It was 1946, at the
Adams Hotel in Phoenix, where K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington agreed that some
day, they would like to plan a town from scratch. Those dreams were
realized in the early 1960's, when the Carefree Development Company
was formed, and construction of the town began, centered around the "Largest
Sundial in the World," Carefree quickly became the favorite
location for many
of the nation's business leaders and celebrities like Dick Dyke,
Hugh Downs and Paul Harvey. who called it home. In fact, it was Hugh
Downs who donned a leather helmet and made the first landing at the Carefree Skyranch Airport in a vintage biplane! Now recognized as
one of the most exclusive small communities in the nation, the Town of Carefree
and it's sister village of Cave Creek, have the "feel" of being out in the
country, yet so close to the amenities of a major metropolitan area.
Carefree and Cave
Creek
have an amazing
variety of top-rated restaurants, antique shops and quaint stores. The Boulders
Resort has earned the #1 Resort in the World in the Robb Hideaway Report,
14 years in a row! The Desert Forest Golf Course (on the right of the runway)
opened in 1964 and was in the top 100 Golf Courses in the country (Golf
Magazine) for40 consecutive years. Carefree also attracted worldwide
attention for their creative street signs! Carefree is also proud of their new
Town Center, which hosts a number of weekly activities from Farmer's Markets to
free music concerts year-round. Carefree boasts the second-highest
per-capita income in the state, while Cave Creek retains the old west
rural look and is highly sought-after for their large horse properties,
and preserved open spaces like Spur Cross Recreation Area.
Aerial tour: