FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ
Fountain Hills, Arizona, with the distinction of being the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Community and its proximity to a major metropolitan area, is an ideal location for the IDSDC from both a functional and sustainability perspective. Its dark skies support the observatory-related activities of the facility, while the population of nearly five million people living in the Greater Phoenix area helps ensure the project’s sustainability.
The IDSDC will be located in the Town Center. The Town demonstrated its strong support for the IDSDC with the Council’s unanimous vote to approve the leasing of a site on Town property for a nominal annual fee. This area is a hub for institutions that attract visitors, thus offering synergistic and integrated marketing opportunities.
The adjacent entities include the Community Center, Fountain Hills Library, River of Time Museum, Community Garden, Town Hall, and one of the largest public art collections in the Southwest.
Fountain Hills is fortunate to have one of the darkest night skies of any community near a major metropolitan area. We are shielded from the nightglow of the Phoenix metro area by the McDowell Mountains to the west. Having the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to the south, McDowell Mountain Regional Park to our north and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Tonto National Forest to our east all help protect our dark skies.
Many residents have moved to Fountain Hills because of dark skies. The local astronomy club has over 600 people on its mailing list and coordinates regular star parties. One of its founding members donated three telescopes to the Fountain Hills Library, which are available for checkout. This led to a national award for the library.
The community takes pride in its night skies and its designation as an International Dark Sky Community, as denoted by the entrance signs to the community.
Because of the dark skies and significant astronomy-related activity, there is great community interest in the construction of an International Dark Sky Discovery Center.
History
The Town of Fountain Hills is a master-planned community located between the dramatic McDowell Mountains and the Verde River on the northeastern edge of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. The rich history of the surrounding area dates back centuries when it was home to the Hohokam whose elaborate canal system along the Verde River is believed to have supported between 4,000 and 10,000 people from 1100 to 1450. For largely unknown reasons, the tribe disappeared after that period and the Yavapai later migrated to the region.
The descendants of settlers from the 1860s turned this area into one of the largest land and cattle holdings in Arizona until the late 1960s when it was purchased by Robert McCulloch Properties.
The design plan for McCulloch’s 12,000-acre model city was completed by Disneyland designer Charles Wood, Jr. They chose to install a fountain as the iconic centerpiece for the community, constructing it to be the world’s tallest manmade fountain at the time. Centered in a lake in Fountain Park, the fountain reaches 560 feet when all three 600 horsepower turbine pumps are powered at the same time. Fountain Park attracts thousands of visitors each year. The community’s founding birthday is considered to be December 15, 1970 when the fountain was first turned on. The town later went on to become incorporated on December 5, 1989.
Night Skies
Fountain Hills is fortunate to have one of the darkest night skies of any community near a major metropolitan area. We are shielded from the nightglow of the Phoenix metro area due to the presence of the McDowell Mountains to the west. Having the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to the south, McDowell Mountain Regional Park to our north, and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Tonto National Forest to our east, we enjoy the benefit of dark skies naturally. These dark skies enabled Charles Juels, a Fountain Hills resident and amateur astronomer, to discover 475 asteroids, one of which he named Fountain Hills.
These dark skies were made possible not only by the terrain, but also by conservative, common sense lighting ordinances that were ahead of their time and were enacted by our early community leaders. This has allowed us an easier path to seek Dark Sky designation today. In a Google Earth map representing light pollution, Fountain Hills is ranked the same as Flagstaff, the first city in the world to be designated a Dark Sky Community by the International Dark Sky Association. Flagstaff is home to Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered, and the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Demographics
Since incorporation in 1989, Fountain Hills has grown from a little more than 6,000 residents to a town of more than 22,400 in 2010. The Maricopa Association of Governments estimates that the population of Fountain Hills will continue to grow to a build-out population of up to 35,000.
Community Life
Fountain Hills was named by Phoenix Magazine as the best place to live in the Valley of the Sun and was cited as “a welcome oasis on the outskirts of a metropolis”. In 2009, Business Week named Fountain Hills the “Best Affordable Suburb” in Arizona. In 2010, Fountain Hills was designated as a “Playful City USA” for its abundant open space and available playground equipment. A factor in these awards is not only the abundance of traditional parks, but also the variety of parks, such as a skate park, dog park, a splash park and a nationally recognized disc golf course.
When it comes to festivals and special events, Fountain Hills is in a league of its own, attracting several hundred thousand visitors each year. Just some of these celebrations and fun-filled activities include the Great Fair, Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts, Oktoberfest, Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fourth of July fireworks, Concours in the Hills, Fountain Hills Music Festival, the premiere Mountain 2 Fountain 15K race, the Turkey Trot, the Memorial Championship Disc Golf Pro Tournament, Eggstravaganza, Fine Art and Wine Affaire, and weekly Art in the Park and Farmers Market.
Art is a significant part of our town’s heritage. Fountain Hills boasts over a hundred pieces of publicly displayed art throughout the downtown and among our public buildings. The eight original fountains along the Avenue of the Fountains were the beginning of the public art collection. Residents and visitors can wander the streets to enjoy the art, or take the “Art Walk” guided tour.
One of the community’s most valuable assets is its natural beauty. Four Peaks Mountain at 7657 feet looms to the east, with homes nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains to the west. This places Fountain Hills in close proximity to hiking, biking, boating at nearby Saguaro Lake, and tubing and kayaking on the Salt River. Fountain Hills is also home to some of the more challenging and picturesque golf courses in the state of Arizona, four in total.
Adding to the attraction of Fountain Hills, 740 of its 12,000 acres have been set aside as a preserve. The preserve is contiguous with the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. Combined, these areas encompass more than 50,000 acres with over 200 miles of trails, making it a paradise for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.