[3] The community was originally named "Cluff Cienega" by European Americans after Benjamin Cluff, a Mormon bishop who harvested hay here in 1879 and 1880 for use at Fort Apache.

In 1924, the Cady Lumber Company moved its entire operations, plus hundreds of employees, from McNary, Louisiana, to Cooley, Arizona.

[4] For marketing purposes, the company received permission from the federal government to rename Cooley as McNary.

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round.

McNary averages 65 inches of snow per year and is one of the coldest places in Arizona, along with Hawley Lake, which recorded the same temperature of −40 °F / −40 °C As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 349 people, 91 households, and 73 families residing in the CDP.

16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.