Paradise Valley is a desert and mountain town in Arizona east of state capital Phoenix. The town is known for its golf courses, resorts and restaurants, the workshop of Paolo Soleri, and close proximity to Scottsdale and Phoenix. According to the 2020 census, its population was 12,658. The name may have been chosen due to the abundance of spring wildflowers and palo verde trees. Mainly an agricultural area during the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, the area began to be settled after World War II, on large lots for which it became known.
As the neighboring settlements of Phoenix and Scottsdale began to grow and annex adjoining areas, the residents of what would become Paradise Valley became concerned that their community's quality of sustainability would be lost if the area was absorbed into one of its larger neighbors. These residents formed the Citizens Committee for the Incorporation of The Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona. The committee circulated a petition which collected enough signatures to qualify for presentation to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The board granted the petition, which allowed for the town of Paradise Valley to be incorporated on May 24, 1961.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of , of which , or 0.18%, is water.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Paradise Valley had a population of 12,658. The median age was 53.7 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 29.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.4 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,752 households in Paradise Valley, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 72.8% were married-couple households, 10.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In February 2024, Business Insider highlighted how the city was seeing a notable increase in the number of wealthy transplants from California. The Wall Street Journal described this trend a year earlier.
Government
Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner, first elected in 2018, began his third term as mayor of Paradise Valley in 2022. The mayor and six town council members are the elected representatives of the Town of Paradise Valley. The council has six members, who are elected to serve four-year staggered terms. In 2010, voters approved direct election of the mayor. Scott LeMarr became the first directly elected mayor in 2012. The council still selects its vice mayor from among its members.
The Town's accredited police department is led by Chief Freeman Carney.
In 2012, citizens gathered 500 signatures on a petition requesting that the council reconsider the issue of direct election of the mayor. In June 2012, the council voted to return the question of direct election of mayor to the people. Residents voted to keep direct election of the mayor.
Paradise Valley is in the 1st Congressional District, which has been represented by David Schweikert since 2021. Despite the town's conservative lean, at the state level it has been represented by three Democrats since 2020. A part of Legislative District 28, it is represented by Christine Marsh in the State Senate and by Kelli Butler and Aaron Lieberman in the House of Representatives.
Education
Most of Paradise Valley is within the Scottsdale Unified School District. A small portion is served by Creighton Elementary School District<!--ELM 02430--> and Phoenix Union High School District<!--SEC 06330-->.
Several charter schools also are in the area including nearby Great Hearts Academies, BASIS Schools, and private schools such as Phoenix Country Day School.
Economy
Top employers
According to Paradise Valley's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the town as of 2020 were:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
| Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa
|331
|-
|2
| Sanctuary on Camelback
|324
|-
|3
| The Scottsdale Plaza Resort
|283
|-
|4
| Hermosa Inn
|202
|-
|5
| Mountain Shadows
|190
|-
|6
| Double Tree Paradise Valley Resort
|160
|-
|7
| Phoenix Country Day School
|145
|-
|8
| Town of Paradise Valley
|109
|-
|9
| Camelback Inn
|97
|-
|10
| Early Learning Childhood Center
|82
|-
|}
Confusion with other Paradise Valley designations
The town is not to be confused with Paradise Valley Village, an official municipal designation, in northeast Phoenix. For instance, Paradise Valley Community College, Paradise Valley High School, Paradise Valley Mall, Paradise Valley Golf Course, and the former Paradise Valley Hospital are all several miles north of the town, in Phoenix. The Paradise Valley Unified School District does not serve the town of Paradise Valley either, only the areas north of it; its boundaries end a few miles north of the border.
Notable people
- Michael Bidwill, businessman, prosecutor, and football executive; he is the principal owner, chairman, and president of the Arizona Cardinals
- Charles Boyer, Franco-American actor
- Alice Cooper, shock rock singer and co-founder of Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation
- Sheryl Cooper, dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer, and co-founder of Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation. Wife of Alice Cooper.
- Doug Ducey, politician and businessman, governor of Arizona
- Barry Goldwater, U.S. senator and 1964 Republican presidential nominee
- Jay Grdina, businessman and former pornographic actor
- Bil Keane, cartoonist, creator of The Family Circus
- Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals head coach
- Brooks Lennon, soccer player who represented the United States national team
- G. Gordon Liddy, Watergate scandal figure and Nixon appointee
- Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor
- Sandra Day O'Connor, former Justice of the US Supreme Court
- Michael Phelps, former competitive swimmer and the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals
- Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States (1989–1993), U.S. senator from Indiana (1981–1989), and representative of Indiana's 4th congressional district (1977–1981)
- William Rehnquist, former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
See also
- List of historic properties in Paradise Valley, Arizona
- Saint Barnabas on the Desert