Paradise Valley

The history of Paradise Valley takes us back to the late 1800’s when cattle grazed in the area surrounded by the McDowell Mountains to the east and Camelback Mountain to the south. This is also when the Rio Verde Canal Company decided to turned this open grazing area into irrigated farmland. Then in 1889, the Rio Verde Canal Company sent three surveyors to this area and they were so taken by the beauty and tranquility of the desert landscape that they named this area Paradise Valley. It wasn’t until post World War II when settlements in Paradise Valley begin in earnest. At that time, Paradise Valley, which is Maricopa County, was a rural residential area with few commercial entities. The homes, although modest in size and style, usually rest on a one to five acre parcel of land. In the late 1950’s the residents who lived in Paradise Valley area feared that they would lose the rural lifestyle they had become accustomed to since Phoenix and Scottsdale were looking to expand their respective boundaries. The residents had no desire to be swallowed up by Phoenix or Scottsdale, and eventually the subdivisions, shopping centers, new zoning laws and property taxes as well. The residents were so concerned with the possibility of this happening to their now quiet community that they 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 ultimate goal was three fold: keep zoning to a one house per acre minimum; keep the area entirely residential; and keep government regulation to a minimum. The Citizens Committee for Incorporation presented their petition to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in April 1961, and on May 24th, 1961, the petition was granted and the Town of Paradise Valley was established. Paradise Valley is surrounded by several Arizona mountain ranges, including Mummy Mountain, and offer residents a gorgeous view no matter which direction your looking.