Karigan Child Care Center is a 15,000 square foot building that can accommodate up to 170 children. The center has 16 classrooms, three learning centers, a large cafeteria, kitchen, laundry room, administration rooms and is fully furnished and consists of three playground areas.

The $3 million project was primarily funded by the Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families through a grant awarded to the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services. Other funding sources included the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development.

The intent of the development of Karigan Child Care Center is to provide a unique center that will accommodate the critical need for childcare services. The center has unique characteristics within the interior and exterior designs of the building that derived from Navajo cultural concepts and relate to the development of children.

The project began construction on June 5, 2000 and was completed on September 30, 2001.

Karigan Professional Building Complex: A two-story office building of 28,646 square feet being was constructed on 2.28 acres of land within the Karigan Estates at St. Michaels, Arizona. The project includes a structure of steel frame, concrete foundation, stucco, exterior/interior finish, aluminum window units, single ply roof system, plumbing and HVAC system, utilities, asphalt pavement, concrete curbs/sidewalk, landscaping and office furnishing. The complex was constructed in compliance with current building and fire codes.

Navajo Nation Shopping Centers (NNSC)

To support business and economic development, the Navajo Nation Council created the Navajo Nation Shopping Center (NNSC), a quasi-enterprise, in 1983. Through the NNSC, business owners may lease shopping center space to house such businesses as laundries, theaters, supermarkets, fast food franchises, gas stations, retail outlets, and offices.

For space availability and information, contact:

Navajo Nation Shopping Centers

PO Box 478

Window Rock, AZ 86515

Phone: (928) 871-2219/2218

Fax: (928) 871-4217

Dineh Cooperatives Shopping Center

Not affiliated with the Navajo Nation Shopping Centers, Dineh Cooperatives, Inc. is a Community Development Corporation. It operates the Tseyi Shopping Center in Chinle, Arizona. For leasing information, contact:

Tseyi Shopping Center

PO Box 10

Chinle, AZ 86503

(928) 674-3418

Official Addresses

The Navajo Nation

PO Box 9000

Window Rock, AZ 86515

Phone: (928) 871-6352

Fax: (928) 871-4025

Navajo Division of Economic Development

PO Box 663

Window Rock, AZ 86515

Phone: (928) 871-6544

Fax: (928) 871-7381

www.navajobusiness.com

Project Development Department

Navajo Nation DED

PO Box 663

Window Rock, AZ 86515

Phone: (928) 871-7647

Fax: (928) 871-7381

projectdevelopment@navajobusiness.com

Project Development Department - Industrial Development

www.navajoadvantage.com

Navajo Nation Navajo Nation Tourism Office
PO Box 663
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Phone: (928) 871-6436
Fax: (928) 871-7361

Office of the Navajo Tax Commission

HWY 264, 100 Taylor Road

Karigan Professional Bldg. Suite 115

St. Michaels, Arizona

Tel: (928) 871-6681

Fax: (928) 871-7608

Chapter Governments

Each Chapter represents a number of registered voters and conducts town-meeting style gatherings monthly to consider local and reservation-wide issues. Chapter resolutions state a community’s position on decisions such as business development on local lands. For a listing of the 110 chapters, contact:

Navajo Nation Legislative Branch

Community Services Program

PO Box 1400

Window Rock, AZ 86515

(928) 871-6950