Northfork Ranch (NFR) is in Arizona's Apache county and is about half way between Show Low and Vernon, just west of the 'Y' junction of highways 60 and 61, at an altitude of approximately 6700 feet. It is bordered on the west by National Forest land designated as the Woolhouse Wildlife Habitat Area. State lands are along the south and east. The north fork of Brown Creek, from which the subdivision takes its name, begins at a spring about 10 miles to the southeast and flows through the east part of NFR. A large wash carries snowmelt water from nearby mountains down along the west part. The main roads and lot alignments follow the waterways and are harmonious with the landscape.
The land now occupied by Northfork Ranch used to be a sheep ranch. Basque sheepherders tended the sheep. Much earlier, between 500 and 1000 A.D., ancestors of the Zuni people lived here seasonally. Traces of their culture can be found in petroglyphs on a nearby cliff, and fragments of pottery, arrowheads and flaked stone tools can be found in the area.
The Northfork Ranch Property Owners Association exist to ensure the neighborhood remains a pleasant place to live and enjoy the White Mountains of northern Arizona. All lot owners are members of NFRPOA and pay minimal yearly dues to the association. The founder of Northfork Ranch is Austin Daily, whose family owned the ranch. The CC&Rs for the subdivision were recorded on October 15, 1984. The opening paragraph of the Articles of Association sets out the founder's intentions, "...to establish the nature and use and enjoyment of said property in accordance with a uniform plan..."