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About Alpine
Alpine is a village high in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, located in a grassland valley and surrounded by miles of beautiful forests. Because of its high elevation, Alpine receives heavy winter snows, while summers are mild and arid. Escudilla Mountain, with its highest peak at 10,877 feet, stands a short distance to the north. Being a flat-topped mesa, it is covered with pine and quaking aspen that is visible for many miles in the desert plains to the north. To the south lies the southern tip of the White Mountains, which extends for many miles to the south, rising high above the lower deserts.
The elevation at Alpine ranges from 7,960 feet to 8,060 feet, it being built in a hill protruding from the lower slopes of Escudilla Mountain, overlooking the meadows surrounding the San Francisco River. U.S. Highways 180 and 191 intersect at Alpine on the west end of the town. U.S. Highway 180 heads east, being the main street of the town, a four-lane street lined with eateries and shops. U.S. Highway 191 heads south across the top of the mountains, a winding scenic route with speed limits of 20 and 30 mph being common. The two routes are combined heading north from Alpine, turning quickly to the northwest, crossing a beautiful summit in the White Mountains, and descending to Nutrioso.
Alpine was settled in 1876 with the name of Bush Valley. In 1878 a fort was built east of Alpine to protect the settlers from hostile Apache Indians. A marker on U.S. Highway 180 marks the spot, but the fort is not extant. The population of Alpine was 256 at the 2000 census. It is an unincorporated town, and located at the extreme southern tip of Apache County, and just six miles from the New Mexico border. Today it is a recreational retreat for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and sight-seeing.
For More Information:
See the site of the Alpine Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Wikipedia article on Alpine.