Where are some of the best places to retire in Arizona? Choices are abundant, offering incredible, vibrant lifestyles and amenities for older adults that take full advantage of Arizona’s amazing weather, affordable housing and quality of life.
The Phoenix Metropolitan area’s West Valley is especially attractive to retirees. You’re just as likely to encounter a golf cart tootling down the roads as a car or recreational vehicle. Since one of the first Over-55 communities in the nation launched with Del Webb’s Sun City almost fifty years ago, the area has continued to expand and evolve as one of the country’s most popular retirement destinations. It’s a truly innovative hub for modern retirement concepts, such as Life Plan communities that embrace Masterpiece Living.
Plus, since the West Valley caters to a population of older adults, its community resources, free or low-cost educational opportunities, activities and health care options are impressively robust.
Most people are familiar with Sun City, but Surprise, Litchfield Park and Sun City West are alternatives that merit close attention, too. Each has a unique culture entirely its own, and slightly different price points.
Retire at Sun City Grand in Surprise, AZ
One of Arizona’s more renowned, newer retirement locations is Sun City Grand, an age-restricted Del Webb retirement community located in Surprise, Arizona. Four championship golf courses (four Billy Casper and Greg Nash signature courses), multiple fitness centers and a host of other amenities are just a few reasons why this community is a center of the West Valley’s active living lifestyle.
Did you know Sun Health Senior Living’s community, The Colonnade, is located in Sun City Grand? Residents have complete access to our amenities and theirs!
Aside from Sun City Grand and the wide variety of golf and other fitness options, the City of Surprise also offers a rich cultural environment for those who appreciate the arts. There are endless options for things to do. It also includes one of the best public art collections in Arizona, featuring works that are heavily influenced by native cultures and the desert environment.
To qualify as an active adult community under the senior housing exemption, Sun City Grand requires at least 85 percent of its homeowners to be aged 55 for older; 15 percent can be aged 45-54, so approval to buy a home in the community can depend on the current count of resident ages. No children under 19 are allowed to live in the community. Other communities located within the City of Surprise may vary in their age restrictions, so interested buyers should review homeowner association and community criteria carefully before making an offer. The Colonnade, for example, requires homeowners to be aged 62 and above.
Sun City West Retirement, AZ
Nine golf courses (four regulation and three executive short courses) and home to the Reid West Golf Schools, four recreation centers, six swimming pools, walking tracks, bowling lanes, shuffleboard, tennis and bocce ball courts… Sun City West is an active adult community with over 150 million dollars invested into its recreational facilities and a lifestyle that completely revolves around an appreciation of the outdoors and mild Arizona weather.
Sun City West is a community, not a city. Considered a “census-designated place” located in Maricopa County, rather than a city, Sun City West was created by Del Webb once Sun City had outgrown its boundaries, followed later by Sun City Grand.
Age restrictions in the community require one homeowner to be at least 55 years of age. Those over 18 can purchase property in Sun City Grand, but cannot live there. Children are welcome as visitors, of course, provided their stay is under 90 days.
Retiring in Litchfield Park, AZ
A small, close-knit community near Luke Air Force Base that includes the Falcon Golf Club, the City of Litchfield Park has the third highest percentage of amenities for older adults, according to Movado, with an impressively low crime rate that is 81 percent lower than the rest of the state.
Substantially smaller and more intimate than Surprise, Sun City Grand and Sun City West, Litchfield Park is often considered a luxury retirement location.
Its median income is 63 percent higher than the statewide average.
See them to believe them
Age restrictions apply to rentals in these communities, along with homeowners, and all three of these communities and cities are clustered together approximately 35-45 minutes northwest of Phoenix.
As communities that revolve around older adults, the medical facilities, emergency response resources and other Health-related services are comprehensive. They also offer multiple transportation alternatives for residents who don’t drive, such as Northwest Valley Connect, Dial-A-Ride, Uber and city bus systems, and robust educational opportunities for lifelong learning, such as ASU West, Ottawa University, Estrella Mountain Community College and Rio Solado College Lifelong Learning Center. Some retirement communities even learning programs on the individual community grounds (such as La Loma University, our own program for residents of La Loma Village.
Overall, the West Valley includes multiple top-rated retirement destinations. Spending time touring each one and comparing them is time well spent.
Zillow can be a great place to find current prices of homes for sale or rent.
Sun Health Senior Living offers three impressive independent living communities in the West Valley: Grandview Terrace in Sun City West, La Loma Village in Litchfield Park and The Colonnade in Sun City Grand (Surprise). Contact Jackie Lusson, our corporate director of sales, at 623-236-3767 to learn more or schedule a tour.
