Carefree, and its sister community of Cave Creek, make up the northern border of the Valley. This natural desert community has a reputation for great beauty, unique rock outcroppings, boulders, no traffic, and a tranquility rarely found in a big, busy city. Carefree was conceived in the mid 1940s as a planned community, and founded in the 1950s, with a whimsical spirit, one to five acre home sites, and strict zoning regulations to protect and enhance property values. Carefree is home to the largest sundial in the Western Hemisphere, which stretches 62 feet and points to the North Star. The city was incorporated in 1984 and is now home to approximately 3,700 year round residents and about 500 more winter visitors.
With street names such as “Easy Street,” “Tranquil Trail,” and “Ho and Hum Roads”, Carefree emphasizes a lifestyle of leisure, shopping and recreation, scenic splendor, and celebrated golf resorts. The town’s motto is “Home of cowboys and caviar, where the Old West meets the new,” and this is evidenced in the growing array of topnotch galleries and shops, and world class restaurants, as well as a coyote or two!