Cave Creek, Arizona

History

Cave Creek was settled in 1870 by soldiers on horseback from Fort McDowell. In 1873, prospectors from the Bradshaw Mountains found gold in the town. The town is named for the cave next to the creek the town was founded on. The town was incorporated in 1986.

Geography

Cave Creek is a town in the Sonoran Desert. It sits in northern Maricopa County on the northern edge of Scottsdale, with mountains rising to the north that eventually connect with the New River Mountains and the Black Hills. It is 33 mi north of downtown Phoenix, although the Phoenix city limits extend north to Cave Creek's southern border. The town is bordered to the east by the town of Carefree, to the west by unincorporated New River and Desert Hills, and to the north by Tonto National Forest. Elephant Mountain rises to an elevation of 3926 ft in the northernmost part of the town. Local landmark Black Mountain, elevation 3398 ft, is in the southern part of town on the border with Carefree.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Cave Creek has a total area of 37.7 sqmi, of which 0.008 sqmi, or 0.02%, are listed as water. Cave Creek flows through the western side of the town southward into Phoenix, where it disappears into the Salt River valley.

In 2000, the state of Arizona, Maricopa County, and the town of Cave Creek bought Spur Cross Ranch, a 2154 acre tract of Sonoran desert just north of Phoenix, for $21 million. It had unusual cacti, stone formations, and hundreds of pre-historic Hohokam Indian tribal artifacts, and is now a Maricopa County park.

Climate

Cave Creek is located in a semi-arid climate, receiving more rainfall than a desert climate. Cave Creek is at a higher elevation, and therefore is cooler than the lower elevations of the Phoenix area. The hot season lasts for 3.5 months, from May 31 to September 19, with an average daily high temperature at or above 93 F. The hottest month of the year is July, with an average high of 102 F and low of 74 F.{{cite web |url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?az1361 |title=Cave Creek, Arizona (021361) |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center |access-date=December 16, 2022

The cool season lasts for 3.4 months, from November 20 to March 1, with an average daily high temperature below 69 F. The coldest month of the year is January, with an average low of 37 F and high of 65 F.

In July–September, the North American monsoon season brings rain and thunderstorms to the Cave Creek area. The wettest month of the year is August, with an average of 6 days of rain, and averaging 1.77 in.

Demographics

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As of the census of 2020, there were 4,892 people, 2,321 households, and 2.17 persons per household. The population density was 132.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,753 housing units at an average density of 62.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.0% White,

Out of the 1,571 households some 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 36.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $102,589, and the per capita income for the town was $63,573. About 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Historic properties located at the Cave Creek Museum include the Tubercular Cabin (listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)), the First Church of Cave Creek, and Golden Reef Stamp Mill. Two historic properties have been converted into restaurants: the Cave Creek Inn, and the Cave Creek Service Station (listed on NRHP). Another location, Frontier Town, has some of Cave Creek's original structures.

Government

In June 2009, Cave Creek attracted media attention when a game of chance was used to break a tie in a vote for Town Council. The Arizona State Constitution allows a game of chance to be used to break ties.

"Where the Wild West Lives" was adopted as the town motto by the Cave Creek Town Council during a November 2013 meeting.

Cave Creek is a Council-Manager form of government; the town manager is Grady Miller. Town council is led by Mayor Robert Morris.

Education

The portion of Cave Creek west of longitude 111°59'44.21"W is served by Deer Valley Unified School District, and the remainder of the town is served by Cave Creek Unified School District.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Cave Creek residents use Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport or Mesa Gateway Airport to fly on commercial airlines. Deer Valley Airport, the closest airport to Cave Creek, is a very active general aviation airport.

Residents and visitors often rely on private ground transportation services, such as limousine and black car providers, for airport transfers and local travel given the lack of public transit. Cave Creek is not a member of Valley Metro and therefore, does not have local bus service.

The junction of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway is located at the south edge of Cave Creek.

Notable people

• Sonny Barger, founder of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels
• Bob "Boze" Bell, publisher of True West Magazine
• Brian Dales, singer of The Summer Set
• Shane Doan, NHL player for the Arizona Coyotes
• Kiowa Gordon, actor
• David Henrie, actor
• Taylor Lewan, NFL player for the Tennessee Titans, drafted in 2014
• Daisy Mallory, country music singer-songwriter
• Earl Simmons, rapper and actor (DMX)
• Shannon Whirry, actress
• Dee Dee Wood, Emmy Award-winning choreographer

References

References

1. "Town Council | Cave Creek, AZ - Official Site".
2. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arizona". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Cave Creek town, Arizona: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau.
4. {{GNIS. 2413182
5. "Greater Phoenix area (map)".
6. Museum, Cave Creek. "History of the Cave Creek Museum".
7. "A Short History of Cave Creek".
8. "Cave Creek Museum".
9. Greg Gordon. (October 27, 2008). "McCain pushed regulators for land swap, despite pledge". McClatchy Newspapers.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
11. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2020)". U.S. Census Bureau.
12. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2010)". U.S. Census Bureau.
13. "Arizona: 2000". U.S. Census Bureau.
14. "Arizona: 1990". U.S. Census Bureau.
15. "General Population Characteristics: Arizona". U.S. Census Bureau.
16. (July 1, 2024). "US Census Bureau".
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18. (July 1, 2024). "US Census Bureau".
19. Museum, Cave Creek. "Outdoor Exhibits".
20. "National Register of Historic Places".
21. Archibold, Randal C. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/us/17cavecreek.html Election at a Draw, Arizona Town Cuts a Deck], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 16, 2009. Accessed August 25, 2009.
22. Carcamo, Cindy. (November 7, 2013). ''A showdown between Arizona towns over motto''. [http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ff-western-towns-20131108,0,2705528,full.story#axzz2kA0VGFYL The Los Angeles Times.] {{Webarchive. link. (November 9, 2013)
23. "Mayor Robert Morris".
24. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Maricopa County, AZ". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. "Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport".
26. "Deer Valley Airport".
27. "Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority".
28. McLellan, Sarah. (October 12, 2016). "Hockey, horses constants for Arizona Coyotes' Shane Doan". The Arizona Republic.