Nestled in the Verde Valley just 100 miles north of Phoenix, Cottonwood has transformed from a sleepy agricultural community into what might be Arizona’s most delightful small-town renaissance story.

The Verde River, Arizona’s only Wild and Scenic River, flows through the community as a green ribbon of life in the desert. Dead Horse Ranch State Park provides easy access to the river, with ...

Residents of eastern La Paz County fear outside investors, corporate farms and big cities will tap rural groundwater.