Sun Cities

Sun Cities Overview

Three Sun Cities, including the first one, can be found in this West Valley area. Retirement community Youngtown is here too. Homes range from the original block houses built in the 1960s to bigger, more upscale stucco houses. Golf courses and community centers are plentiful. And medical centers aren’t in short supply either. Once considered far from central Phoenix, the Valley has now grown around this retirement hub. There are some pockets of land where new subdivisions that aren’t age restricted are going up.

Transportation

U.S. 60 and Loop 303 run through this area. Bell Road is the area’s busiest roadway.

Explore the 5 areas of Sun City

Original Sun City: Zip Code 85351

Original Sun City was metro Phoenix’s first, big affordable retirement development. The area continues to attract new and younger retirees. Original block homes are being renovated. Boswell and Del Webb Boulevards are the original main roads through Sun City and can be busy.

Sun City West: Zip Code 85375

Sun City West is smaller than the original Sun City and northwest of it. Many of the houses in this Del Webb neighborhood were built in the 1980s. Loop 303 runs along its northern edge.

Youngtown: 85363

Youngtown is the most affordable neighborhood in this area. Houses are smaller, typically with two bedrooms and a carport. A few non-age-restricted areas can also be found in this neighborhood south of U.S. 60.

Sun City/Agua Fria: 85373

Sun City/Agua Fria includes the northern part of the original Sun City, a large RV resort and retirement community Ventana Lakes. Some newer developments not restricted to retirees can be found here. The Agua Fria River runs through this area.

Sun City Grand: 85374

Sun City Grand is the most upscale neighborhood in this area. It’s also part of the city of Surprise. Most houses in Sun City Grand were built in the late 1990s and are more expensive than homes in the other Sun Cities.

Housing

Original, single-story block houses built in the first Sun City during the 1960s can still be found but many have been renovated. Houses in Sun City West and Sun City Grand are bigger and typically stucco. There are also subdivisions with newer and affordable homes in developments that aren’t age restricted in this area. Condos and apartments can also be found here.

The Market

Sales are steady throughout this area as it continues to draw retirees from out of state. Home sales are highest during the winter and spring when “snowbirds” visit the Valley.
Age restrictions in these neighborhoods vary, but generally one buyer or renter in a house has to be 55 or older.
Plenty of rental homes and condos can be found in all of this area’s neighborhoods.

Living here

Expect a retirement lifestyle with many part-time residents who leave during the summer. You will find golf courses and large community centers can be found in all of this area’s neighborhoods. Restaurants, shopping and medical centers are on most busy intersections. Golf carts can be found in many driveways and cruising down residential streets. Neighbors are friendly and typically wave. There’s a lot less activity here at night.

Things to do in Original Sun City: 85351

Original Sun City: 85351

Main attractions

Golf nuts will be pleased to know this area is surrounded by pristine golf courses and country clubs, including Union Hills Golf and Country Club, a semiprivate club with an 18-hole golf course. A short jump on the freeway takes you to two of the Valley’s best and biggest venues – Desert Diamond Arena and State Farm Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play.

Out on the town

Arrowhead Towne Center and nearby developments are flush with shopping, dining and entertainment options. The large indoor shopping mall is outfitted with major department stores, independent retailers and AMC Theatres. Across the street is an 18-screen Harkins Theatre and Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.

Outdoors

The neighborhoods in Sun City and Sun City West have lots of recreational choices that are part of the senior communities, but there is more nearby. Peoria’s Rio Vista Park flanks New River with multiuse pathways that connect to the Arizona Canal Trail, providing paved, off-the-street access all the way into central Phoenix. To the west, White Tank Mountain Regional Park sits with plenty of plenty of trails for hiking, biking and walking, plus camping and picnicking facilities. A completed segment of the planned 142-mile Maricopa Trail connecting regional parks also cuts through the area.

Things to do in Sun City West: 85375

Main attractions

Golf nuts, this community is for you. This area is flush with pristine golf courses and country clubs. Come spring, enjoy a day at the ballpark at Surprise Stadium, where the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals train in the spring. Or the Peoria Sports Complex, where the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres play.

Out on the town

Close by are Westgate Entertainment District and Arrowhead Towne Center, two major Valley shopping meccas with dozens of entertainment, retail and dining options. Both feature state-of-the-art movie theaters. Westgate plays host to the Arizona Coyotes and some of the hottest touring musical acts at Desert Diamond Arena.

Outdoors

Things to do in Youngtown: 85363

Main attractions

Golf nuts will be pleased to know this area is surrounded by pristine golf courses and country clubs. Right next door is Luke Air Force Base so keep your eyes peeled for cool planes and occasional air shows.

Out on the town

Smack dab in the middle of three surrounding spring training facilities, this is the place to be in March. Surprise Stadium is home to the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Camelback Ranch is where the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox play. And Peoria Sports Complex hosts the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.

Outdoors

Things to do in Sun City/Agua Fria: 85373

Main attractions

Golf nuts will be pleased to know this area is surrounded by pristine golf courses and country clubs, including Union Hills Golf and Country Club, a semiprivate club with an 18-hole golf course.

Out on the town

Arrowhead Towne Center and nearby complexes are flush with shopping, dining and entertainment options. The large indoor shopping mall is outfitted with major department stores, independent retailers and AMC Theatres. Across the street is an 18-screen Harkins Theatre. The Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, is close too. For a swankier affair, there’s picturesque Arrowhead Country Club with its golf and tennis amenities, a sports club and spa and a full calendar of social activities for club members.

Outdoors

Things to do in Sun City Grand: 85374

Main attractions

Golf nuts, this community is for you. This area is flush with pristine golf courses and country clubs. Come spring, enjoy a day at the ballpark at Surprise Stadium, where the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals train in the spring. Nearby, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres play at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Out on the town

This area is home to some of the Valley’s best destination dining with restaurants as diverse as Amuse Bouche Bistro, Saigon Kitchen and New York Flavor. On weekends, play hard at Surprise Community Park. Its amenities include volleyball and basketball courts, an urban fishing lake and the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex.

Outdoors

Who lives here

The Sun Cities area may conjure images of retirees living in older housing, but that doesn’t apply to all its neighborhoods. The median age of residents in Sun City West (85375) and Sun City/Agua Fria (85373) is of retirees. But residents in the Youngtown neighborhood (85363) Arizona as a whole, though they earn relatively little.

5 things to know about Sun Cities

They have age restrictions: At least one resident in any Sun City home must be 55 years or older
They set trends for retirees: People lined up to buy homes in Del E. Webb’s first Sun City when it opened in the West Valley on New Year’s Day 1960.
They have money for community upgrades: Sun City residents pay between $400 to more than $1,000 a year for amenities.
They typically have lower property taxes: Only one, Sun City Grand, is located in a city with schools. Sun City Grand is in Surprise.
They are run by community boards: Residents are elected to boards that run and manage the retirement communities.