Fountain Hills, Arizona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Town of Fountain Hills, Arizona | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | Arizona | ||
| County | Maricopa | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Wallace Nichols | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 18.2 sq mi (47.2 km²) | ||
| - Land | 18.1 sq mi (47.1 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 1,905 ft (580 m) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 24,669 | ||
| - Density | 1,275.7/sq mi (491.9/km²) | ||
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 85268-85269 | ||
| Area code(s) | 480 | ||
| FIPS code | 04-25300 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0036980 | ||
| Website: http://www.fh.az.gov/ | |||
Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA.
According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 24,669.[1] Fountain Hills was the eighth fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona between the 1990 and 2000 census. In contrast to neighboring Scottsdale, some homes in Fountain Hills are widely spaced, in a more rural setting. Fountain Hills is home to the world's fourth tallest fountain, and neighbors the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation. Charles W. Juels' Fountain Hills Observatory is situated nearby.
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[edit] History
It incorporated as an independent municipality in 1989, after spending most of its history as a master planned development on the far northerneastern end of Scottsdale. For many years the land on which the town sits was a working cattle ranch, and 4,500 acres (18 km²) of it were sold to Robert P. McCulloch in 1968. The town of Fountain Hills is situated on the lower east slopes of the McDowell Mountains as they drain into the Verde River.
[edit] Law and government
Fountain Hills is set up under a Council-Manager system.
The current mayor of Fountain Hills is Wally Nichols and was elected in May of 2003. The current town council consists of the Mayor and six councilmembers: Councilman John Kavanagh, Councilman Keith McMahan, Councilman Edwin Kehe, and Councilman Jay Schlum. Kathleen Nicola served as councilwoman from June 6, 2002 until she died in a boating accident on May 19, 2005. Timothy Pickering was the Town Manager until late 2007, when his contract was bought out by the town after a number of costly lawsuits. As of January 2008, a replacement Town Manager has not been named. Among other council appointed staff are Town Attorney Andrew McGuire and Town Magistrate Ted Armbruster.
The town had a primary election on March 11, 2008. Current mayor Wally Nichols decided to retire, leaving the office open to a new candidate. Councilman Jay Schlum was elected mayor, with 55% of the total votes cast. Former mayor Jerry Miles received 45% of the vote in the election. As of March 12 it was unclear as to when Schlum would be taking office.
The town does not have its own law enforcement. They are patrolled by the Maricopa County Sheriff's office with the elected Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who also lives within the town.
[edit] Geography
Fountain Hills is located at (33.604811, -111.728526)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.2 km²), of which, 18.2 square miles (47.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.
[edit] The Fountain
The eponymous fountain was built in 1971 by Robert P. McCulloch, the same year that reconstruction of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, another of McCulloch's projects, was completed.The fountain sprays water about every hour. The plume of water rises from a concrete water-lily sculpture in the center of a large man-made lake and is driven by three 600 horsepower (450 kW) pumps. When all three pumps are on under zero wind condition, the fountain can reach over 560 feet (170 m) in height. When built, it was the world's tallest fountain and held that record for over a decade.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 20,235 people, 8,653 households, and 6,515 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,113.8 people per square mile (430.0/km²). There were 10,491 housing units at an average density of 577.5/sq mi (222.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.26% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 3.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,653 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $61,619, and the median income for a family was $68,185. Males had a median income of $50,324 versus $32,307 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,230. About 2.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Media
- See also: Media in Phoenix, Arizona
The Fountain Hills Times is a major weekly newspaper in the town, published every Wednesday. The parent company of the Times, Western States Publishers, Inc., also publishes the Fountain Hills/Rio Verde Telephone Directory, Fountain Hills Community Guide, Fountain Hills HOME, and The Arizona Sentinel 'Let's Go!'.
[edit] Sister cities
Fountain Hills has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc.:[4]
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- Kasterlee (Antwerpen, Belgium)
- Dierdorf (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)
- Ataco, El Salvador
[edit] Gallery
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[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Sister Cities information obtained from the Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)." Retrieved on November 26, 2006.
[edit] External links
- City website
- Fountain Hills Times Newspaper
- Fountain Hills School District
- Video Tour of Fountain Hills, Arizona
- Fountain Hills, Arizona is at coordinates Coordinates:
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