Fountain Hills is a community proud of its iconic fountain, scenery and small-town charm and for being recognized as the world's 17th International Dark Sky Community. Now, the community can celebrate being identified as a Top 20 Stargazing Destination in the country.

HomeToGo (hometogo.com), an online vacation rental marketplace, released its 2023 Summer Stargazing Index, which ranked the top 17 stargazing destinations in the U.S. Fountain Hills is number 16 on the list.

“Fountain Hills continues to be recognized as one of the very best places on this planet to gaze up at the others,” said Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey.

To come up with the ranking, HomeToGo analyzed various factors, including average cloud cover and population density, to indicate how secluded an area is and the accessibility of affordable accommodations. Additionally, it even considered and evaluated many different International Dark Sky Places (IDSP), which are considered top spots for stargazing thanks to their low light pollution.

Here is the complete ranking of the top U.S. destinations for stargazing: 1) Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colo. 2) Dripping Springs, Ariz. 3) Harmony, Fla. 4) Flagstaff, Ariz. 5) Sedona, Ariz. 6) (tied). Beverly Shores, Ind. (tied). Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation, Ariz. 8) Fort Davis, Texas 9) Dripping Springs-Wimberley, Texas 10) Torrey, Utah 11) Horseshoe Bay, Texas 12) Lost Creek, Texas 13) Borrego Springs, Calif. 14) Village of Oak Creek, Ariz. 15) Homer Glen, Ill. 16) Fountain Hills, Ariz. 17) Ketchum, Idaho

“It’s great, and well-deserved, to have Fountain Hills be recognized as one of the top star gazing locations on the planet,” said Joe Bill, president, International Dark Sky Discovery Center. “As a dark sky oasis in the Valley of the Sun and the Town’s prestigious designation as the 17th International Dark Sky Community in the world, Fountain Hills is the perfect location for the planned, nonprofit 23,000 square-foot International Dark Sky Discovery Center.”

To learn more about Fountain Hills dark skies, visit fhdarksky.com and check out the planned International Dark Sky Discovery Center at darkskycenter.org.