10 Facts Few People Know About Arizona’s Wealthiest Town

Paradise Valley, Arizona

Paradise Valley wrote the book on desert luxury before Phoenix even thought about sprawling this far.

These days it’s known for celebrity residents and five-star resorts, but PV’s story – from gold mining to secret presidential paths – is way more interesting than its reputation suggests

Ancient Ruins Run Underground

Paradise Valley sits above old Hohokam irrigation canals from 300 BCE, which were one of the most advanced early water systems in North America. Construction workers sometimes find pottery pieces and tools while digging.

The Hohokam people built these canals with careful math to control water from the Salt River. The biggest canal section, 27 feet wide, was found in 2006 during digging at the Paradise Valley Country Club.

Today, manmade Arizon canal system runs just north of Paradise Valley, through parts of Scottsdale and Phoenix, which is tightly integrated with the area’s historical water infrastructure.

Celebrities Hide In A Mountain Bowl

Mummy Mountain has a group of super-private celebrity homes hidden in a natural dip in the land.

You can’t see these properties from street level, and many famous people live here part-time because of the privacy and strict rules against drones.

The area has 12 properties between 8,000 and 22,000 square feet, with the biggest one built in 2017 for $27.5 million. They have their own security team and use special landscaping to block photos from the air.

Some of their security systems include 17 full-time staff and heat-sensing cameras every 400 feet.

Paradise Valley law 2023-08 doesn’t allow aircraft, including drones, to fly below 2,500 feet above the mountain, making it one of the strictest no-fly zones for homes in the country.

A Mountain Shadow Looks Like A Monk

Twice a year, Camelback Mountain makes a shadow that looks just like a kneeling monk across Paradise Valley during spring and fall equinoxes.

The shadow lasts for 18 minutes at sunset and makes a clear outline you can see from Tatum Boulevard.

Native American stories link this shadow to farming timing and spiritual ceremonies. People gather at spots marked by bronze plaques put there in the 1950s.

You can see the shadow on March 19 and September 24 at 6:42 PM, though this time changes by about one minute every ten years as the Earth’s rotation changes slightly.

The O’odham tribe, who come from the Hohokam, gather at certain viewing spots where their stories say people have watched this shadow for over 2,000 years.

Springs Disappeared Without A Trace

Paradise Valley got its name from real springs that vanished in the 1940s. These natural water sources once bubbled up near what’s now Lincoln Drive, creating small green spots in the desert.

Records show the springs dried up in just three weeks in 1943. Some experts think it was because of shifts underground from building Bartlett Dam, while others blame a small earthquake that same year.

A study in 2012 used special radar to find the original spring beds 37 feet below the current street. At their peak, the springs pumped out 840 gallons of water every hour, creating a 1.2-acre wetland with 23 plant types not usually found in the desert.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources still keeps monitoring equipment at the old spring spot, but it only detects tiny amounts of water movement deeper than 120 feet down.

Paper Lanterns Float Once A Year

Paradise Valley has an unofficial event where people release special biodegradable paper lanterns from their yards. This tradition started in 1967 when a local astronomer wanted to show his students how wind moves.

It happens on the first new moon in November, using lanterns that completely dissolve after they land. The town leaders know about it but don’t make rules about it, seeing it as part of local tradition.

The lanterns, created by Paradise Valley scientist Dr. Elaine Harrington in 1994, are made from pressed cornstarch and rice paper that dissolves within 72 hours of touching soil.

The event has grown from just 12 homes in 1967 to 340 in 2024, when people released 1,183 lanterns. Because of the special air flows created by the valley’s mountains, the lanterns consistently travel 4.7 miles east.

Presidents Drive Golf Carts On A Secret Path

A special golf cart path connects three Paradise Valley homes once owned by U.S. Presidents. This hidden concrete path goes through several estates and crosses streets on private bridges.

It was built in the 1960s so a former president could visit friends without security hassles. You’ll find small presidential seals set into the concrete every quarter-mile. Though private, the path is maintained through an agreement with the town.

The path is exactly 1.8 miles long and was ordered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961 for $185,000. It includes a 75-foot tunnel under Mockingbird Lane, built in 1964 and fixed up in 2018 for $1.2 million.

The Presidential Path Trust, started in 1972, collects $35,000 each year from all 17 property owners whose land it crosses, paying for its distinctive red concrete surface to be replaced every ten years.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Final Home Sits Here

The Norman Lykes House, perched on a hillside in Paradise Valley, Arizona, is the last residential design by Frank Lloyd Wright before his death in 1959.

Completed posthumously in 1967 by apprentice John Rattenbury, the home features circular geometry, echoing nearby Phoenix Mountain Preserve contours.

It’s constructed from concrete blocks custom-cast on-site, with Philippine mahogany built-ins and original Wright-designed furniture.

The 3,095-square-foot home includes 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a crescent-shaped pool. Located at 6836 N. 36th Street, the house offers sweeping views of Palm Canyon.

It sold in 2023 for $7.25 million, preserving Wright’s organic architecture legacy.

Paradise Valley Has a Full-Time Botanist

The property taxes in Paradise Valley pay for a full-time plant expert since 1968, when a rare plant was found growing only within town boundaries.

This botanist watches over 250+ desert plant species and keeps seeds from endangered plants. Your taxes fund this job, which offers free native plant advice and enforces plant protection rules.

Dr. Maria Vasquez, who has this job now, runs a 3,200-square-foot greenhouse built in 2011 for $1.8 million. The seed bank has 47,500 individual seeds from 137 native plants, including 822 seeds from the Vallesia Paradise cactus.

The position gets $148,000 in yearly funding, which is 0.7% of Paradise Valley’s town budget.

Astronauts Practiced Moon Walks Here

NASA used parts of Paradise Valley to train for moon missions in the 1960s.

The rocks and soil here were similar to moon conditions. Special markers placed to simulate moon landing sites are still on private properties today.

These activities were kept secret until 2000 when secrecy agreements ended, revealing this space history. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trained for 87 hours on a 12-acre site between March and June 1969, just weeks before their Apollo 11 mission.

The area’s dark volcanic soil contains 74% of the same minerals found on the moon according to NASA studies.

Seven original training markers are still in their original spots, including marker PV-11 in a private home’s backyard, now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Help Arrives Faster Than Anywhere Else

The town’s layout and smart placement of emergency workers results in 2.3-minute average arrival times compared to the national 7-minute average.

A former military logistics expert designed this system after becoming town manager in 1985. Other towns study but can’t copy the model because Paradise Valley has such a unique shape and road system.

The system uses 14 mobile response units throughout the 15.5-square-mile town, with locations changing based on time of day and where calls usually come from.

Each unit has GPS tracking that updates every 6 seconds, feeding into an AI dispatch system installed in 2021 for $3.7 million.

With 47 emergency responders, Paradise Valley has 1 responder for every 286 residents, compared to the national average of 1 for every 1,200 people.