A Christmas tree across from the post office on Easy Street in Carefree, Arizona.
There’s a little town near us where I do my grocery shopping, visit the farmer’s market and enjoy my favorite coffee shop. It’s called Carefree. I mentioned it in Friday’s post HERE.
I was interested in the history of Carefree when I wrote about Easy Street. Who named the street? Who came up with the idea of a town? I discovered the answers on several websites:
In 1946, Tom Darlington and K.T. Palmer met at a Kiwanis luncheon in the Adams Hotel in Phoenix, where the seminal idea of Carefree was born. Years later, both men found themselves working in a Scottsdale real estate office and their previously monumental dream was rekindled. Despite their differences, they both lived by the ideals of thrift, industry, honesty and loyalty. They carried out many expensive joint ventures on a simple handshake.
In 1955, a 400-acre goat farm north of Scottsdale was found with an abundant well, and 2,200 surrounding acres were secured. K.T. named their joint business venture the Carefree Development Corp., and the name “Carefree” was regularly used to describe their vision of the Town they proposed. In 1958, the Darlington-Palmer building was finished in the downtown area (that building is now Town Hall) and in 1959, the iconic Sundial was completed.
This is one of the largest sundials in the world and can be found in the city center of Carefree. It stands 35 feet tall.
- Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Carefree was home to the 160 acre Southwestern Studios, a TV production and filming facility. The Dick Van Dyke show was one of the most popular shows filmed there.
- Carefree has some of the most entertaining street names in any town in the United States. You will see names like “Long Rifle,” “Tranquil Trail,” “Stagecoach Pass,” “Lazy Lane”, “Nonchalant Avenue,” “Rocking Chair Road,” “Bloody Basin” and my personal favorites “Ho” and “Hum.”
- Carefree has a charming downtown with a large number of galleries, Southwestern Art and Jewelry, specialty crafts stores and more.
The whimsical street names came from a dinner party. KT and Tom mentioned they hadn’t come up with names. The guests began throwing out their ideas and the main street was named Easy Street. It intersects with Wampum Way. One street that I find peculiar is Tranquil Trail, which turns into Bloody Basin.
This is a sculpture in the heart of Carefree. The tents behind it are from the Farmer’s Market.
Home to around 3,000 people, Carefree is a friendly, beautiful spot. I’m glad we ended up next door. When we moved, I hadn’t been to the town. I asked a neighbor where the closest grocery store was and that was when I discovered the town.
“Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot pens the song “Carefree Highway”, the second single released from his album, Sundown. In October 1974, it peaks at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spends one week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.” https://www.carefree.org/page/history
What fun facts have you discovered about where you live?
