
Fountain Hills Fountain
An ambitious developer built what was once the world's tallest fountain in a Phoenix suburb.
About
Robert P. McCulloch had many ventures throughout his life, but he is perhaps best known for moving the 1831 London Bridge brick-by-brick to Arizona. Done to bring visitors to his planned town at Lake Havasu City, McCulloch pursued a similarly unique project for another development near Phoenix. Fountain Hills is named after what was the world's tallest fountain when it first turned on in 1970.
In the middle of a dammed lake, the fountain was proposed to McCulloch and designed by C.V. Wood of Disneyland fame. Although it lost its world record in 1980, it has since reclaimed the title of tallest in the United States after the Gateway Geyser shut off in 2024. Overall, it is still the third tallest fountain in the world, and can shoot up to 560 feet at full power. Usually it only shoots up to around 300 feet, still tall enough to be enjoyed from nearby mountain ranges.
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The fountain turns on at the top of every hour from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and runs for 15 minutes. As it uses recycled water, it does not operate when winds exceed 10 mph.
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