Rio Verde, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rio Verde, Arizona
Census-designated place
Location in Maricopa County, Arizona
Rio Verde, Arizona Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Rio Verde, Arizona Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Maricopa
Area
• Total	4.33 sq mi (11.23 km2)
• Land	4.33 sq mi (11.21 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	1,601 ft (488 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,210
• Density	510.51/sq mi (197.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
ZIP code	85263
Area code(s)	480
FIPS code	04-60250
GNIS feature ID	2409181

Rio Verde is a special kind of community located east of Scottsdale in Arizona. It's known as a master-planned community, which means it was carefully designed and built. Rio Verde is also a census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County. This means it's a community that the government counts for population, but it's not officially a city or town. In 2020, about 2,210 people lived there.

History of Rio Verde

The area around Rio Verde, northeast of downtown Scottsdale, was first settled by small farmers in the 1880s. These farmers grew crops like hay and alfalfa to feed the horses and animals at nearby Fort McDowell. This fort was a US Army camp from 1865 to 1890. Today, it is the home of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

In the late 1890s, two men named Frank Asher and William W. Moore bought several of these small farms. They combined them to create what became known as the Box Bar Ranch. After William Moore passed away in 1929, his sons, Glen and Lin Moore, continued to run the ranch together. They called their business "Moore Bros Cattle Co." and had land for grazing cattle on both sides of the Verde River.

Lin Moore also managed another ranch called the X2 Ranch, about 12 miles (19 km) to the west. He and his wife, Ada Lucille, had started living there in the 1920s. The "Asher Hills" that overlook the community to the west were named after Frank Asher. His wife's granddaughter, Jacque Mercer, became Miss Arizona and then Miss America in 1949!

In 1954, the Moore brothers stopped their cattle business and sold their ranch to the Page Land & Cattle Co. Lin Moore kept his X2 Ranch, and his wife continued to run it after he died in 1960. Some of the Moore family's land is now part of the McDowell Mountains McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which is a protected natural area.

In 1970, the Page Land & Cattle Company sold some of the ranch land to Rio Verde Development, Inc. This company started to build the planned community of Rio Verde in 1973. They built an 18-hole golf course in 1973, and a second one in 1981. Both golf courses were updated in 2007.

The water for Rio Verde comes from three underground water sources called aquifers. A company called EPCOR manages the water system. It's important to know that Rio Verde is different from a nearby area called Rio Verde Foothills. The Foothills area had issues with its water supply from the City of Scottsdale in 2023.

Community Life in Rio Verde

Rio Verde is a community designed for active adults who enjoy golfing and a relaxed lifestyle. It's owned and managed by its members. It's important not to confuse it with the nearby Rio Verde Foothills.

Rio Verde is located close to the Verde River and is next to the Tonto National Forest, the McDowell Mountain Regional Park, and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. These nearby areas offer lots of opportunities to enjoy nature.

In 2020, there were 1,676 homes in the community, and 1,215 of them were lived in by residents. The main developed part of the community covers about 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²). Rio Verde Community Church offers both interdenominational and Catholic church services.

Rio Verde is an "age-restricted community." This means that at least one person in each home must be 55 years old or older. Also, no one under the age of 19 can live there permanently. The community is managed by a homeowners' association. This group helps make sure everyone follows the community rules and keeps the area nice.

Geography of Rio Verde

Rio Verde is located in the northeastern part of Maricopa County. If you drive, it's about 28 miles (45 km) northeast of the old center of Scottsdale. It's also about 37 miles (60 km) northeast of downtown Phoenix.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the entire area of Rio Verde is about 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²), and it's all land. The Verde River flows south and eventually joins the Salt River. The Verde River forms the eastern border of the Rio Verde community. It is about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) east of the main developed area.

Population and People

Rio Verde is a census-designated place (CDP). In the year 2000, there were 1,419 people living there. There were 761 households, and 634 of them were families. The population density was about 262 people per square mile (101 people per km²).

Most of the people living in Rio Verde in 2000 were White (99.7%). A very small number were Native American, Asian, or from other races. About 0.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, only a tiny number of households (0.1%) had children under 18 living with them. Most households (82.8%) were married couples living together. About 15.5% of all households were made up of single individuals. Many of these individuals (13.0%) were 65 years old or older and living alone. The average household had about 1.86 people.

The population in Rio Verde is mostly older adults. In 2000, about 62.4% of the people were 65 years old or older. The average age was 69 years. The median income for a household in Rio Verde was $86,248. This means half the households earned more than this, and half earned less.

Education

Some parts of Rio Verde are in the Cave Creek Unified School District. For other parts of the community, the 2010 U.S. Census noted there was no specific school district defined.

See also

In Spanish: Río Verde (condado de Maricopa) para niños