Carefree, Arizona
Carefree is a town of 3,683 people in Maricopa County, Arizona, founded in 1958.
Why visit Carefree
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 11 parks and trails, 36 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Black Mountain, Lone Mountain, Cave Creek Service Station and Cave Creek Museum.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 103°F; December lows average 41°F.
Weather in Carefree
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Carefree
Carefree is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located north of both Phoenix and Scottsdale in the far northeast area of the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 3,690.
From the Wikipedia article Carefree, Arizona (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks13
Cave Creek Service Station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Historic fuel station in Arizona, USA
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Cave Creek Museum
Museum · 2.1 mi
History and culture museum in Cave Creek, Arizona
6140 East Skyline Drive, Cave Creek
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds11
Desert Mountain Renegade Golf Course
Golf course · 2.4 mi
18 hole Par 72
10550 North Desert Mountain Parkway, Scottsdale
The Boulders Golf Club
Golf course · 1.4 mi
18 hole Par 72 North Course & 18 hole Par 71 South Course
34631 North Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree
Restaurants and cafes36
Black Mountain Coffee Shop & Cafe
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.6 mi
7211 East Ho Road, Carefree
Mo-Su 06:00-16:00; Fr 06:00-21:00
Brugos Pizza and Italian Bistro
Restaurant · Italian Pizza · 1.0 mi
7100 East Cave Creek Road
Tu-Su 16:00-21:00
Carefree Coffee Roastery
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi
7171 East Cave Creek Road, Carefree
Tu-Fr 07:00-15:00; Sa 08:00-15:00, Su 08:00-13:00, Mo off
Le Sans Souci
Restaurant · French · 1.0 mi
7030 East Bella Vista Drive, Cave Creek
Tu-Sa 11:30-21:00; Su 11:00-20:00
Ofrenda
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.0 mi
7100 East Cave Creek Road
Su-Mo 11:00-19:00; Tu-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:00
TeeBox Indoor Golf Club
Diner · American · 0.9 mi
7100 East Cave Creek Road
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-19:00
The Horny Toad
Diner · American · 1.4 mi
6738 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Janey’s Coffeehouse & Bodega
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.6 mi
6602 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
Mo-Su 07:00-23:00
Moutain View Pub
Bar and pub · American, Barbecue, Burger, Fish And Chips, Sandwich, Seafood · 1.0 mi
Mo-Fr 11:00-22:00; Sa-Su 08:00-22:00
The City Creamery
Ice cream · 1.9 mi
6268 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
Mo-Th 12:00-21:00; Fr 12:00-22:00; Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
24 more on the map.
History
Characterized 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 by neighboring Scottsdale.
From the History section of Carefree, Arizona on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale
Motel and hotel · 1.6 mi
34631 North Tom Darlington Drive, Scottsdale
Cave Creek Tumbleweed Hotel
Motel and hotel · 1.9 mi
6333 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa
Motel and hotel
37220 North Mule Train Road, Carefree
Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center
Motel and hotel · 0.5 mi
7415 East Elbow Bend Road, Carefree
Churches and places of worship4
Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal · 1.0 mi
7005 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
Desert Hills Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 1.8 mi
34605 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
First Church of Christ
Church · Christ Scientist · 0.5 mi
36877 North Sidewinder Road, Carefree
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Desert Willow Elementary School
School · 5.7 mi
4322 E Desert Willow Parkway, Cave Creek
Lone Mountain Elementary School
School · 5.1 mi
5250 E. Montgomery Rd., Cave Creek
Desert Foothills Public Library
Library · 1.9 mi
38443 North School House Road, Cave Creek
Healthcare6
AZ Pain Doctors
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 mi
33747 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Carefree Internal Medicine
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.5 mi
36800 North Sidewinder Road, Carefree
HonorHealth - Carefree Highway Primary Care
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.9 mi
34525 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
NV Medical Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.6 mi
7301 East Sundance Trail, Carefree
Real Life Weight Loss & Wellness
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.6 mi
7301 East Sundance Trail, Carefree
Map of Carefree
96 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 42°F | 1.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 68°F | 44°F | 1.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 74°F | 48°F | 1.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 82°F | 53°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 91°F | 61°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 101°F | 70°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 103°F | 76°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 102°F | 76°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 97°F | 70°F | 1.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 86°F | 60°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 74°F | 49°F | 0.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 41°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Carefree (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Maricopa County has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-06-28: Boulder View Fire (Fire)
- 2024-06-12: Rose Fire (Fire)
- 2023-06-28: Diamond Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-27: Avondale Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-23: Aquila Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-20: Bush Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Scottsdale 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- New River 11 mi northwest, about 17 min by car
- Anthem 12 mi west, about 20 min by car
- Fountain Hills 18 mi southeast, about 29 min by car
- Paradise Valley 19 mi south, about 30 min by car
- Phoenix 20 mi southwest, about 32 min by car
- Black Canyon City 21 mi northwest, about 34 min by car
- Peoria 25 mi west, about 39 min by car
- Glendale 26 mi southwest, about 41 min by car
- Sun City 26 mi southwest, about 41 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Carefree- Carefree Town Marker, Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Carefree-Carefree Town Hall, Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 18AZ CAREFREE SKYRANCH AIRPORT FROM FLIGHT TUS-LAS 737 N748SW (10428167376) (2), Eric Salard, CC BY-SA 2.0
- CaveCreekServiceStation, UltraSparky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cave Creek-Cave Creek Museum-4, Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Canis latrans 916B5170-9B9E-412B-9C69-BAA33C901572 (52297327975), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Canis latrans EA614116-2E83-44D7-885E-EB491493D793 (52297327645), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Canis latrans 29B3BC8B-959C-4A44-9861-4F8E4EA49385 (52295849227), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
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- Canis latrans EF402979-CFD9-49D5-817A-1D36AC21BD4C (52170139709), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
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- Phallic Rock, Jason J. Corneveaux, User:Caddymob ( talk ), Public domain
- Canis latrans EFBB0320-3FB7-4274-9C76-E9F9437012D7 (51738972212), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Canis latrans 1F52A452-10F9-41DE-AE98-B91793113C20 (51740684525), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Gambel's Quail - Henry - flickr, Henry, CC BY 2.0
- Gambel's Quail, male and female, Henry, CC BY 2.0
- Canis latrans D85B97E7-09BE-4CC2-8D19-718E9D37E8AB (52355620163), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
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- Canis latrans E8B1FA7A-A130-4D90-9CBB-4D1D40F41B0D (52355380071), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Canis latrans Oct 24 2020A61I8186 (50524739011), Henry from Arizona, United States, CC BY 2.0
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