Carefree, Arizona
| Carefree, Arizona | ||
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| Town | ||
Welcome to the town of Carefree Marker .
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| Motto: "The Best Small Town in Arizona" | ||
 Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona |
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 Carefree, Arizona
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| Coordinates: 33°49′38″N 111°55′25″W / 33.82722°N 111.92361°WCoordinates: 33°49′38″N 111°55′25″W / 33.82722°N 111.92361°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Arizona | |
| County | Maricopa | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Les Peterson | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 8.9 sq mi (22.9 km2) | |
| • Land | 8.9 sq mi (22.9 km2) | |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) | |
| Elevation | 2,402 ft (732 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 3,363 | |
| • Estimate (2014) | 3,526 | |
| • Density | 416.4/sq mi (161.8/km2) | |
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) | |
| ZIP code | 85377 | |
| Area code(s) | 480 | |
| FIPS code | 04-10180 | |
| Website | Town of Carefree | |
Carefree is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population of the town is 3,363.
Characterised as an upscale residential area, Carefree was conceived in the mid-1950s by business partners K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington as a master-planned community. Land sales commenced in 1955 and homebuilding started in 1958. Carefree was incorporated in 1984 to avoid annexation from neighboring Scottsdale.
The Carefree sundial, designed by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John I. Yellott, was erected in the Sundial Circle plaza in 1959 and claims to be the "third largest sundial in the Western Hemisphere". The sundial, which points to the North Star, is made from a steel frame and covered in anodized copper. It measures 90 feet (27 m) in diameter. The metal gnomon, the shadow-casting portion of the dial, stands 35 feet (11 m) above the plaza and extends 72 feet (22 m).
Carefree was the long-time home of Southwestern Studios, originally built in 1968 as Fred Graham Studios by actor, stunt man, and Arizona Film Commissioner Fred Graham. The sprawling 160-acre (0.65 km2) desert property adjacent to North Scottsdale featured three state-of-the-art soundstages, edit bays, 35mm screening room, make-up, production facilities, western street and back lot. In the early 1970s, Stage 1 of the studio was used for The New Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke, Hope Lange, Fannie Flagg, and Marty Brill. Stage 1 also was used for the filming of one of Orson Welles' last films, The Other Side of the Wind, with John Huston, Oja Kodar, Susan Strasberg, Bob Random and Peter Bogdanovich.
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