For anyone that pays attention, this site gets only a handful of posters and a slew of readers. I’m actually surprised how many visitors we get (nope, not counting the bots). If you think about it, looking at age restricted living is a heck of a popular topic. Over the years, we’ve covered hundreds of topics in thousands of threads. Some of the best, in my opinion, were where we looked at the styles and homes located in Sun City Arizona. Searching the archives will turn up many of them and I occasionally see where readers have done that. It’s too bad we can’t archive topics by category. It would give those looking for specific subjects an easier way to dig them out. I often look at what visitors are reading and have to click on the link to see what was written. More often than not, it was a thread i started, had what i thought was a catchy header, but was almost unidentifiable until i began reading it. Worse yet, with the intensity of the angst over Title 33, one could get the feeling Sun City isn’t all that great a place to live. Several of us are passionate about it, apparently the vast majority could care less. Or they’ve bought into the RCSC’s argument we will collapse and become Youngstown if T33 becomes the law of the land. No matter what happens, Sun City will be just fine. Let me help clear the air, set the record straight: Sun City AZ is an incredible place to live. I avoid terms like best, or even better than others because it is such a subjective phrase. Almost everyone loves their 55 plus community. They want to believe they made the “best” choice when they bought where they did..and maybe for them, they did. I always encourage looking for their place in the sun to give the original Sun City a serious look, and to do it before they visit others. Because we were the first, there’s some things we have been able to do that others haven’t, and some improvements others have made that we can’t. By visiting us before others, you can get a great feel for what you want and how much you are willing to pay to get those things. Hopefully as this thread unfolds we can explore what interests peaked posters to chose here rather than others. It’s a long slow journey to finally get to retire. Sadly, these days just finding a community where you can live out the remainder of your years will become more the norm that the exception. Clearly, we will see more Sun City buyers working late in life and we are perfectly situated to offer them a quality of life even while still working.
Sometimes i feel like a one person wrecking crew. Oh well, it is what it is. I try and do this every couple of years, because so much of what we write/post gets lost in the archives of the site and floating about the net aimlessly. We know there is a constant stream of visitors hoping to find a tidbit, a morsel to gnaw on to help them decide whether Sun City may be their next/last resting place. Damn, that sounds morbid. In truth, most folks view of Sun City AZ of going to where they die quickly is dispelled once visiting here. They come to understand most buyers come to live life to a more full extent, rather than to gear down and do nothing. What is so funny is the perception has existed since inception. John Meeker knew if he could get them here, he could change their minds. The Play and Stay was started in Sun City and still is used in newly opened age restricted communities. He contends that half of the homes sold from 1965 through 1978 were purchased by people coming through that program. Impressive. Sun City appeals to so many different people on so many different levels, it's almost too much to fathom. For sure, it is too much to cover in one thread, let alone one post. So, i will attempt to take my limited knowledge and try and cover the bases in several posts. Obviously i would love others take part, but if there are no takers, i will see what i can do. First up and easily the most obvious are the Rec Centers and golf courses...otherwise known as the Rec Centers of Sun City (RCSC). They are the dominant organization in the community. When you buy a property here, you sign a facilities agreement. In that agree to pay an annual fee of $496 per property (which gets you two rec cards if you are both on the deed, though if one is under age 55, the second one will be a privilege card). If there is only one owner on the deed, you get one card. The cards give you access to the facilities. In addition you pay a $300 transfer fee and one time Preservation and Improvement Fee (PIF) of $3500. The caveat to the one time is if you buy multiple properties and live in one and rent the other(s), you will pay it again and again. The PIF can only be used on projects of more that $300K and with a life span of 15 or more years. With that out of the way, we can address the amenity package. There are 7 rec centers; 3 in phase 1 (Oakmont, Fairway and Mountainview), 3 in phase 2 (Lakeview, Sun Dial and Bell )and 1 in phase 3 (Marinette). Phase 1 is south of Grand Ave. Phase 2 is between Grand Ave and Bell Road. Phase 3 is north of Bell Road. Phase 4 is the old Del E Webb Construction (DEVCO) yards south of Grand Ave and east of 99th drive. There's also Rancho Estates that is west of 111th and Peoria Blvd. and is 1 to 5 acre lots that are very different from anything else in the community. Beyond the 7 rec centers are 8 golf courses owned by the RCSC. 2 in phase 1. 3 in phase 2. 2 in phase 3. 1 in phase 4. In addition, there are 3 private country clubs in the community with 1 each is phases 1, 2 and 3. Golf and 10 pin bowling are the 2 sports DEVCO said had to be self-sustaining. Their revenue is supposed to match their expenses. The RCSC also owns and manages a softball field, a new piece of property that is in the development stage on Grand Ave and Viewpoint Lake with boating, paddle boat and fishing privileges for card holders and their escorted guests. Next to Viewpoint Lake is what many of us call Meeker Mountain where one can walk the switchback paths to the top for a magnificent view of the lake properties that surround it. And if you are feeling really romantic (or is it foolhardy?) you can rent the pavilion at the top and and get married. I'll stop here and let it sink in. There's volumes more and for a more robust description you can click here on SunCityAZ.org. If there are errors above, it is entirely my fault as i am doing this from memory and i am getting really old and senile. Feel free to make corrections as needed.
Thanks Carole for the comments and the reminder. As i walk down the pathway of all things Sun City, i was bound to forget one of the its attractive features...and it has been around since the beginning. It was prominently featured in Sun City advertisements that claimed you could live for so much less in Sun City than other places. Other ads broke out total monthly living costs that were ridiculously low. When compounding that with all you got for the little you paid it is no wonder how quickly homes sold. Sun City has always been considered a great value. Even when home prices skyrocketed, they were less than others communities around us. We do pay lot assessment to the RCSC yearly, but without paying school district taxes, our total bill is far less than others pay in property taxes. Because we are unincorporated, we don't have the expensive frills of a city hall, local politicians and all the trappings that go with them. Our sales tax is lower than most and the community was built to accommodate an economy of scale that has served us well. The trade off is we run ourselves. we donate millions of hours a year to help keep the cost of living here low. We are a community where if we don't give back, we end up having to buy those services. All of which lends us to try and build an internal structure of organizations that will not only survive but flourish. Challenging for sure, but doable if we actually work towards that end. Carole did well because so many who tried to use Sun City as their fail safe when the economy crashed didn't make it. I was the president of the Sun City Foundation during those years and as we reviewed financials as folks were asking for assistance, it was clear there was little or no hope for some of them. They had bought at the high end, were upside down with mortgages that often times had balloon payments and the only solution was to walk away. While it happened in far greater numbers elsewhere, it also happened here. Through all the tumult and chaos, Sun City remains a viable and attractive option to escape to. Sure, more folks are working longer in life, but they also get a lower cost of living, cleaner streets, safer settings and incredible amenities. Whether they use them is purely a personal choice. Even if they don't, living inside the walls rather than outside is far better in my humble opinion. We were built on the premise of being a reasonably priced community and through it all, we have remained so.
Well damn, now i'm answering disappearing posts. Once i get through this, it may well be time to move on eh? Clubs have always been the heartbeat of Sun City; well almost always. In the beginning they were more hit and miss. John Meeker talks about the time he felt the need to jump start the clubs. He went to a club meeting with the biggest color television available in the mid 60's. He gave it away as a prize in a drawing and it changed the course of history in Sun City. Members started showing up in hopes of winning something, instead they found friendship and the joys of being part of something special. Currently, there are roughly 130 clubs. Over the decades some have fallen by the wayside, and others have replaced them. All it takes is for 25 card holders to show an interest. There's a fair amount of set-up work but the RCSC club's office is very helpful getting you inline with the necessary paperwork. The bigger issue is dedicated club space as that is at a premium. You need 50 members for your own space, but that's only if available. There's currently several clubs yearning for their own, just nothing to be had at this time. Here is a link to a comprehensive listing of the clubs and locations.
Above i wrote about the value of working with an economy of scale. It may sound like gibberish to some, so let me take a quick moment to explain what i mean. Sun City was easily the biggest age restricted community for years. Sun City West was supposed to be bigger, but when the economy took a downturn in the early 80's, the Webb Corporation sold off a third of the land. They ended up being a third smaller (roughly 27,000 rooftops in SC compared to 18,000 rooftops in SCW). The Villages in Florida surpassed us years back, but it is a wholly different setting. They cover three counties and a variety of communities within the community. As i understand it, there are gated communities that are in the Villages, but are outside the communities access. There's also significant structural differences, but that's not relevant to this thread. The rest of the age restricted communities around the country are way smaller. They have single-entity governance and little need for the services we find in Sun City. That's why Sun City and Sun City West are truly unique. Our size was big enough to warrant DEVCO building into the infrastructure organizations that could/would support the self-governance concept embedded in our way of life. I will focus on Sun City but recognize Sun City West is very much similar in make-up. I've written and spoke often of an incredibly insightful description of Sun City; sadly i have no idea who the author was that penned it. He/she suggested Sun City has an horizontal organizational table, while virtually everyone and everything else is built vertically. Think about it; school, church, military, work life and politics are all grounded in top to bottom structures. There is a hierarchy that is prominent in almost everything we know. Sun City was built on a platform of a dozen (or more) organizations that exist horizontally. They work in concert with one another, but are freestanding, and each has their own niche. Take your pick: Obviously the RCSC is the 800 lb gorilla in the room, but without the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA), the PRIDE, the POSSE, the Condo Owners Association (COA or whatever their new acronym is), The Community Assistance Network (CAN), the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, the Sun Cities Foundation (an offshoot of the RCSC), the Friends of the Library, and Sunshine Services the community would never function as effectively as it does. And the Sun City Visitor Center was free-standing for years until the RCSC assumed responsibility. To a lessor degree, our size also generated other options that increase the viability of the community. With 31 churches, there are hundreds of volunteer options. Banner Olive Branch Senior Center is a very special place for any number of seniors. Meals on Wheels, run out of Banner Hospital, provides low cost meals daily. And Banner Boswell hospital is an incredible institution within our walls with hundreds of volunteers and was literally built, at least initially, with community donations. There are half a dozen thrift stores that in part are staffed by volunteers and draw huge crowds. The funny thing is, i know i have missed some of the organizations. Truth be told, one of our greatest strengths is the remarkable, nearly invisible infrastructure that keeps us running and moving forward. Volunteers drive these organizations and as important as the role is they play, the opportunity for those living here to be able to give back to the community they love may be even more valuable. Sun City is truly a unique structure with even more unique options and opportunities to stay active and engaged. Life is more than just laying by the pool or chasing a little white ball around open green spaces. Many of us have moved here and found we wanted more than a hedonistic lifestyle. Nice.
Sorry Bill, After I read the intro a few more times, I realized I had stepped in the middle of what appeared to be a theme. Thought better of what I had written, edited and reworded, and removed the whole thing. I have a tendency to do some of my best thinking in retrospect. This was one of those times.
No worries Carole, it fit nicely into the part about Sun City being value driven. For anyone reading these pages, you may have noted the recent discussions about the pending build on a Performing Arts Theater (Center). It's been a long time coming. John Meeker was trying to build it at the Bell Rec Center but as John often did, he blew his budget out of the water and had to step back from those plans. They over-spent so badly DEVCO tried to renege on building the 7th rec center, Marinette, but residents threatened a lawsuit and they threw a small one in to placate them (it's since been enhanced several times). One of the oldest running clubs is the Sun City Players. They date back to the very early 60's and their performances have been enjoyed by countless numbers of Sun City residents. For as long as they have been around, those attending have endured uncomfortable chairs, imperfect sound systems and a flat floor where a big head in front of you meant poor sight lines. The actors have had it worse; the accommodations for dressing and storage are abysmal. The challenge is, there's more to this discussion than just the Players. One of the aspects of the community that gets over-looked is the musical side of the equation. There's a host of clubs in Sun City for those with musical talent that could benefit from a really good venue. Mind you, most of the groups practice in the music room at Fairway Rec Center. Rumor has it that room cost around a million dollars (no idea why), and it is perfect for them to practice their craft. Not so much to showcase it, based solely on size. The potential for Sun City to build a quality venue for the performing arts here would enhance the role these folks play by making Sun City even more attractive. But it goes far beyond them, because due to the clubs office efforts to bring in quality entertainment, crowds have been exploding to capacity, and beyond. For example, the other night the free concert at the Sun Bowl featuring an Eagles tribute band had those attending scattered across the landscape. I drove by, and i would guess there was closer to 8000 than 7000. The bad news is the sound system had issues (nothing new there) and people were leaving early because of that and the massive crowds. Word to the board, invest in a decent sound system. One only has to look at the incredible success of the Sun Dial concert series. They are selling out the bulk of the Weds evening shows and people are absolutely loving what they are seeing. It holds just under 1500 people, but the wings of the gymnasium setting is not all that attractive. The big screen monitors help, but imagine elevated seating, great sight lines and a really good sound system. Sun City could become the go to venue in the West Valley. The Players need a better venue. No question. But the other performing art clubs, listed here, would benefit as well. Just another reason why Sun City is such a special place and worthy of anyone looking for their place in the sun to visit the community before they buy.
