Fountain Hills, Arizona

Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Known for its impressive fountain, which can shoot water to a height of , 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.

History

Before the development of Fountain Hills, the area was home to the Yavapai people, and petroglyphs can be found near the Dixie Mine in the northwest corner of the town along the mountains.

thumb|Two boys posing at the petroglyphs by the Dixie Mine, Fountain Hills, AZ

In the early 20th century, the area that became Fountain Hills and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park was part of the Pemberton Ranch, later renamed the P-Bar Ranch. Fountain Hills High School is built on the site of one of the P-Bar Ranch's buildings, and a plaque stands in the parking lot to commemorate this.

Fountain Hills was developed by C. V. Wood, president of McCulloch Oil. It was named after the towering man-made fountain in the center of town, built in 1970, and once the tallest in the world.. The town was incorporated in 1989.

The Fountain

Fountain Hills has the world's fourth-tallest fountain, and the tallest still operating in the United States. It was built in 1970 in Zurich by Robert P. McCulloch, the year before the reconstruction of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, another of McCulloch's projects. The fountain sprays water for about 15 minutes every hour on the hour between 9am and 9pm. The plume rises from a concrete water-lily sculpture in the center of a large man-made lake. The fountain, driven by three turbine pumps, sprays water at a rate of per minute through an nozzle. With all three pumps under ideal conditions, the fountain reaches in height, though in normal operation only two of the pumps are used, with a fountain height of around . When built it was the world's tallest fountain, a record it held for over a decade.

The Town of Fountain Hills has partnered with EarthCam to bring live streaming views of its world-famous fountain. The live stream camera can be accessed on the Experience Fountain Hills website.

To help celebrate the fountain's 50th year, the town installed a new LED lighting system with four lights mounted directly under the fountain and six lights on the banks for a total of 10 lights to provide ample lighting and still meet the Dark Skies regulations.

The fountain in Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, AZ..jpg|alt=The famous fountain in Fountain Hills, Arizona, running at full height.|The "World Famous Fountain" in Fountain Hills can attain a height of when running on all three of its pumps.

Fountain in green light.jpg|alt=The fountain is bathed in green in Fountain Park with LED lights during holidays and special events. There are eight colors available to shine on the spray.|The fountain in Fountain Park is lighted with LED lights during holidays and special events. There are eight colors available to shine on the spray.

The fountain in morning sun..jpg|The fountain of Fountain Hills

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Geography

Fountain Hills is in eastern Maricopa County, on the eastern edge of the Phoenix urbanized area. It is northeast of downtown Phoenix and sits on the east side of the south end of the McDowell Mountains. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.42%, are water. The elevation is at the fountain, higher than in Phoenix. all in neighboring Scottsdale.

Climate

The area has a large amount of sunshine year-round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fountain Hills has a hot desert climate, abbreviated "BWh" on climate maps.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Fountain Hills town, Arizona – Racial composition

!Race (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!2010

!2000

!1990

!1980

|White alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |87.6% (20,876)

|91.5% (20,569)

|94.2% (19,055)

|96% (9,626)

|97.9% (2,713)

|Black alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.1% (265)

|0.9% (210)

|0.6% (118)

|0.4% (41)

|0% (0)

|American Indian alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.4% (100)

|0.5% (107)

|0.4% (80)

|0.5% (52)

|0.7% (19)

|Asian alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.3% (550)

|1.8% (403)

|0.9% (176)

|<td rowspan="2"> |0.5% (50)

|<td rowspan="2"> |0.5% (14)

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0% (9)

|0.1% (21)

|0.1% (12)

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.4% (88)

|0.1% (33)

|0.1% (13)

|0% (4)

|0% (0)

|Multiracial (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.9% (690)

|1% (221)

|0.8% (163)

|—

|Hispanic/Latino (any race)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.2% (1,242)

|4.1% (925)

|3.1% (618)

|2.6% (257)

|0.9% (25)

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fountain Hills had a population of 23,820. The median age was 60.8 years. 9.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 40.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 11,482 households in Fountain Hills, of which 13.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.2% were married-couple households, 14.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.56.

Events

The town hosts a number of events each year at Fountain Park, including three large art fairs: the Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts and the Fall Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts, both presented by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. Each year, the town hosts a St. Patrick's Day celebration in which the town's fountain is dyed green. The Greening of the Fountain tradition began in 1979. Other signature events include a 4 July celebration, an annual Music Fest, Irish Fest, and Concours in the Hills — a car show which featured over 1,000 vehicles and 50,000 attendees in February 2024.

Annual Chamber of Commerce Fountain Festival.jpg|alt=More than 120,000 people attend the annual Fountain Festival each fall in Fountain Hills.|The Annual Fountain Festival celebrates the arts in Fountain Hills each fall.

Turkey Trot.jpg|alt=Turkey Trot participants run or walk around the famous fountain Thanksgiving morning.|For 31 years, the Turkey Trot has been a family tradition Thanksgiving morning.

Wiki CONCOURS 2022 resized 500px.png|alt=Spectators look at sports cars at Concours in the Hills.|More than 1,000 high-end cars from around the world drew nearly 50,000 enthusiasts to Fountain Hills for Concours in the Hills 2022.

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Arts

Fountain Hills is home to one of the largest public art collections in Arizona. The art collection, which features over 150 pieces, is part of a partnership between the Town of Fountains Hills and the Public Art Committee of the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association. Art is a significant part of the Town's heritage. The eight fountains along the Avenue of the Fountains were the beginning of the public art collection. Bronze sculptures and fountains with Community Profile themes ranging from the whimsical to the serious dot the streets and adorn the public buildings, plazas and parks. The collection also contains a wide variety of other art types and media, including paintings, stone, photography and metals. Residents and visitors are invited to wander the streets or take the "Art Walk" guided tour.

Fountain Hills Theater is a performing arts venue entering its 28th season and offering over 16 productions a year to local communities as well as performing an arts education year-round for youth.

Government

Fountain Hills has a council–manager system. The current mayor of Fountain Hills is Gerry Friedel, first elected in November 2024. The current Town Council consists of the mayor and six councilmembers. Councilmembers include Vice Mayor Gayle Earle, Brenda Kalivianakis, Hannah Larrabee, Peggy McMahon, Allen Skillicorn, and Rick Watts. Councilmembers serve four-year terms, and the mayor serves a two-year term. The council selects a town manager, attorney, and magistrate. Rachael Goodwin has been the Town Manager since 2023. The town contracts its law enforcement services with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The Fountain Hills Fire Department has two fire stations. Dave Ott is the fire chief. Fountain Hills is in Arizona's 1st congressional district and Arizona's 3rd state legislative district.

Education

Fountain Hills Public Schools are part of the Fountain Hills Unified School District #98. The district provides education from pre-school through high school with Little Falcons Preschool, McDowell Mountain Elementary, Fountain Hills Middle School, and Fountain Hills High School. The district has small class sizes at an average of 18:1, and it includes a special education program, Fountain Hills Virtual Academy, and a career and technical education program.

Media

The Fountain Hills Times Independent is the town's weekly newspaper. The paper has a weekly circulation of about 3,000.

Independent Newsmedia, Inc. is the parent company, and it also owns Valley Newspapers, a commercial printing plant located near Deer Valley Airport. The company also publishes community newspapers in Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and Florida, and it owns a press in Delaware. The Times also publishes the Fountain Hills/Rio Verde Telephone Directory, Fountain Hills Community Guide, Fountain Hills HOME.

Notable people

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Kathy Ahern, professional golfer
Steven Alker, professional golfer
Joe Arpaio, former Maricopa County Sheriff
Charles Juels, astronomer
David Schweikert, U.S. Congressman

Sister cities

Concepcion de Ataco, El Salvador
Dierdorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Zamość, Poland