Carefree Arizona is one of the state’s most beautiful towns. People come in droves to see its amazing desert garden, quaint shops, and the largest sun dial in the U.S. However, it wasn’t always this way. Not too long ago, this piece of desert north of Scottsdale wasn’t the amazing community it is today.
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A little over a thousand years ago, the Vikings made a huge branding blunder. They named an island they wanted to colonize “Iceland” and then wondered why they couldn’t attract settlers. Turned out that even the hardest Viking didn’t want to live on a big ice cube in the middle of the Atlantic. Read More...
Recognizing their marketing mistake, the Vikings then named an equally inhospitable place “Greenland” with the hope that this brand name would attract settlers. It did, but once these folks realized Greenland was also covered in ice, most left.
Perhaps that’s what Thomas Darlington and K.T. Palmer had in mind when they bought a 400-acre goat farm in the middle of the Arizona desert. Instead of calling it “Goat Town” they named it “Carefree”. With a name like that, surely people would flock to this yet to be developed suburb of Scottsdale.
And they did, but, unlike the Vikings, they stayed because Carefree turned out to be just that, a place to live a carefree lifestyle. Apparently, Darlington and Palmer studied Marketing 101 and made sure their brand name actually reflected their product.
Carefree: A Perfect Place for Young Families and Retirees
With a population of around 4,000, Carefree is a great place for both young families and retirees. In fact, according to the neighborhood ranking company, Niche, the town ranks 120 out of 12,566 as the best place for retired folks to live. There are literally dozens of golf courses in the area, including the nationally known Boulders Resort Golf Club, and the medical facilities are close by and top notch.
For young families, you’ll find a great school system in Carefree. It ranks in the top 17% of school districts in the state of Arizona. And there are plenty of activities to keep kids happy including a park which features a Gila Monster slide. What kid wouldn’t like that?
Being located in Maricopa County, Carefree benefits from its close proximity to the exciting Phoenix metropolitan area. Pretty much anything one could want is close by. If Phoenix doesn’t have it, it is probably not worth having.
Famous art galleries, professional sports, concerts, and nationally touring Broadway shows can all be found in the Phoenix metropolitan area. If you want something a bit more mellow, the beautiful Sanora desert landscape offers a soothing backdrop for relaxation, meditation or exploring. It’s almost like a world unto itself.
Other Stuff to do in Carefree
If seeing the U.S.’s largest sundial doesn’t excite you, perhaps a walk through Carefree’s farmers market is more to your liking.
There are more than enough restaurants in Carefree to satisfy any pallet. You can find Southwestern to Southeast Asian cuisine and everything in between.
The Carefree Desert Garden is one of two public botanical gardens in the valley and is one of the area’s most popular attractions in the state. It is a truly magical place.
Camp Creek Falls is a great place for nature lovers who enjoy hiking and biking. And if you have horses, this is a great place for an equestrian ride through the desert.
Real Estate: A Little Expensive But Well Worth It Even with Their Funny Street Names
It seems like back in the day when Darlington and Palmer were laying out their new development, someone threw a cocktail party and then asked the guests to help generate street names for Carefree. It is obvious that some guests may have imbibed a bit too much because they came up with some rather funny street names that are still in use today.
Ho Hum Road, Lazy Lane, and Easy Street are just a few of the quirky street names you’ll find in this city. One shouldn’t really be surprised given that the town’s name itself is certainly not run-of-the-mil.
Like everywhere in the U.S. these days, the real estate market in Carefree is hot. Because inventories of homes for sale are low, prices are up. The median price of a home in Carefree is around $850,000, well above the national median of just over $350,000.
But that doesn’t appear to be a problem for people living in Carefree because median household incomes are well above national averages too. Today, the average household income in Carefree is over $150,000.
Have a Real Estate Profesisonal Help You Buy a Home
Just because the town’s name is Carefree, your house hunting efforts should be anything but. You will need a professional real estate broker to help you navigate more than the city’s funny street names. Buying a home is serious business, probably the largest single financial transaction most people ever make. You’ll want someone you trust to be close by and we know who that would be.
Home buyers can’t go wrong if they contact the folks at Arizona Network Realty. They know pretty much everything that has to do with Arizona real estate, particularly in the Carefree, AZ area. Most importantly, they are trustworthy and have a long track record of success. Check out their website or give them a call.
They can find you just about anything you want in Carefree; except goats. They left quite a while ago. Show Less...