Sun City has the distinction of being the first original active retirement community for the over 55 set. Started by Del Webb in 1960 it was the model for many communities throughout the nation. The homes were built in the 60’s and 70’s and are generally ranch homes with desert landscaping. This is our parent’s style of retirement and though many baby boomers are starting to retire there the average age is still on the high side.
What I like best about Sun City is that it is affordable. For $432 per year a homeowner gets full use of the seven recreation centers and eight golf courses. There are also three country clubs, 2 bowling centers and 2 small lakes. The golf courses are laid out in narrow “fingers” so that there is an abundance of reasonably priced homes on golf course lots. The homes are currently in transition with many being updated to the tastes of the younger owners. There still is an abundance of colored gravel in the yards which passes for desert landscaping and you see the occasional gnome, windmill, flamingo, and painted yard art that can only be described as “kitschy”. There are also what are called Twin homes or Gemini homes that are basically 2 attached homes in the same building. These are many times more affordable than the single family detached homes and many homes start under $100K.
Sun City is a self contained little city of about 40,000 and has it’s own hospital and medical complexes. Every activity, social group, craft group and hobby group exist in this little city. It is one of the only places where golf carts travel the roadways along with the cars. Recent growth in the northwest Valley make this area close to stadiums, museums, zoos, and shopping.
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i love your blog, i have it in my rss reader and always like new things coming up from it.