New Homes & Lifestyles

Much More Than Just a Fountain

The year was 1970. The soon-to-be community of Fountain Hills was merely a small enclave at the base of the McDowell Mountains in the Arizona desert. There were no homes or schools on the old cattle ranching land, but there would soon be one major attraction. This was the year Robert P. McCulloch, the founder of thriving Lake Havasu City, decided he wanted to base a new community around one major landmark. So he began research and development on the namesake for which the community is now most famous.

Designer Charles Wood Jr. joined McColloch in developing what would become the Fountain at Fountain Hills. Not just any ordinary fountain, but a 560 foot surging goliath. It is one of the world’s highest, and has a 28-acre lake as its base. With such an extraordinary landmark as the town’s first major feature, Fountain Hills was destined to become a notable place.

Early in 1971, construction began on town roads and a few scattered homes and condominiums. The emerging small town was laying the groundwork for some big growth. The community has experienced tremendous growth, the most dramatic increase occurring since its incorporation as a town in 1989.

MCO Properties, the original master developer of Fountain Hills, is still involved in the development of home communities in the town; MCO even coined the town phrase “A hometown by nature.” The town phrase could more accurately be called the ‘town credo,’ the community comes as close to living in a natural preserve as one can get.

In fact, Fountain Hills is virtually encompassed by picturesque mountains, McDowell Mountain Regional Park to the North, the Salt River Pima Indian Reservation to the South. The town’s Eastern border is marked by the Tonto National Forest.

The town of Fountain Hills owes most of its incredible growth to these mountain vistas. The views are one of the prime reasons people purchase a home here. The mountains are also the factor that will forever keep the community from mass expansion. These mountain borders also serve to give the community a special hometown feel.

Natural beauty is not the only motivation for settling in Fountain Hills. Residents know there are many other reasons why they make the town their home.

People flock to Fountain Hills to find a true communal setting. Community involvement is a major staple of life in the town. There is almost always an activity or event going on, upcoming events include the Silver Car Auction, from January 18-21 and the Fountain Hills Great Fair, featuring the annual hot air balloon rally February 23-25. The town has also become well known for its Holiday Luminarias, a festival that takes place during three evenings before Christmas, when thousands of luminaries line the streets of downtown and the shores of Fountain Lake, making the entire town glow each night- a beautiful and rare sight.

It may still seem like Fountain Hills is a bona fide small town. However, there is no shortage of attractions here, from national treasures to exotic theme parks; the community has more to offer than many major cities. It is home to Out of Africa Wildlife Park, the only place to see big cats and other exotic animals in Arizona. The community also plays home to Ancient Salado Indian dwellings at the Tonto National Monument in the Superstition Mountains. Golfers also flock here, the town boasts five award-winning golf courses, many of which are recognized by golf publications around the nation for their precisely contoured fairways and immaculately manicured greens.

Before Fountain Hills established itself as a community, the land was also home to the Valley’s most famous resident, Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1937, Wright purchased land from the U.S. Government near the base of the McDowell Mountains to begin building his world-famous winter home, Taliesin West; which is now a part of the Fountain Hills community and houses the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

Town officials are continually working to enhance the quality of life for residents. They have recently completed a new 30,000 square foot Community Center, which houses the River of Time Museum, chronicling Fountain Hills’ historical development.

But what amazes and attracts so many people is the fact that all of these incredible features can be found in a 12,000 acre town, of which 6,329 acres are undeveloped. In 2005 the population of Fountain Hills was 25,251 people. At full buildout, the town population is expected to top out at 28,500- yet another reason to make the move to Fountain Hills sooner rather than later. The town population is just one of many stark contrasts to nearby Scottsdale, which is home to almost 230,000 people.

Residents of Fountain Hills really do get to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind each day because their community is separated from the rest of metropolitan Phoenix by the McDowell Mountains which serve as a natural barrier between big city life and home. Homes in the community range from $100,000 to over $3 million for custom built homes on one of the many picturesque hilltops, with enviable views of those surrounding mountain ranges.

What gives Fountain Hills its mystique? Is it the beautiful mountain views, or that world-famous fountain? Perhaps it’s the old-fashioned sense of community that has become so contagious in this town. Perhaps we will never know exactly; there is one thing we do know: homebuyers who sought a quality small town lifestyle all agree, they have found that unnamable mystique here, in their own personal retreat; a town with so many desirable features it turns visitors into lifetime residents.

INFO LINK
Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce
480.816.5100
fountainhillschamber.com