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About Parker
Parker is a town built overlooking the Colorado River in the hot deserts of western Arizona. It is located within the Colorado River Indian Reservation. It is also the county seat of La Paz County. Barren Deserts surround Parker in most directions, but to the southeast lies Parker Valley, and agricultural region made verdant and green with irrigation water from the Colorado River. To the north the river passes through a rugged country of rocky hills and mountains, which has become a resort and retirement community drawn by watersports available on the river and its reservoir, Lake Havasu.
The elevation at Parker ranges from about 360 feet near the river to 440 feet on the east side of town. Arizona Highway 95 serves the city, approaching from the south on California Avenue, and making a turn to the east at the main intersection in town, following Riverside Avenue. California Avenue crosses the Colorado River on a large bridge, where it becomes California Highway 62. It leads westward to Vidal Junction. Mohave Road heads south from Parker, paralleling the Colorado River, ending at Ehrenburg.
The average low temperature in winter in Parker is 41 degrees, and the average high in July is 108. Temperatures above 120 are not unheard of. The highest recorded temperature in December is 92, and 87 in January.
Parker was named after Ely Parker, the first Native American commissioner for the U.S. government. The name was chosen when the U.S. Post Office was established in 1871. The city itself was founded in 1908, and was surveyed by Earl H. Parker, a railroad engineer. The railroad through Parker is still in use today, and crosses the Colorado River on a historic steel arch bridge. The population is 3,140.
For More Information:
See the Parker's official site at www.ci.parker.az.us, and Wikipedia's Parker article.