Cave Creek Is a Town, Not a City — and Why That Matters

A Small Town in a Very Big Desert

Cave Creek covers roughly 38 square miles, yet its estimated 2025 population is only about 5,238 people. That's a remarkably small permanent population for such a large geographic area. The 2020 Census counted 4,892 residents.

That helps explain something visitors notice quickly.

Cave Creek doesn't feel much like the communities farther south in metropolitan Phoenix. Development is more spread out. The desert remains visible. Mountains and open spaces dominate many views. Horses aren't unusual. And the historic town core still feels very different from a conventional suburban commercial district.

That didn't happen entirely by accident.

Cave Creek Was Here Long Before 1986

The Town dates its founding to 1870, but human history here goes back much further.

According to Cave Creek's official history, Indigenous peoples lived in these foothills long before European settlement. The Hohokam established villages near Cave Creek Wash and nearby springs, using water to irrigate fields. After the Hohokam period, the area was associated with the Tonto Apache.

The community that eventually became modern Cave Creek grew during the late 19th century around mining and ranching, and the area also served as a stop for the U.S. Cavalry.

Even the name comes directly from the landscape.

Cave Creek Wash originates north of town and flows south toward Phoenix. The creek was named for an overhanging bluff along its western bank that forms a large, open-mouth cavern north of today's historic town core.

So Cave Creek wasn't named by a marketing department. The creek came first.

Becoming the Town of Cave Creek

Although the community had existed for more than a century, Cave Creek didn't formally incorporate until 1986.

When it incorporated, Cave Creek encompassed about 25 square miles and had approximately 2,300 residents. Today, the incorporated town covers roughly 38 square miles and has more than twice that population.

The Town officially celebrates July 1986 as its incorporation, and 2026 marks Cave Creek's 40th anniversary as an incorporated community.

Today, Cave Creek operates under a council-manager form of government, with a mayor and six council members elected at large. The Town Council appoints a Town Manager to oversee day-to-day municipal administration.

So What's the Difference Between a Town and a City?

Here's where I would be careful.

It would be tempting to say Cave Creek is a town because it is small, rural, independent, or intentionally chose a fundamentally different form of government from an Arizona city.

That's not quite right.

In Arizona, "town" is Cave Creek's legal municipal designation, but the distinction shouldn't be exaggerated into something it isn't. Cave Creek still functions as an incorporated municipality with elected government and municipal responsibilities.

What matters more for the story of Cave Creek is what the community has chosen to do with that independence.

Cave Creek's own description emphasizes maintaining its independent character and Western heritage.

And that's where the word town starts to mean something beyond the legal terminology.

Small Population, Much Bigger Community

There's another interesting thing about those population numbers.

They don't really tell the whole Cave Creek story.

Cave Creek is home to only a little over 5,000 permanent residents, but the community serves far more people than that number suggests. Seasonal residents increase the population during the winter months, something the Town itself has recognized in its planning documents.

Then there are visitors from across the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond who come for hiking, horseback riding, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, events, art, and the area's Western character.

And it's difficult to talk about Cave Creek without talking about neighboring Carefree.

They're separate incorporated towns with their own governments and identities, but for residents and visitors, the two communities are closely connected. You can cross from one into the other during an ordinary afternoon without giving the municipal boundary much thought.

That's one reason you'll see Carefree included from time to time here on Discover Cave Creek. Our focus is Cave Creek, but we're not going to pretend the line on the map changes the way people actually experience this part of the desert.

Maybe "Town" Really Is the Right Word

Cave Creek has changed considerably since the mining and ranching days of the 1800s.

There are now more than 5,000 residents. Homes stretch across miles of desert. Visitors arrive from around the world. Restaurants, galleries, shops and businesses make Cave Creek a destination well beyond its permanent population.

But underneath all of that is still a community that identifies itself as a town.

Not the City of Cave Creek.

The Town of Cave Creek.

It's a small distinction on paper.

Once you've spent some time here, though, it starts to feel like an important one

I'd also recommend not marking this backlog item complete yet. The article itself is essentially ready, but before publishing I'd like to do one additional source pass specifically on the legal history surrounding the 1986 incorporation. That's potentially one of the most interesting parts of the story, and I'd rather add a paragraph explaining why residents incorporated than simply say that they did.

Town of Cave Creek — Welcome and Quick Facts U.S. Census Bureau — Cave Creek QuickFacts

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Town of Cave Creek — Welcome and Quick Facts U.S. Census Bureau — Cave Creek QuickFacts