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 The town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, is
ringed in by the McDowell Mountains to the east and
Camelback Mountain to the south. It is arguably one of
the most breathtaking residential towns on earth,
because of the unique and stunning Sonoran desert
landscape in which it resides.
In the 1880's, the Rio Verde Canal Company turned this
open grazing area into irrigated farmland. In 1889, the
Rio Verde Canal Company sent three surveyors to this
area who were so taken by the beauty and tranquility of
the desert landscape that they named this area
Paradise
Valley. Settlement in Paradise Valley did not begin in earnest
until post World War II. Paradise Valley, which is in
Maricopa County, was a rural
residential area with few commercial entities. Though
the homes were modest in size and style, they were on
large parcels of land, usually one to five acres.
In the late 1950's, Phoenix and Scottsdale were looking
to expand their respective boundaries. Residents who
lived in the Paradise Valley area feared that they would
lose the rural lifestyle they had become accustomed to
and would soon be swallowed up by Phoenix or Scottsdale,
and its subdivisions, shopping centers, new zoning laws
and higher property taxes. These concerned residents
formed a "Citizens Committee for the Incorporation of
The Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona,"
who set out with petitions urging residents to join them
in their attempt to incorporate Paradise Valley. The
residents' main goals were to keep zoning to a one house
per acre minimum; to keep the area entirely residential;
and to keep government regulation to a minimum. In April
1961, the Citizens Committee for Incorporation presented
their petition to the Maricopa County Board of
Supervisors. On May 24, 1961, incorporation was granted
and the Town of Paradise Valley was established.
With a population of approximately 2,000, the first Town
Council was formed. During the early years of the Town's
history, the Council spent most of its time establishing
the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Board of
Adjustment, redefining zoning ordinances, and annexing
property. By 1968, the boundaries of the Town of
Paradise Valley were pretty well set, with only a few
scattered county islands and a handful of neighborhoods
adjacent to the Town boundaries that would eventually be
annexed.
Throughout the Town's 40-year history, the residents
have strived to preserve the Town's original mission -
to maintain a residential community in a quiet and
country-like setting with little government
intervention.
Today, Paradise Valley is the address of Scottsdale's
most exclusive luxury homes. The average home price in
Paradise Valley is $1,298,000. To learn more about
Paradise Valley real estate,
call Jean Glass at (602) 680-0101
or email her at Jean@JeanGlass.com.
TOWN LANDMARKS
CAMELBACK CEMETERY
The cemetery on the north side of McDonald Drive between
Scottsdale Road and Mockingbird Lane was originally part
of Hans and Mary Weaver's homestead. In 1915, the
Weavers' daughter married Adolph Poenicke. Three weeks
after the wedding, Adolph died and was buried on the
family property. The following year, Hans and Mary
Weaver decided to deed a portion of their homestead as a
cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place for
many who died in the 1918 flu epidemic,
Mexican-Catholics who had no other Catholic cemetery
nearby, and military veterans. Some of the original
white crosses that were placed on gravesites eroded over
time and their markings were unclear. As they were
replaced, many crosses were put up at random since there
was no way of knowing who was buried in a particular
grave. In 1954, a flagpole and a monument were built in
honor of military veterans. Approximately 600 people are
resting in this cemetery.
COSANTI
Paoli Soleri built the
Cosanti gallery on five acres of land prior to the Town's
incorporation. As he needed them, Soleri added buildings
and structures on his property. Today at Cosanti,
artisans craft bronze and ceramic windbells. In the
gallery, there are displays of windbells and original
Soleri sculptures, graphics and sketches. Soleri
windbells are famous throughout the world.
El CHORRO LODGE
El Chorro
Lodge was originally the
home of the Bell Family. During the early to mid-1930's,
the Lodge was home to Judson School for Girls, which
lasted only two years. The Bells sold their home to the Judsons, and Mark and Jan Gruber purchased the home from
the Judsons to open El Chorro Lodge. The name El Chorro
comes from Peruvian Spanish meaning "running stream."
The Lodge was open for business from November 1 through
May 1. In 1973, the Grubers sold the Lodge to Joe Miller
who had started out as one of the day bartenders in the
early 1950's. Today, El Chorro Lodge is still thriving
as a restaurant and lounge.
MUMMY MOUNTAIN
Some people called the mountain Windy Gulch and others
called it Horseshoe Mountain, but it was long-time town
resident Charlie Mieg who finally named it
Mummy
Mountain. As a
major landowner along the north and east sides of the
Mountain, Mr. Mieg recognized that the names did not
have much marketing appeal. He began to think of another
name to use in selling his properties. One day, while
riding along what would become Shea Boulevard, Mr. Mieg
looked toward his Mountain. He thought that it looked
like an Egyptian mummy lying down. Thus, he changed the
name to Mummy Mountain.
THE MUMMY MOUNTAIN PRESERVE TRUST
The Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust was established in
1997. Its goals are to perpetuate the natural landscape,
desert plants, wildlife and scenic beauty of the
hillside areas of the Town of Paradise Valley. The Trust
protects the land on the Mountain from future
development and preserves it as natural open space. It
is the intent of the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust to
include all land on the mountain above the 1800 feet
elevation on the west side and above the 1600 feet
elevation on the east side. By 1999, the Trust has
accumulated more than 189 acres of land.
PARADISE VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB
The idea of the
Paradise Valley Country Club began in 1952. A group
of businessmen agreed that a golf course in the area
would be of great benefit to local resorts and local
real estate. A committee was formed and a meeting was
held in November 1952 at the
Camelback Inn
to assess community support. The idea was a hit. By
January 1953, the location of the golf course had been
narrowed to two possible sites - the
McCormick Ranch and the Camelback Inn
property. But it was Mr. Jack Stewart from the Camelback
Inn who announced at this meeting that the Camelback Inn
and a few neighbors would donate 270 acres of land near
Tatum Boulevard and Lincoln Drive. The committee agreed
that the Camelback Inn site was the right location not
only because of the donated land but also its proximity
to Phoenix. By the end of the first year, the Paradise
Valley Country Club had 184 members.
The
Paradise Valley Country Club golf course, which was
designed by Lawrence Hughes, was officially opened on
April 10, 1954. Today the Paradise Valley Country Club
has approximately 1,000 members.
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