Carefree, Arizona | |
---|---|
Welcome marker | |
![]() Location in Maricopa County, Arizona | |
Coordinates: 33°49′24″N111°54′58″W / 33.82333°N 111.91611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
County | Maricopa |
Government | |
• Mayor | John Crane |
Area | |
• Total | 8.81 sq mi (22.83 km2) |
• Land | 8.81 sq mi (22.82 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
Elevation | 2,402 ft (732 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 3,690 |
• Density | 418.89/sq mi (161.73/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−7 (MST (no DST)) |
ZIP code | 85377 |
Area code | 480 |
FIPS code | 04-10180 |
GNIS feature ID | 2413168 [2] |
Website | www |
Carefree is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of both Phoenix and Scottsdale, located in the far northeast area of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 3,690. [3]
Characterized as an upscale [4] residential area, Carefree was conceived in the mid-1950s by business partners K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington as a master-planned community. Land sales commenced in 1955 and homebuilding started in 1958. Carefree was incorporated in 1984 to avoid annexation by neighboring Scottsdale. [5]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | 964 | — | |
1990 | 1,657 | 71.9% | |
2000 | 2,927 | 76.6% | |
2010 | 3,363 | 14.9% | |
2020 | 3,690 | 9.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [6] |
As of the census [7] of 2000, there were 2,927 people, 1,389 households, and 995 families residing in the town. The population density was 330.8 inhabitants per square mile (127.7/km2). There were 1,769 housing units at an average density of 200.0 per square mile (77.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98% White, <1% Black or African American, <1% Native American, <1% Asian, <1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3% of the population.
There were 1,389 households, out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples, 3.2% had a single owner, and 28.3% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.44.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 12.7% under the age of 18, 2.0% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 40.5% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $88,702, and the median income for a family was $105,699. Males had a median income of $61,050 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $62,433. About 2.0% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older.
Carefree is in northeastern Maricopa County, bordered by the city of Scottsdale to the south and east and by the town of Cave Creek to the west. Carefree and Cave Creek are sometimes thought of as a single community. [8] The two towns share the local landmark Black Mountain, which rises more than 1,000 feet (300 m) above them, to an elevation of 3,398 feet (1,036 m).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.8 square miles (23 km2), of which 0.004 square miles (0.010 km2), or 0.05%, are listed as water. [1]
Carefree has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with hot summers and mild winters, avoiding a designation of arid by being located closer to the rain-catching central mountains of Arizona, so that it receives about 70 percent (around 5.3 inches or 135 millimetres) more rainfall annually than does Phoenix. There are 141 afternoons annually with highs of at least 90 °F or 32.2 °C, 63.4 afternoons of at least 100 °F or 37.8 °C, and three afternoons that exceed 110 °F or 43.3 °C. During the winter, 8.3 mornings will fall below freezing; the coldest temperature reported in Carefree is 15 °F or −9.4 °C, which occurred on January 13, 1963, and January 7, 1971. Snowfall, although infrequent, can occur. The last measurable snow was February 22, 2019, accumulating 3–6" depending upon the elevation. Rainfall is sometimes heavy during winter fronts or monsoonal storms; the wettest month on record is January 1993 with 9.37 inches (238.0 mm), which helped produce a record “rain year” total of 26.20 inches (665.5 mm) between July 1992 and June 1993; in contrast between July 1962 and June 1963, only 6.98 inches (177.3 mm) was recorded.
Climate data for Carefree, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) | 86 (30) | 97 (36) | 102 (39) | 109 (43) | 118 (48) | 118 (48) | 113 (45) | 111 (44) | 104 (40) | 92 (33) | 82 (28) | 118 (48) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 74.5 (23.6) | 78.0 (25.6) | 85.6 (29.8) | 94.0 (34.4) | 101.5 (38.6) | 108.5 (42.5) | 110.6 (43.7) | 109.4 (43.0) | 105.1 (40.6) | 96.5 (35.8) | 85.0 (29.4) | 74.7 (23.7) | 111.8 (44.3) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 64.6 (18.1) | 67.5 (19.7) | 74.1 (23.4) | 81.6 (27.6) | 91.0 (32.8) | 100.6 (38.1) | 103.4 (39.7) | 102.3 (39.1) | 97.0 (36.1) | 85.5 (29.7) | 73.5 (23.1) | 63.6 (17.6) | 83.7 (28.7) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 53.1 (11.7) | 55.6 (13.1) | 61.0 (16.1) | 67.2 (19.6) | 76.1 (24.5) | 85.4 (29.7) | 89.7 (32.1) | 89.1 (31.7) | 83.7 (28.7) | 72.8 (22.7) | 61.5 (16.4) | 52.5 (11.4) | 70.6 (21.4) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 41.6 (5.3) | 43.8 (6.6) | 47.9 (8.8) | 52.8 (11.6) | 61.2 (16.2) | 70.1 (21.2) | 75.9 (24.4) | 75.9 (24.4) | 70.4 (21.3) | 60.1 (15.6) | 49.4 (9.7) | 41.3 (5.2) | 57.5 (14.2) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 33.2 (0.7) | 36.2 (2.3) | 41.9 (5.5) | 49.9 (9.9) | 60.7 (15.9) | 68.4 (20.2) | 67.4 (19.7) | 61.8 (16.6) | 47.4 (8.6) | 35.7 (2.1) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 27.6 (−2.4) |
Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) | 19 (−7) | 24 (−4) | 32 (0) | 37 (3) | 49 (9) | 56 (13) | 59 (15) | 44 (7) | 32 (0) | 28 (−2) | 20 (−7) | 15 (−9) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.80 (46) | 1.60 (41) | 1.64 (42) | 0.50 (13) | 0.15 (3.8) | 0.12 (3.0) | 1.27 (32) | 1.30 (33) | 1.15 (29) | 0.97 (25) | 0.77 (20) | 1.31 (33) | 12.58 (320) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.5 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 38.3 |
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [9] [10] |
The Carefree sundial, designed by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John I. Yellott, [11] was erected in the Sundial Circle plaza in 1959 and claims to be the "third largest sundial in the Western Hemisphere". The sundial, which points to the North Star, is made from a steel frame and covered in anodized copper. It measures 90 feet (27 m) in diameter. The metal gnomon, the shadow-casting portion of the dial, stands 35 feet (11 m) above the plaza and extends 72 feet (22 m). [12]
Carefree was the long-time home of Southwestern Studios, originally built in 1968 as Fred Graham Studios by actor, stunt man, and Arizona Film Commissioner Fred Graham. The sprawling 160-acre (0.65 km2) desert property adjacent to North Scottsdale featured three state-of-the-art soundstages, edit bays, 35mm screening room, make-up, production facilities, western street and back lot. In the early 1970s, Stage 1 of the studio was used for The New Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke, Hope Lange, Fannie Flagg, and Marty Brill. Stage 1 also was used for the filming of one of Orson Welles' last films, The Other Side of the Wind , with John Huston, Oja Kodar, Susan Strasberg, Bob Random and Peter Bogdanovich. [13]
The studio was used for the filming of Bob Hope's last feature film, Cancel My Reservation , [14] with Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Bellamy, and Forrest Tucker. Scenes were also shot in Carefree and at the studio for Michaelangelo Antonioni's Zabriskie Point , on the back lot, where a mock-up of the Carefree mansion was built and then exploded. The studio was also used for Paul Newman's scenes in Pocket Money , for Bill Cosby's feature debut, Man and Boy , for which the western street was built, and for Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure , again the western street. The short, silent feature Time River [15] was shot on Stages 2 and 3 and extensively on the back lot and western street sets.
Southwestern Studios was also used in television productions. In 1973–74, local resident Hugh Downs produced and hosted two pilot episodes for a unique show, Foursome, that was both a game show and talk show, where four celebrities came together to play various games and interact with each other. In one episode, actors Janet Leigh and Robert Culp and comedians Jo Anne Worley and Alan Sues played a game of tennis. In the other episode, shot on Stage 3, dancer-singer-actor Ann Miller, Robert Culp, Jo Anne Worley, and Alan Sues played a popular board game. In 1974, Southwestern Studios was the location on Stage 2 and the back lot for the filming of the TV movie, McMasters of Sweetwater, [16] starring Jack Cassidy and Loretta Ball and directed by Robert Butler.
Later renamed Carefree Studios, the studio was razed in 1999. The studio, western street, and pristine desert back lot property was developed into retail space and residential development.
Gordon Lightfoot wrote and sang a song named "Carefree Highway". He took the name from a section of Arizona State Route 74 in north Phoenix, to explain his mood at that time. The highway runs from the foot of (North) Tom Darlington Drive at the South-West corner of Carefree about 30 miles westward to Lake Pleasant Parkway in Peoria, AZ.
The town is served by Cave Creek Unified School District.
Arizona State Route 74 runs along the south border of Carefree. Cave Creek Road runs along the east edge of Carefree, then curves and becomes an east-west road through Carefree.
Cave Creek is not a member of Valley Metro and does not have local bus service.
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the fourth-most populous county in the United States and the most populous county in Arizona, and making Arizona one of the nation's most centralized states. The county seat is Phoenix, the state capital and fifth-most populous city in the United States.
Pinal County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was founded in 1875.
Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. In 2018 the estimated population was 789.
Cave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,892.
Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Known for its impressive fountain, once the tallest in the world, it borders the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and Scottsdale. The population was 23,820 as of the 2020 census. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses it was the eighth-fastest-growing place among cities and towns in Arizona. The median value of an owner-occupied housing during the period 2016-2020 was estimated at $402,100.
New River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 17,290 as of the 2020 census, up from 14,952 at the 2010 census.
Paradise Valley is a desert and mountain town in Arizona east of state capital Phoenix, of which it is a suburb. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and restaurant scene. According to the 2020 census, its population was 12,658. Despite its relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise Valley is home to eight full-service resorts, making it one of Arizona's premier tourist destinations.
Queen Creek is a town in Maricopa and Pinal counties, Arizona, United States. The population was 59,519 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Phoenix, located in the far southeast area of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. A large battery factory is being constructed.
Rio Verde is a master-planned community just east of Scottsdale, in Arizona. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located in the far, far northeast area of the whole Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The population was 2,210 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,811 at the 2010 census.
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, the city was incorporated in 1951 with a population of 2,000. At the 2020 census, the population was 241,361, which had grown from 217,385 in 2010. Its slogan is "The West's Most Western Town". Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Sun City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, that is located within the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Tolleson is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the city was 7,216 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,545 in 2010.
Vail is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is 24 miles (39 km) southeast of Tucson. The population was 10,208 at the 2010 census, up from 2484 in the 2000 census. The area is known for the nearby Colossal Cave, a large cave system, and the Rincon Mountains District of Saguaro National Park, a top tourism spot within Arizona.
Black Canyon City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population is 2,677 as of the 2020 census.
Congress is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. Once a gold-mining center for the Congress Mine and then a ghost town, Congress now serves as a retirement and bedroom community for nearby Wickenburg. The population was 1,811 at the 2020 census.
Checotah is a town in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named for Samuel Checote, the first chief of the Creek Nation elected after the Civil War. Its population was 3,481 at the 2000 census. According to Census 2010, the population has decreased to 3,335; a 4.19% loss.
Kanab is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States. It is located on Kanab Creek just north of the Arizona state line.
Arizona's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, covering northeastern Maricopa County. Before 2023, geographically, it was the eleventh-largest congressional district in the country and included much of the state outside the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. From 2013 through 2022, it also included the Navajo Nation, the Hopi reservation, and the Gila River Indian Community, with 25% of the population being Native American. At that time, the district had more Native Americans than any other congressional district in the United States. In the 2022 elections, David Schweikert was elected in the redefined district. It was one of 18 districts that would have voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Republican in 2022.
The Carefree Sundial, in Carefree, Arizona, was designed by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John I. Yellott (1908–1986), was erected in the Sundial Circle plaza in 1959. The sundial is made from a steel frame and covered in anodized copper. As originally designed the 1200mm wide gnomon acted as a heat collecting plate for a local heating scheme. It measures 90 feet (27 m) in diameter. The metal gnomon, the shadow-casting portion of the dial, stands 35 feet (11 m) above the plaza and extends 62 feet (19 m). Local apparent time is 27.7 minutes behind the meridian time which here is Mountain Standard Time. The hour markers are adjusted accordingly.
Many arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area have the same name in multiple cities or towns. Some roads change names or route numbers across town borders, resulting in occasional confusion. For example, the road known as Apache Boulevard in Tempe continues east as Main Street in neighboring Mesa and then as Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Although Broadway Road maintains the same name through Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Apache Junction, each town uses a different reference point for address numbers.