Carefree Fast Facts:
- Established: 1959
- Incorporated: 1984
- Area: 8.8 sq. mi.
- Population: 3,871
- Elevation: 2,389 ft.
The Town of Carefree was one of the first master-planned communities in the northeast valley. In the mid 1950s, founding fathers, Kenyon T. (KT) Palmer and Thomas (Tom) D. Darlington, began planning the community and in 1959 the first home was built.
Among lively discussions was naming the town and the streets. The name “Carefree” came from Darlington’s business, named “Carefree Development Corp.” The whimsical street names, such as Ho Road, Hum Road, and their intersection, Ho Hum Road, along with Tranquil Trail, Easy Street and others, were what Palmer and Darlington quipped to be “shaken out of a gin bottle.” Actually they were intentionally selected to depict the type of “Carefree” lifestyle people could expect there.
The town soon became known nationally for its unusual street names and the fervent protection of desert vegetation throughout the building process.
Forward thinking led to the innovative concept of extreme mountain architecture and construction, subdued exterior colors and stringent deed restrictions to preserve property values.
Residential and commercial building continued from 1959 to 1984, when the Town of Carefree incorporated on December 3, 1984.