Photo Credit: paradisevalleyaz.gov
Happy birthday to one of America’s finest jewels of a town: Paradise Valley recently celebrated its 60th birthday! The celebration had been scheduled for April but was pushed back for Covid. It was attended by a who’s who of notable elected officials, including Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner, Congressman David Schweikert, AZ Senator Christine Marsh and AZ Representative Kelli Butler.
PV has quite an interesting history yet has managed to maintain its character over time. It originally dates back to 1889, named because the founders were entranced with its physical beauty. It didn’t officially incorporate until 1961, however, as the surrounding cities threatened to expand into their enclave and the residents desired to preserve their unique way of life. While there has been integration as time has gone on, including the recent announcement of collaboration with the Scottsdale police department, PV has managed to stay largely untouched and not encroached by the cities around it.
The town was founded with three district principles in mind: 1) for zoning to have a one acre-per-home minimum, 2) the entire area should be purely residential, and 3) to keep government regulation at a minimum. Many things in this world have dramatically changed over the last 60 years, but that has managed to stay the same after all this time.
Change can be unsettling at times. Conversely, a lack of change can sometimes be seen as staid, dull, and backwards, PV has managed to strike a perfect balance, maintaining its status as one of the greatest small towns in America. Happy birthday, Paradise Valley!