Fountain Hills

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

Two boys posing at the petroglyphs by the Dixie Mine, Fountain Hills, AZ In the early 20th century, the area that became Fountain Hills and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park was part of the Pemberton Ranch,[7] 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, and was named after the towering man-made fountain in the center of town.[8][9] The town was incorporated in 1989.[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.1 km2), of which 18.1 square miles (46.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.26 km2) (0.55%) is water. The elevation is 1,520 ft (463 m) at the fountain, 3,000 ft (914 m) on Golden Eagle Boulevard, and is 500 ft (152. m) above Phoenix.[11]

To the east of the town is the Verde River, a tributary to the Salt River. Inside the town there are many washes that run through Fountain Hills into the Verde River. Some of these washes include the Ashbrook, Balboa, Legend, and Colony Washes. During times of rain the washes flood with water and can sometimes block roads with their water. Signs mark several of the intersections of washes and major streets in the town.

To the southwest and northwest regions of Fountain Hills are the McDowell Mountains, a chain of extinct volcanic mountains. The highest mountains in the range are East End (4,033 ft (1,229 m)) and Thompson Peak (3,910 ft (1,190 m)).