At the time of incorporation in 1989, Fountain Hills was a small town of about 10,000 people hugging the slopes of the McDowell Mountains. Development in the area began in the early 70s with the first residents settling down around 1972. The first population figure as an incorporated town in 1990 was 10,030.

Following incorporation, people took notice of the potential for the burgeoning community and, by 2000, the Census counted 20,000 people. That 100 percent growth led the nation in the 1990s. During that decade in Fountain Hills, developer MCO Properties built SunRidge Canyon, with dozens of subdivision plats over nearly two square miles at the base of the McDowells. At the same time, Denro, another development company, came to town and built Eagle Mountain, a subdivision that covers about one square mile south of Shea Blvd. at the west end of town. It was these two subdivisions that really fueled that growth in the 90s and, by the time they were built out, the growth of Fountain Hills had stabilized.

Since 2000, the economy has experienced the Great Recession and a paradigm shift in housing products.

In fact, based on the recently released 2020 Census figures, the population of Fountain Hills has moved upward by only about 4,000 since 2000. That fact may have prompted some to question the veracity of the Census taken at the height of the pandemic.

In 2020, the Census Bureau counted 23,820 people in Fountain Hills, or 1,331 more than in 2010, about a 6 percent increase (which is just about the same overall percentage of growth the entire nation experienced over the past decade).

Town of Fountain Hills officials found no reason for alarm from the numbers.

“There were really no surprises,” Town Manager Grady Miller said. “The mid-decade census and yearly estimates were only slightly higher.” (The July 1, 2019, estimate for Fountain Hills was 25,200).

“The Town in the ‘90s was leading the Valley in percentage of growth. Now we are closer to maturity (as a community) and close to build-out.”

Mayor Ginny Dickey told The Times she believes that Fountain Hills will greatly benefit from the growth in the Valley. The State of Arizona and the Phoenix area led the nation in percentage growth.

“Regionally, Phoenix being the fastest-growing major city over the last decade is encouraging for the future,” Dickey said. “Fountain Hills’ continued partnerships with our neighbors, and throughout the Valley, will benefit us locally as we work together to serve all and help build upon the now-documented desire to live in Arizona.”

Other than some scattered infill lots, there is not really a lot of areas for growth in town, Miller said.

“The approximately 1,300 acres of State Trust Land will probably be several years before development,” he said. “Primarily due to infrastructure costs. Available land elsewhere in the Valley is so much cheaper.”

Those other areas of the Valley accounted for some of the most significant growth over the past decade, including Gilbert and West Valley communities like Buckeye and Goodyear.

Miller believes that Fountain Hills will remain attractive to many relocating to the Valley thanks to the positive quality of life and small-town atmosphere.

One potential sign of that can be seen with student enrollment this year. While Fountain Hills Unified School District’s student population has been on a downward trend for quite some time, initial figures for the current academic year have schools up by a combined 125 students.

Looking ahead despite the slow overall growth, Miller said he does not believe Fountain Hills will suffer from reductions in State Shared Revenues, which depend on population figures for allocation of funds.

“We have not been winners in this area for some time,” Miller said. “The other big growth communities in the Valley are the net winners (in shared revenue).

“As the pie gets bigger, our slice (of the revenue) is smaller, but we expect to see modest gains, or close to a wash.”