The original Sun City community and the newer development of Sun City West are world-famous as quintessential active-adult master-planned communities. Literally hundreds of clubs and organizations meet the needs of retirees and mature adults who demonstrate a real zest for life and active recreation. Residents of these well-managed communities are almost exclusively retired, and a comfortable degree of affluence tends to characterize the area. Often referred to as the “golfer’s paradise,” Sun City devotes a full 1,200 lush acres to golf links that wind through the community. As a result, green space is abundantly interspersed between the Sun City shopping centers, restaurants, service centers, and business complexes. In fact, the non-polluting electric golf cart is one of the favorite and most commonly seen forms of transportation in this unique and peaceful adult residential environment.
Residents of the Sun Cities also enjoy a plethora of outstanding community facilities that begin with a collection of community centers for swimming, tennis, and arts and crafts. Bowling centers, country clubs, an art museum, libraries, and even a symphony orchestra are all local attractions. Nearby cities like Glendale and Peoria continue to experience rapid growth and are constantly adding to the list of West Valley cultural and sports venues that are convenient to residents of the Sun Cities. From the all-volunteer Sun Cities Posse to an agile international dance troupe, the opportunities for self-expression and involvement are boundless.
Among the regional recreational facilities, the Black Canyon Shooting Range offers a 1,400-acre park devoted to rifle and pistol ranges and miles of archery trails. Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum, a faithful replica of an 1880s Arizona village, boasts a collection of original buildings that were moved from historic towns around the state to this location. The land surrounding the Sun Cities area is known as “gold country,” providing a number of fascinating ghost towns and remote byways just waiting to be explored throughout the Hieroglyphic and Bradshaw Mountains.
