Carefree, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carefree, Arizona
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Welcome marker
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Location in Maricopa County, Arizona
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 Carefree, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Carefree, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Arizona | |
| County | Maricopa | |
| 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
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,690 | |
| • Density | 418.89/sq mi (161.73/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST (no DST)) | |
| ZIP code |
85377
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| Area code(s) | 480 | |
| FIPS code | 04-10180 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413168 | |
Carefree is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and Scottsdale. You can find it in the far northeast part of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. In 2020, about 3,690 people lived in Carefree.
Contents
History of Carefree
Carefree was created in the mid-1950s by two business partners, K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington. They wanted to build a special community where everything was planned out. They started selling land in 1955. People began building homes there in 1958.
Carefree officially became a town in 1984. This was done to make sure it stayed independent and wasn't taken over by its neighbor, Scottsdale.
What is Carefree Like?
Carefree is known as a nice place to live. In 2000, there were 2,927 people living in the town. Most people living in Carefree are White. A small number of people are from other racial backgrounds. About 3% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
The town's population has grown over the years:
- 1980: 964 people
- 1990: 1,657 people
- 2000: 2,927 people
- 2010: 3,363 people
- 2020: 3,690 people
The average age of people in Carefree in 2000 was 55 years old. This means many older adults live there. About 12.7% of the population was under 18 years old.
Geography and Weather
Carefree is in the northeast part of Maricopa County. It is next to Scottsdale on the south and east. To the west, you'll find the town of Cave Creek. People sometimes think of Carefree and Cave Creek as one big community. Both towns share a local landmark called Black Mountain. This mountain rises over 1,000 feet above the towns. Its highest point is 3,398 feet.
Carefree has a hot, semi-arid climate. This means it's usually hot and dry. However, it gets more rain than Phoenix because it's closer to Arizona's central mountains. Summers are very hot, with many days over 90°F (32°C). Winters are mild. It rarely freezes, but it can happen. Snowfall is very rare, but it did snow a few inches in February 2019.
Rainfall can be heavy during winter storms or summer monsoons. The wettest month ever recorded was January 1993.
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Fun Places to Visit
One cool spot in Carefree is the Carefree sundial. It was built in 1959. It is said to be the "third largest sundial in the Western Hemisphere". A sundial is like a giant clock that tells time using the sun's shadow. This sundial points to the North Star. It is made of steel and covered in copper. The sundial is 90 feet wide. The part that casts the shadow, called the gnomon, is 35 feet tall. It also sticks out 72 feet.
Carefree was also home to Southwestern Studios for a long time. This was a big film studio built in 1968. It had three special soundstages. These are quiet rooms where movies and TV shows are filmed. The studio also had editing rooms and a western street set.
Many famous movies and TV shows were filmed here:
- The New Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke.
- The Other Side of the Wind, one of Orson Welles' last films.
- Cancel My Reservation, Bob Hope's last movie.
- Scenes for Zabriskie Point. They even built a fake mansion and blew it up!
- Parts of Pocket Money with Paul Newman.
- Man and Boy with Bill Cosby.
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure used the western street set.
The studio was also used for TV shows. In the 1970s, Hugh Downs filmed pilot episodes for a show called Foursome. This show had celebrities playing games and talking. Famous actors like Janet Leigh and Robert Culp were on it.
The studio was later called Carefree Studios. It was torn down in 1999. Now, shops and homes are built where the studio once stood.
Did you know a song is named after a road in Carefree? Gordon Lightfoot wrote and sang "Carefree Highway". He named it after a part of Arizona State Route 74. This highway starts near Carefree and goes about 30 miles west.
Schools
Students in Carefree go to schools in the Cave Creek Unified School District.
Getting Around
Arizona State Route 74 runs along the southern edge of Carefree. Cave Creek Road also goes through the town.
Carefree does not have public bus service like Valley Metro.
There is a private airport in Carefree called SkyRanch.
Famous People From Carefree
Many interesting people have lived in Carefree:
- Eric Bischoff, a producer for professional wrestling.
- Hugh Downs, a famous TV host and news anchor.
- Michael Haugen Jr., a professional bowler.
- Wilhelm Kuhweide, an Olympic gold medalist in sailing.
- Dick Stockton, a sportscaster.
- Dick Van Dyke, a well-known actor.
See also
In Spanish: Carefree (Arizona) para niños
