Top Resort Style Retirement Communities in Northwest and West Phoenix Metro Areas
- Richard (Rick) Nichols
- Jul 1
- 12 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Retirement is a time to enjoy life, relax, and explore new opportunities. For many, choosing the right community is key to making the most of these years. The Northwest Phoenix Metro area offers some of the most sought-after resort style retirement communities, combining comfort, amenities, and a vibrant lifestyle. This post highlights the top communities in this region, helping you find the perfect place to call home.
What Makes a Resort Style Retirement Community Special
Resort style retirement communities go beyond basic housing. They offer a lifestyle filled with amenities and activities designed to promote wellness, social connection, and convenience. Features often include:
Clubhouses with social rooms, fitness centers, and event spaces
Swimming pools and spas for relaxation and exercise
Golf courses or putting greens for recreation
Walking trails and landscaped gardens for outdoor enjoyment
Organized activities such as fitness classes, arts and crafts, and social clubs
Maintenance-free living with landscaping and home repairs handled by the community
These communities create an environment where retirees can stay active, meet new friends, and enjoy a peaceful, secure setting.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Retirement Community
Selecting the right retirement community depends on your lifestyle preferences and needs. Here are some factors to keep in mind:
Location: Proximity to family, healthcare, shopping, and entertainment
Amenities: What activities and facilities matter most to you?
Home styles: Size, layout, and maintenance requirements
Community culture: Social atmosphere and opportunities to connect
Budget: Upfront costs, HOA fees, and ongoing expenses
Accessibility: Ease of transportation and mobility within the community
Visiting communities and talking to residents can provide valuable insight into what life is really like.
Sun City, (Sun City, AZ)
Sun City was the nation’s first retirement community. The Del Webb Development Company opened Sun City Arizona with five model homes in January, 1960 dedicated to the idea that retirees desired leisure and recreational activities. The 55+ active adult looking to retire in Sun City can enjoy:
Eight Golf Courses
Seven Recreational Centers.
The city’s four lawn bowling locations are among the sites for the 2019 US Lawn Bowling Open’s South Central Division, held from November 3 through November 9.[13]
Sun City Quick Facts
Home Types: Attached, Condos, Single-Family
Number of Homes: 27,492
New/Resale Homes Available: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 1960 - 1978
Developer/Builder: Del Webb
Website: suncityaz.org
Sun City West, (Sun City West, AZ)
Sun City West is the second of the Sun Cities. Construction and homes sales began in 1978 as the first Sun City sold out. It took until 1997 for Sun City West to complete their build-out of approximately 16,900 homes. The mix of homes in Sun City West includes single level home styles, patio homes, and condos and a wide range of home pricing.
Most of Sun City West is excluded from the Maricopa School Districts, and therefore enjoys lower real estate tax. The lower real estate taxes combined with the low maintenance fees make Sun City West a very desirable location for the retiring active adults on a fixed income. The financial incentive plus the four recreation centers with a wide range of amenities and clubs, plus seven golf courses, all combine to create a legendary retirement location filled with entertainment and leisure options.
Sun City West Quick Facts
Home Types: Attached, Single-Family
Number of Homes: 16,900
New/Resale: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 1978 - 1997
Developer/Builder: Del Webb
Website: suncitywest.com
Corte Bella Country Club, (Sun City West, AZ)
Corte Bella Country Club, located in Sun City West, is a stand-alone resort style subdivision developed by Del Webb and Pulte. It is a gated and guarded 45 plus community with 1,650 single family homes of Santa Barbara influence and design. Corte Bella common areas (and often homes) feature fountains, flowering courtyards, and stately Italian cypress, eucalyptus, oleander and palm trees.
Del Webb constructed Corte Bella between 2003 and 2007. Corte Bella features a golf course, restaurant, fitness center, day spa, community resort style pool and spa, tennis, bocce, pickle ball, many clubs and activities for the residents.
Corte Bella Country Club Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 1,650
New/Resale: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 45+
Gated: Yes and guarded
Construction Dates: 2003 - 2007
Developer/Builder: Del Webb/Pulte
Sun Village, (Surprise, AZ)
Sun Village is an established 55+ community located in Surprise, Arizona. This gated and guarded community is ideal for homebuyers who want the benefits of active adult living in an intimate setting.
Sun Village features many amenities and activities that cater to those who are focused on both a physically and socially active lifestyle. The community is comprised of 1,382 homes, and includes a mix of condos or patio homes. The community opened in the mid 1980’s and was built out in 1995.
The Sun Village Community Center is a 47,000 square-foot clubhouse and provides many desirable amenities to its residents. Additionally, there is a fitness center, beauty salon, restaurant, wood shop, arts and crafts studio, billiards, library and more.
Sun Village has tennis, shuffleboard, and pickle ball courts, a resort-style pool and spa equipped with lockers and lounge chairs and the Sun Village Golf Course.
Sun Village Quick Facts
Home Types: Condos and Single-Family
Number of Homes: 1,382
New/Resale: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: Yes, and Guarded
Construction Dates: 1985 – 1995
Website: www.sunvillage.org
Sun City Grand, (Surprise, AZ)
Sun City Grand is the third Del Webb resort style Northwest Valley community located in Surprise, Arizona. Sun City Grand is a smaller community than either Sun City or Sun City West, yet offers all of the recreational opportunities that are expected to be offered in a Del Webb retirement community for active adults over 45years of age. Grand opened in October, 1996 and was built out in December, 2005.
Sun City Grand has four golf courses and two fitness centers, Adobe Fitness and Cimarron Fitness, (located in the Cimarron Center) and Chaparral Center, Cimarron Center, Palm Center, and the Sonoran Plaza for residents. Additional activities available for residents include bocce, lawn bowling, tennis, pickle ball, walking trails and more. There are a host of options available for chartered clubs, community groups and interest groups.
Sun City Grand Quick Facts
Home Types: Condos, Single-Family
Number of Homes: 9,802
New/Resale: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 45+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 1996 - 2005
Developer/Builder: Del Webb
Website: suncitygrand.com
Arizona Traditions, (Surprise, AZ)
Arizona Traditions in Surprise, AZ offers a small community feel with big community attractions. D.R. Horton developed Arizona Traditions to include 1,768 homes in a private gated and guarded resort style community, featuring a nice golf course and other amenities for the residents. The community opened in 1997 and construction was closed out in 2013.
There is an exciting array of amenities and social activity available to the residents of Arizona Traditions. The 20,400 square-foot clubhouse is the central hub for community activities. It includes a 700-person ballroom, arts and crafts studios, library and state-of-the-art fitness center.
Outside, residents enjoy three pools, a softball field, biking trails, bocce ball, shuffleboard, pickle ball and tennis courts. The 18-hole Arizona Traditions Golf Course designed by Dick Bailey winds throughout the community. It provides an exciting and challenging round for golfers of all skill levels. After a round of golf, many residents like to gather with friends at the Arizona Traditions Bar. It offers a sports bar for cocktails.
Arizona Traditions Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 1,768
New/Resale: Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 45+
Gated: Yes and Guarded
Construction Dates: 2006 - 2013
Developer/Builder: D. R. Horton
Website: azthoa.net
Sterling Grove, (Surprise, AZ)
Sterling Grove is a gated golf course community in Surprise, Arizona, a scenic city just half an hour from Phoenix. This 55+ community, which opened in 2020 will feature at build out 90 new construction single-family homes within a master-planned development. The homes will be available to buyers in 21 unique spacious floor plans. In addition to the championship 18-hole golf course, residents can enjoy amenities such as three pools, restaurants, and a fitness center. There is also plenty of outdoor space and a full-time lifestyle director on staff.
Active adult buyers looking for homes for sale in Surprise, Arizona will love everything that the new community of Sterling Grove has to offer.
Residents at Sterling Grove have access to an impressive list of amenities, including a clubhouse with restaurants and cafes and a state-of-the-art fitness center with a movement studio.
Outside, Sterling Grove residents can play golf at the 18-hole Nicklaus-designed championship course. There is also a private golf clubhouse as well as three pools, tennis, and pickleball courts. The town square is scenic and lined with trees, and residents have four parks to choose from when they want to enjoy some fresh air. Homeowners can also enjoy a community garden as well as groves and irrigation for scenic water elements like ponds and streams.
Sterling Grove Quick Facts
Price Range: $500’s - $1M plus
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 90, (Build out)
New / Resale: New Homes, Only
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated and Guarded
Construction Dates: 2020 - Present
Trilogy at Vistancia (Peoria, AZ)
Trilogy at Vistancia in Peoria, Arizona is an age-restricted, resort style active adult community in Peoria, AZ. Opening in 2004, the Trilogy build out is expected to have 3,300 homes at completion.
Shea Homes designed an array of cutting-edge amenities are available to the residents of Trilogy. Two club houses, the 35,000 square-foot clubhouse, Kiva Club, and the newer Mita Club is the center for community amenities. Included in the facilities are a fitness center, day spa, aerobics and dance studios, an indoor lap pool and magnificent resort-style outdoor pool provide panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Outside, residents can enjoy tennis courts, bocce ball and the 3.5 mile Discovery Trail that meanders through Vistancia. The Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia was designed by acclaimed golf course architect Gary Panks.
Trilogy at Vistancia Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 3,300
New/Resale: New And Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: Yes and guarded
Construction Dates: 2004 - Present
Developer/Builder: Shea Homes
Westbrook Village (Peoria, AZ)
Westbrook Village in Peoria is an established active adult community. It offers an ideal blend of large community amenities, attractive homes and a convenient location. Residents of the 3,910-home Westbrook Village favor the community for its proximity to the 101 Loop which provides convenient access to many Phoenix Valley attractions. The community was constructed between 1982 and 1993 with a variety of floor plans and sizes.
The community features two club houses. he first clubhouse built in the community is the Lakes Recreation Center. It houses a ballroom, aerobics studio, hobby studios, computers, billiards, and a restaurant. Outside, residents have access to tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and an outdoor pool and patio. The second clubhouse available to residents is the Vistas Recreation Center. This facility features a ballroom, exercise room, hobby studios, multi-purpose rooms, and The Links Neighborhood Grill. Outside you will find a pool and patio, tennis courts, bocce ball courts, and pickleball courts. In addition to these two amenity-filled centers, Westbrook Village also houses a Fine Arts & Learning Center..
Westbrook Golf Club is comprised of two 18-hole championship courses available to both members and the general public. The Lakes Course is a traditional par-71 golf course with mature landscaping and trees accented with numerous water hazards and strategically placed bunkers. The Vistas Course is a challenging 6,400-yard par-72 links style desert course.
Westbrook Village Quick Facts
Home Types: Attached, Condos, Single-Family
Number of Homes: 3,910
New / Resale: Resale Homes Only
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 1982 - 1993
Builder: UDC, Udc Homes
Greenway Palms (Peoria, AZ)
A 55 plus Condo community in Peoria, Greenway Palms is part of the Desert Harbor planned community. Anchored by its beautiful 46-acre, well-fed lake and comprised of 17 subsections. Located in the northwest Phoenix metropolitan area at the intersection of Thunderbird Avenue and 91st Avenue, Desert Harbor is just a half mile west of the Thunderbird Avenue exit off the Loop 101 only several minutes away from the shopping, restaurants and commercial center of Arrowhead Towne Center Mall. The Peoria Sports Complex, spring training home to both the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, is also just blocks away. At the same time, this quiet neighborhood is adjacent to the expansive, new Rio Vista park, and many miles of bike and walking trails.
Pebblecreek (Goodyear, AZ)
Situated in metro Phoenix in the city of Goodyear, Pebblecreek a 55+ Luxury Retirement Community offers an ideal location close to just about everything. The stately entrance, with tall palms lining the golf course on either side, creates a grand sense of arrival that’s reflected in the resort lifestyle throughout the community.
Pebblecreek provides homeowners with an abundance of social and recreational opportunities. As soon as you drive past the entry gate, you’ll appreciate the tranquility of quiet surroundings, multi-million dollar resort-style amenities and the relaxing warmth of friendly neighbors. Live Life Inspired at Pebblecreek.
Pebblecreek is a Robson active adult community in Goodyear, Arizona. It is ideally situated between the White Tank Mountains, Estrella Mountain Park, and downtown Phoenix. The planned 6,200 homes of PebbleCreek in Goodyear offer a myriad of enviable amenities and a lifestyle scarcely matched by any community in the Phoenix valley.
The community is home to its very own golf course as well as a variety of additional amenities that make staying active easy at Pebblecreek.
PebbleCreek Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 6,200
New/Resale: New And Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: Yes and guarded
Construction Dates: 1994 - Present
Developer/Builder: Robson Homes
CantaMia at Estrella (Goodyear, AZ)
CantaMia at Estrella is at 55+ community located within the master-planned community of Estrella in Goodyear, Arizona. CantaMia is approximately 17 miles from downtown Phoenix. ItIt is an innovative active adult community with an artistic and visionary flair in the heart of the Sonoran Desert Valley. The focus of this gated community is on sustainable living and the community meshes harmoniously with Goodyear's scenic neighborhoods. CantaMia at Estrella has a distinct approach to stay in tune with nature and encourages healthy connections between residents and the environment. The modern on-site amenities are perfectly suited for today's active adults. Just some of those amenities are a lake, club house, pool, fitness center tennis courts, pickleball courts, golf course and more. This community is surrounded by the scenic north and south lakes of Estrella and miles of walking trails.
While CantaMia at Estrella is for adults aged 55 or better, Estrella's other neighborhoods span multiple generations.
CanteMia at Estrella Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 1,700 at build out
New / Resale: New And Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: Yes
Construction Dates: 2010 - Present
Builder: Multiple Builders
Sundance – Buckeye
Sundance is a 55+ community of 1,102 homes that is five minutes off I-10 and 35 minutes due west of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Homes have floor plans ranging from 1,389 to 2,209 square feet. All have two-car garages, and from two bedrooms plus a den to three bedrooms plus a den. All have two or two-and-a-half bathrooms.
Sundance has a 18-hole Sundance Golf Course with its restaurant and bar, a 15,000 square-foot clubhouse, a fitness center, two outdoor pools, a library, six pickleball courts, two tennis courts, and six bocce courts. There are several social clubs including dancing, board and card games, Zumba, and various outdoor pursuits.
Sun City Festival, (Buckeye, AZ)
Sun City Festival Buckeye, AZ is Del Webb's newest active adult community in the northwest valley of Phoenix, Arizona, located ten miles west of Surprise. The resort style community for active adults was opened in 2006 and currently has both new and pre-owned homes for sale.
The 31,000 square-foot Sage Recreation Center is the main hub of activity in the community, featuring resort-style outdoor pool with cascading waterfalls and lap pool. A state-of-the-art fitness center offers the latest high-end equipment, aerobics and dance studios and spin bikes. Plus, there is a meeting room and a grand ballroom.
The community currently includes a softball stadium, outdoor amphitheater, and tennis, pickle ball, bocce ball, basketball and volleyball courts. In April of 2011, the community built the 9,000 square-foot Wood Shop & Craft Studio. The 18-hole championship Copper Canyon Golf Club managed by Troon Golf winds through the community. Another championship 18-hole course is planned for future construction.
Sun City Festival Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 7,200
New/Resale: New And Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 45+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 2006 - Present
Developer/Builder: Pulte/ Del Webb
Victory at Verrado (Buckeye, AZ)
Victory at Verrado is a 55+ community located in Buckeye, Arizona, just 35 miles outside of Phoenix. Victory is a 55+ neighborhood within the master-planned Verrado community. Construction began in early 2015, and when complete, Victory at Verrado will offer 3,500 residences for active adults.
Modeled after resort-style living, Victory at Verrado offers a number of indoor and outdoor amenities and close proximity to the fine dining and attractions of the Phoenix area. Active adults looking for an oasis in Central Arizona will love the modern touches found at Victory at Verrado, all aimed to keep residents active and entertained. With five distinct builders, potential homeowners will also have a variety of styles and customization options to choose from when designing their perfect home.
Victory at Verrado Quick Facts
Home Types: Single-Family
Number of Homes: 3,500
New / Resale: New And Resale Homes
Age Restrictions: 55+
Gated: No
Construction Dates: 2015 - Present
Builder: Multiple Builders
Making the Most of Resort Style Living
Once you choose a community, embracing the lifestyle can enhance your retirement experience:
Join clubs and attend events to build friendships
Take advantage of fitness and wellness programs to stay healthy
Explore outdoor spaces for relaxation and exercise
Volunteer or participate in community projects to stay engaged
Use community amenities to try new hobbies or sports
Living in a resort style retirement community offers a chance to enjoy your retirement years fully, with support and opportunities right at your doorstep.
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