Florence, founded in 1866, is southeast of Phoenix and the county seat of Pinal County. It is one of the oldest towns in Arizona and extremely proud of their history. Downtown Florence, designated a National Historic District, is charming blend of historic buildings from territorial times through the World War II era, in all there are...
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Florence, founded in 1866, is southeast of Phoenix and the county seat of Pinal County. It is one of the oldest towns in Arizona and extremely proud of their history. Downtown Florence, designated a National Historic District, is charming blend of historic buildings from territorial times through the World War II era, in all there are 140 buildings of historic significance. Many people are unaware that numerous movies have been shot in Florence because of the town’s scenic attributes, movies such as Posse, Three Amigos, Murphy’s Romance, Stir Crazy, Escape from Bogan County, and the Trial of Billy Jack.
Florence is also home to Country Thunder, a four day event featuring a star studded line up of country music entertainers performing outdoors under the beautiful Arizona sky. It is the largest Country Music Festival in the southwest. Florence welcomes over 100,000 people for Country Thunder each spring. The festival is not the only draw too Florence, as it also home to the world’s oldest children’s rodeo, which celebrated its 75 anniversary in 2007. Also known as the Junior Prada, the national success of so many of the young participants has earned Florence the name of "Cowboy Cradle of the Great Southwest". It is great family entertainment!
Florence is a relatively small community of a little over 20,000 people. It provides approximately 7000 non farming jobs, a result of the carefully managing of the town. Even though it is not a large city there are great dining choices in Florence. Mount Athos Restaurant, L& B Inn, Euros Café, and the River Bottom Saloon & Grill are delightfully different and provide a place for a great meal out with family and friends, providing friendly service that typifies the attitude of Florence residents. Florence does not offer shopping malls or high end retailers but those are as close as a drive to the east valley of Phoenix or south to Tucson.
Florence offers many new homes priced from the mid 100’s in quiet communities on fair sized lots with neighborhood parks and rolling green belts. Another popular home choice in Florence are beautiful new manufactured homes on acreage with plenty of room for horses, boats, RVs and desert toys. Although not as plentiful, there are also charming older homes from the earlier days of Florence. Florence is a great place to enjoy a peaceful slower paced lifestyle in a friendly down to earth community proud of its past, yet dedicated to building a bright future for its residents.
Florence is only minutes away from great outdoor recreational activities such as the Casa Grande Ruins, Lost Dutchman State Park, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Tom Mix Monument, and the Superstition Mountain Wilderness Area. It is only close enough to the Phoenix metro area that its residents can easily enjoy all the nation’s fifth largest city has to offer just a short distance away.
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