Who created the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive?
The drive was originally created by the residents of Cave Creek, Arizona in 1963. The residents of Cave Creek feared that neon-lit motels and gas station would sprout at random in the open desert alongside Cave Creek and Scottsdale Roads, the two paved roads into town. At that time a vast expanse of open desert, that fell under the jurisdiction of Maricopa County, separated the people of Cave Creek from Phoenix and Scottsdale. No setbacks or building restrictions were in place. They sought to create something of value and “draw a line in the sand” by placing the plant identification signs along each road. Their strategy worked.
