Verde Valley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Verde Valley
Verde River, Arizona.
Verde Valley Location in Arizona
Length	40.5 miles (65.2 km)
Geography

The Verde Valley is a beautiful valley located in central Arizona, United States. It is also known as Matkʼamvaha in the Yavapai language and Valle Verde in Spanish. The important Verde River flows right through the middle of the valley.

This river is special because it is one of the last "free-flowing" rivers in Arizona. This means it runs naturally without many dams. The Verde River is very important for many reasons. It provides a home for fish and other animals. It also gives fresh water for farms in the area. People enjoy visiting the river for fun activities like swimming or fishing. Plus, it helps provide clean drinking water for over 2 million people in the big city of Phoenix!

High points like Mingus Mountain and the Mogollon Rim look down over the valley. The Verde Valley is also known for growing grapes to make wine. It is one of only three areas in Arizona where this happens.

Discovering the Verde Valley

People first wrote about the Verde Valley a long time ago. A Spanish explorer named Antonio de Espejo visited the area in 1583. He wrote down what he saw there.

Not much more was written about the valley until the 1800s. This is when people started looking for gold and silver in the area.

Towns in the Valley

Many towns and communities are located in the Verde Valley. Here are some of them:

• Camp Verde
• Clarkdale
• Cornville
• Cottonwood
• Jerome
• Lake Montezuma
• McGuireville
• Rimrock
• Sedona

Verde Valley in Movies

The Verde Valley has even been featured in movies! It was the setting for a science fiction thriller film called Kingdom of the Spiders. This movie came out in 1977 and starred actor William Shatner.

The theme song for the movie, called "Peaceful Verde Valley," was sung by country music artist Dorsey Burnette.