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D−History
History · Fountain Hills

Fountain Hills was first counted by the census in 1980

Among the newest of U.S. towns · #134 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it

Most of Fountain Hills was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1980.

1980first census
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Fountain Hills began, and where its name came from

When was Fountain Hills founded?

1980

Fountain Hills first appears in the census in 1980.

First census: 2,771 in 19802020 census: 23,82046 years

How did Fountain Hills get its name?

Fountain Hills was named after the towering man-made fountain in the center of town, built in 1970, and once the tallest in the world..

How historic is Fountain Hills?

D−

Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Fountain Hills’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fountain Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns, #134 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fountain Hills’ overall grade.
Founding era1980, from the first census: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±0.2) · typical AZ town 0.4% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical AZ town 0.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the newest
NewerOlder
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 4%

Few Arizona towns list much on the Register (a typical Arizona town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fountain Hills’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (29% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Fountain Hills’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fountain Hills are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 2004. Watch Fountain Hills change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fountain Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fountain Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Fountain Hills on the map, 1904 to 2004

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fountain Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fountain Hills on the 1904 USGS mapFountain Hills on the 1964 USGS mapFountain Hills on the 1971 USGS mapFountain Hills on the 2004 USGS map1904Ft McDowell sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fountain Hills.

The story

How Fountain Hills came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fountain Hills.

Read it all →

Before the development of Fountain Hills, the area was home to the Yavapai people, and petroglyphs can be found near the Dixie Mine in the northwest corner of the town along the mountains.

In the early 20th century, the area that became Fountain Hills and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park was part of the Pemberton Ranch, later renamed the P-Bar Ranch. Fountain Hills High School is built on the site of one of the P-Bar Ranch's buildings, and a plaque stands in the parking lot to commemorate this.

Fountain Hills was developed by C. V. Wood, president of McCulloch Oil. It was named after the towering man-made fountain in the center of town, built in 1970, and once the tallest in the world.. The town was incorporated in 1989.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Fountain Hills, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Bush Fire from2020Bush Fire fromArt in Centennial Circle at Community Center2020Art in Centennial Circle at Community CenterFountain Hills-Veterans Memorial in Fountain Park-22017Fountain Hills-Veterans Memorial in Fountain Park-2Fountain Hills-Fountain Hills Entrance2017Fountain Hills-Fountain Hills EntranceFountain Hills-Fount Rushmore2017Fountain Hills-Fount RushmorePemberton Sign 20162016Pemberton Sign 2016Snowinfh2015SnowinfhFountain Hill, Arizona2013Fountain Hill, ArizonaFountain Hills, Arizona2009Fountain Hills, ArizonaPetroglyphpeople2008PetroglyphpeopleHorse Fountain Hills AZ USA 3809762008Horse Fountain Hills AZ USA 380976Four Peaks Amethyst Pendant2007Four Peaks Amethyst Pendant
People over time

Fountain Hills, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00019802000202023,820

Grew from 2,771 people in 1980 to 23,820 in 2020, 8 times over.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fountain Hills’ Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Fountain View

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Scottsdale11 historic placesC+

Questions about Fountain Hills’ history

What year was Fountain Hills founded?

The Fountain Hills post office opened in 1980, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1989.

How does Fountain Hills rank for history?

Fountain Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns, #134 of 140 in Arizona. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Fountain Hills?

0.0% of Fountain Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1994.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.