Editing Rio Verde, Arizona

{{Short description|CDP in Maricopa County, Arizona}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Rio Verde, Arizona
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
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|image_map                = Maricopa County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Rio Verde Highlighted 0460250.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]], [[Arizona]]
|pushpin_map              = Arizona#USA
|pushpin_label            = Rio Verde
|pushpin_label_position   = left
|pushpin_map_caption      =
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[Countries of the World|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arizona]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arizona|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web |title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arizona |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_04.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 11.23
|area_land_km2            = 11.21
|area_water_km2           = 0.01
|area_total_sq_mi         = 4.33
|area_land_sq_mi          = 4.33
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.01
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US0460250&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=Rio Verde CDP, Arizona: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>
|population_total         = 2210
|population_density_km2   = 197.11
|population_density_sq_mi = 510.51
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
|utc_offset               = -7
|timezone_DST             = 
|utc_offset_DST           = 
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 1601
|coordinates              = {{coord|33|43|40|N|111|40|27|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 85263
|area_code                = [[Area code 480|480]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 04-60250
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2409181<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2409181}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Rio Verde''' is a [[master-planned community]] east of [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]] in Arizona. It is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]], [[Arizona]], United States located in the far northeast area of the [[Phoenix Metropolitan Area]]. The population was 2,210 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="Census 2020"/> up from 1,811 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].

==History==
The area surrounding the Rio Verde community, northeast of downtown Scottsdale, was settled by small farmers in the 1880s, who grew [[hay]] and [[alfalfa]] to provide for nearby [[Fort McDowell, Arizona|Fort McDowell]],l<ref>[http://jeff.scott.tripod.com/ftmcdowell.html Fort McDowell, Arizona<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203023555/http://jeff.scott.tripod.com/ftmcdowell.html |date=December 3, 2007 }}</ref> a [[US Army]] camp (1865–1890) (now the [[Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ftmcdowell.org/ |title=Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=May 20, 2008 |archive-date=March 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304235033/http://ftmcdowell.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>). In the late 1890s, Frank Asher and William W. Moore acquired several of the small farm plots on the [[Verde River]], combining them into what became the Box Bar Ranch; Moore later bought out Asher's interest. After his death in 1929, Moore's sons, Glen and Lin Moore, operated the Box Bar as a partnership, under the name "Moore Bros Cattle Co.", with grazing leases both east and west of the Verde River. Lin Moore also ran the X2 Ranch, known as "Moore's Well", {{convert|12|mi|km}} to the west, where he and his wife, Ada Lucille, had homesteaded in the 1920s. William Moore's father, [[Ransom B. Moore]], emigrated to Arizona from California in 1883 and ranched for many years on the Reno Ranch, west of the community of [[Punkin Center, Arizona|Punkin Center]] in [[Gila County, Arizona|Gila County]]. Ransom Moore, the founder of what is now [[Banning, California]] also was Gila County's delegate to the 16th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1891.

The "Asher Hills" overlooking the community to the west, were named for Frank Asher, who had been Glen Moore's brother-in-law and William Moore's partner for a while. The granddaughter of Asher's wife Ella, [[Jacque Mercer]], was [[Miss Arizona]] and then [[Miss America]] in 1949.

In 1954 the Moore brothers retired from the active cattle business and sold the ranch and their holdings to the Page Land & Cattle Co. (Lin Moore retained the X2 Ranch; after his death in 1960, his widow continued to operate the X2 until selling it in 1970.) The Moores' descendants, including historian Wyatt James, still reside in Maricopa County. A portion of Lin & Lucille Moore's homestead property on the foothills to the south, known as "The Ochoa Place", has recently been incorporated into the expanding [[McDowell Mountains]] McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

In 1970, Page Land & Cattle sold ranch land to Rio Verde Development, Inc., which in 1973 began to develop the tract as the master-planned community of Rio Verde.<ref>[http://www.jennypradler.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1996333&NF=1 Scottsdale Real Estate, North Scottsdale Real Estate, Maricopa County Real Estate, Jenny Pradler<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> An 18-hole golf course was completed in 1973, and a second in 1981. Both were extensively renovated in 2007.

The unincorporated community's water is provided through 3 designated aquifers. EPCOR operates the private utility infrastructure they purchased from Rio Verde Utilities in 2018. Rio Verde has nothing to do with Rio Verde Foothills which was provided with water by the City of Scottsdale at cost until January 1, 2023, when the municipal supply was cut due to drought conditions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Newburger |first=Emma |date=January 17, 2023 |title=Arizona suburb sues the city of Scottsdale for cutting off its water supply |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/17/arizona-suburb-sues-scottsdale-for-cutting-off-its-water-supply-.html |access-date=January 18, 2023 |work=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>{{r|FOX 2023-01-16}} A planned [[water district]] for Rio Verde Foothills was rejected by the [[Maricopa County Board of Supervisors]] in August 2022; several residents filed a lawsuit against the City of Scottsdale to resume service.<ref>{{cite news |last=Healy |first=Jack |date=January 16, 2023 |title=Skipped Showers, Paper Plates: An Arizona Suburb's Water Is Cut Off |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/us/arizona-water-rio-verde-scottsdale.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Partlow |first=Joshua |date=January 16, 2023 |title=Arizona city cuts off a neighborhood's water supply amid drought |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/16/rio-verde-foothills-water-scottsdale-arizona/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref>

==Community characteristics==
Rio Verde is an established, member-owned and -governed active adult golfing and lifestyle community not to be confused with the adjacent Rio Verde Foothills.<ref name="FOX 2023-01-16">{{Cite news |last=Speck |first=Emilee |date=January 16, 2023 |title=Scottsdale, Arizona, cuts off water to suburb in response to Colorado River drought |url=https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/scottsdale-colorado-river-drought-stops-selling-water-rio-verde |access-date=January 17, 2023 |work=FOX Weather |language=en-US}}</ref> It is located near the Verde River and adjacent to the [[Tonto National Forest]], the McDowell Mountain Regional Park, and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] there were 1,676 housing units in the community, of which 1,215 were occupied by residents.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0460250&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.H1| title=Rio Verde CDP, Arizona: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171): H1. Occupancy Status| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref> The total developed area of the planned community, as of 2021, was {{convert|2.2|sqmi}}, or {{convert|1408|acre}},{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} compared to {{convert|4.3|sqmi}} for the entire CDP.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> Rio Verde Community Church provides both interdenominational and Catholic services.

Rio Verde is an [[age-restricted community]] or "adult community", which means one member of each household must be at least 55 years of age and no person under 19 can be a permanent resident of the community.<ref name="rioverdeaz.com">[http://www.rioverdeaz.com/ The Verdes Rio Verde and Tonto Verde<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The community is governed by a [[homeowners' association]] under Arizona's planned community statutes.<ref name="rioverdeaz.com" /><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060827221417/http://www.sonoranluxuryproperties.com/Rio_Verde.htm Rio Verde<!-- Bot generated title -->]}}</ref>

==Geography==
Rio Verde is located in northeastern Maricopa County. By road it is {{convert|28|mi}} northeast of the historic center of [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]] and {{convert|37|mi}} northeast of [[downtown Phoenix]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|4.3|sqmi}}, all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021" /> The [[Verde River]], a south-flowing tributary of the [[Salt River (Arizona)|Salt River]], forms the eastern edge of the CDP and is about {{convert|0.7|mi}} east of the developed community.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2010 = 1811
|2020 = 2210
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
Rio Verde is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP).  As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,419 people, 761 households, and 634 families residing in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|261.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,168 housing units at an average density of {{convert|215.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.7% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.1% from two or more races.  0.3% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 761 households, out of which 0.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 0.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.02.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 0.1% under the age of 18, 0.1% from 18 to 24, 1.3% from 25 to 44, 36.1% from 45 to 64, and 62.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 69 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $86,248, and the median income for a family was $96,909. Males had a median income of $93,859 versus $60,357 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $58,783.  None of the families and 1.7% of the population were living below the [[poverty line]], including no under eighteen and 2.1% of those over 64.

==Education==
Portions of the CDP are in the [[Cave Creek Unified School District]]<!--UNI 00001-->.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st04_az/schooldistrict_maps/c04013_maricopa/DC20SD_C04013.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st04_az/schooldistrict_maps/c04013_maricopa/DC20SD_C04013.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Maricopa County, AZ|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|page=3 (PDF p. 4/11)|access-date=2024-09-12}}</ref> The [[2010 U.S. Census]] said in the remainder, there was no defined school district.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st04_az/c04013_maricopa/DC10SD_C04013_000.pdf|title=SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Maricopa County, AZ|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|page=[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st04_az/c04013_maricopa/DC10SD_C04013_003.pdf 3]|access-date=2024-09-12}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928012237/http://www.rioverdecc.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=229168&ssid=79053&vnf=1 Community overview]

{{Maricopa County, Arizona}}

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[[Category:Census-designated places in Maricopa County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Arizona]]
[[Category:Gated communities in Arizona]]
[[Category:Retirement communities in the United States]]