🏛️ LONA KING & BILLY HEINZMAN · THE DEL WEBB STORY

The Del Webb Story

How a Fresno-born carpenter, a visionary president named John Meeker, and 19 years of construction across six distinct phases built the community we now call Sun City West.

📅 Events Calendar $ Community Fees ⛳ Let's Golf! 📊 Buyer Budget 📍 Fun Things Locally! ⚡ Solar Pros & Cons 🏊 Rec Centers

Before Del Webb, retirement was a quiet ending. After Sun City, it became a new chapter — built around joy, activity, and community.

The American Retirement Revolution · 1960

1899

Del Webb born in Fresno, California

1945

Buys the New York Yankees with partners

1960

Sun City opens — 100,000 visitors weekend one

1962

Webb on the cover of Time magazine

1978

Groundbreaking on Sun City West, Feb 15

1992

DEVCO announces the Expansion Area

1997

SCW built out — 16,900 homes, 31,000 residents

2001

Del Webb merges with Pulte — brand continues today

The Man

A carpenter who built an empire

Del E. Webb was born in Fresno, California on May 17, 1899 and arrived in Arizona in the late 1920s after a battle with typhoid fever. He showed up in Phoenix with little more than his carpentry tools and a sharp mind for business.

His first big break came by accident: a contractor hired him on a grocery store job, then left town without paying anyone or finishing the building. Webb stepped in, completed the work, and walked away with the foundation of what became Del E. Webb Construction Company in 1928. His earliest clients were the Basha family — yes, the founders of the Basha's grocery store chain still operating across Arizona today.

From there it exploded. Over the next four decades his company built a remarkable national portfolio — military airbases (Luke, Williams, Kingman), hospitals, hotels, resort properties, the Arizona State Capitol addition, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Madison Square Garden renovations, Mountain Shadows Resort, Phoenix Symphony Hall, Phoenix Civic Center, and entire communities like Pueblo Gardens in Tucson and the mining town of San Manuel. By the 1960s, the Del E. Webb Construction Company was one of the largest in the United States.

Webb was also a lifelong baseball man. In January 1945, he and partners Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail purchased the New York Yankees. Over the next 20 years under Webb's ownership, the Yankees reached 15 World Series and won 10 of them — the DiMaggio-to-Mantle dynasty years featuring Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and manager Casey Stengel. Webb even brought the Yankees to Phoenix for spring training in 1951, giving Arizona its first close-up look at a major-league franchise.

But none of that was the work he'd be remembered for. His most important legacy was still ahead of him — and it would change the way America thought about getting older.

DW1899–1974

Delbert Eugene Webb

Builder · Yankees Owner · Founder

The Portfolio

A few of the other things Webb built

Before Sun City made him a household name, Del Webb's company had already left fingerprints all over Arizona — and the country. A partial list of buildings and communities his firm constructed or developed reads almost like a tour of 20th-century American architecture.

Arizona Landmarks

The 1938 Arizona State Capitol addition · Phoenix Symphony Hall · Phoenix Civic Center · St. Joseph's Hospital · Christown Mall · the Arizona Republic Building · the original Phoenix Municipal Stadium · the Westward Ho Hotel · Governor George Hunt's tomb near the Phoenix Zoo · numerous buildings at ASU and U of A.

National & Beyond

The Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills · the Beverly Hilton · renovations at Madison Square Garden in New York · the Hughes Missile Plant in Tucson (now Raytheon) · Kraft Foods distribution centers across the United States · the Mountain Shadows Resort in Scottsdale — a celebrity gathering spot in the 1960s.

WWII Service

During WWII, Webb's firm built Luke Air Force Base, Williams Air Force Base, Kingman Army Airfield, and Pinal Airpark. Total wartime government work approached $100 million in 1940s dollars — the equivalent of well over a billion today.

Whole Communities

Before Sun City, Webb built Pueblo Gardens, Tucson (1948) — 600 homes and a shopping center, his first master-planned residential project. Then San Manuel, Arizona (1953) — an entire mining town built from nothing for the Magma Copper Company: streets, schools, a hospital, parks. He didn't just build buildings. He built towns.

The First Clients

Webb's first office was at 1633 W. Jefferson Street in Phoenix, and his first clients were the Basha family — yes, the founders of the Basha's grocery chain that still has stores across Arizona today, including in Sun City West. For years, he was best known around Phoenix simply as the grocery store builder.

The Foundation

Webb established the Del E. Webb Foundation during his lifetime. Since then it has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for medical research, hospitals, education, and community organizations across Arizona and the western United States. His legacy continues to give back, decades after he stopped building.

The Insight

What Webb saw that no one else did

At a time when retirement communities barely existed, Webb noticed a fundamental shift happening in America. People were living longer and staying healthier. They weren't ready to sit on a porch and fade away. They wanted sunshine. Golf. Friendships. Hobbies. A whole second life.

The idea sounds obvious today. In 1959, it was revolutionary.

In November of that year, Webb's company purchased thousands of acres of cotton fields and ranchland northwest of Phoenix, near the former ghost town of Marinette. He had no proof of concept, no comparable model anywhere in the country, and no guarantee the project would work. He was building the first one.

On January 1, 1960, Sun City opened to the public — and more than 100,000 visitors flooded the property in a single weekend.

The Architect of Sun City West

John Meeker — the caddy who built a community

If Del Webb was the visionary, John Meeker was the man who actually built Sun City West. And the story of how he got there is almost too American to be true.

Meeker was born in Brownwood, Texas in 1926 and grew up in Phoenix. As a teenager, he caddied at the Phoenix Country Club to make money after school and on weekends. In 1941 — at the age of 15 — he found himself carrying Del Webb's golf bag for the first time. Webb took a liking to the sharp young caddy and told him to come see him after the war.

Meeker served from 1944 to 1946, came home, and took Webb up on the offer. He skipped Arizona State and joined the Webb Corporation as an assistant mail clerk — "about as low as you can get," as Meeker himself put it years later. From there he worked his way up through the warehouse, accounting, and equipment management.

By 1965, with the original Sun City struggling under its initial "no organizing" philosophy, Webb sent Meeker over to fix it. The mandate was direct: fix it or we quit the experiment with senior living. Meeker fixed it. He hired entertainers. He brought in community organizers. He turned residents into salespeople. By the time he was done, Sun City had surpassed Levittown as the largest single-builder community in the country.

In 1966, Meeker became president of the Del E. Webb Development Company (DEVCO). And when DEVCO bought the land west of Sun City in 1971–72, Meeker became the man planning what would become Sun City West.

"Sun City, Arizona, not only changed America's viewpoint on retirement living, but became its most successful and largest retirement development. In fact, it surpassed the 17,000-unit Levittown project in New York as the country's largest development by a single builder." — John Meeker, DEVCO President (1966–1981)

Standing on undeveloped desert in 1975, Meeker poked his finger at the center of the early SCW land surveys and made the promise everyone in Sun City West has lived with since: an "Emerald Valley" — streams, lakes, and the most ambitious golf course development Arizona had ever seen. That promise became Hillcrest Golf Course.

Meeker retired at the end of 1981. The community he conceived, planned, and personally championed kept growing for another sixteen years.

John Meeker

DEVCO President · 1966–1981

The Westward Push

From Sun City to Sun City West

The original Sun City was filling faster than anyone predicted — more than 3,000 homes selling each year by the mid-1970s. The Del E. Webb Development Company (DEVCO) needed land, and they needed it close.

Between 1971 and 1972, DEVCO quietly purchased 13,000 acres of cotton fields and cattle ranchland west of Sun City, including the historic Circle One Ranch. The deal also included a 40,000-head cattle feedlot known locally — half jokingly, half affectionately — as "Lizard Acres." The name dated back to the 1940s, when two ranchers were surveying the dry desert scrub and one of them kicked at the ground and said, "Jumpin' Jehosophat, this land ain't fit for raising anything but lizards."

In January 1975, DEVCO president John Meeker announced his plan: a new community, larger than the original Sun City, divided into two phases — Phase I east of Grand Avenue, Phase II to the west.

Looking down at the early land surveys, Meeker poked his finger at the center of the map and made a promise. He was going to build an "Emerald Valley" right there in the middle of the desert — full of streams, lakes, and golf — anchoring everything else.

R.H.J.

R.H. Johnson

DEVCO Chairman

February 15, 1978

The day they broke ground

Five hundred civic and business leaders gathered half a mile north of Bell Road on an extension of Dysart Road — because at that point, there weren't yet any roads inside the new community. The official guest list included Arizona Governor Wesley Bolin, U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, J.G. Boswell VP Hank Raymond, DEVCO President John Meeker, and — leading it all — DEVCO Chairman R.H. Johnson.

Eight months later, on October 16, 1978, the first residents picked up their keys. Their names should be remembered: Luman and Mary Wick of Topeka, Kansas, and Edward and Clarice Uhl of Alameda, California. They were the first four people to call Sun City West home.

If you've ever played pickleball at the Sands courts, swum laps at the outdoor pool, attended a meeting in the Social Hall, or walked the largest recreation campus in the community — you've been on land that bears Johnson's name. The R.H. Johnson Recreation Center honors the executive who chaired the company that built this place.

16,900

Homes built across 19 years

140+

Distinct model designs offered

6phases

Of construction, 1978–1997

31k

Residents from 50 states & abroad

Six Phases · Nineteen Years

How the community was built

Sun City West was constructed in distinct phases between 1978 and 1997. Each phase has its own character, its own street layout, its own materials, and its own typical buyer profile. Understanding these phases is the difference between guessing about a home and knowing what you're buying.

Phase

1978–82

The original Sun City West

The first homes opened October 1978. Hillcrest Golf Course — Meeker's "Emerald Valley" — opened February 1979. The R.H. Johnson Social Hall opened that March, the library that October. The Sundome opened September 1980 with Lawrence Welk striking up the band for 6,000 attendees — at the time, the largest single-floor auditorium in the nation.

Homes from this era have the original layouts, mostly 2x4 framing, smaller footprints, and the most desert-mature landscaping in the community.

2x4 construction
Original layouts
Hillcrest neighborhoods

Phase

1982–85

Recovery after the 1981 crash

The Webb Corp hit a wall in 1981 when interest rates topped 20%. Carrying heavy debt, the company had to sell off assets — and the first to go was the land west of Grand Avenue (which is why that's now Sun City Grand, Corte Bella, and Arizona Traditions, not part of SCW). Plans for a major regional mall were scrapped. Meeker retired at the end of 1981.

A more cost-conscious management took over. Floor plans got simpler. The Sundome shopping plaza filled in around it.

2x4 construction
Smaller footprints
Cost-conscious era

Phase

1983–85

Mid-decade expansion

As the market recovered, new neighborhoods opened east and north of the original core. Model variety expanded. Garages became more common (instead of carports), which is still a meaningful value differentiator today between Phase 3 homes and earlier ones.

2x4 construction
More garage layouts
Wider model selection

Phase

1985–89

Refinement & bigger floor plans

By the second half of the decade, DEVCO had years of feedback from residents and was iterating fast. Models got larger. Master suites grew. Two-car garages became standard on most new homes. Arizona Rooms — that quintessentially SCW feature of an enclosed sunroom adding livable square footage — became common.

2x4 construction
Bigger masters
AZ Rooms popular

Phase

1989–92

The bridge to the Expansion Area

The final years before DEVCO announced the Expansion Area. Models continued to grow. Tile roofs began appearing on certain models, and overall construction quality was trending upward — setting the stage for the major spec upgrades that would arrive with Phase 6 in 1993.

2x4 construction (most)
Tile roofs emerging
Larger models

Phase

1993–97

The Expansion Area — the best-built homes in SCW

In 1992, DEVCO announced the Expansion Area: 1,335 new acres in the northwest corner of the community, planned for an additional 6,000–6,400 residents. Deer Valley Golf Course opened in January 1994. Palm Ridge Recreation Center opened May 27, 1994. Desert Trails opened in February 1995.

This is also the era when DEVCO meaningfully upgraded its construction specs. Every home built between 1993 and 1997 has 2x6 wall construction, is stubbed for natural gas, and was finished with a tile roof. If you're shopping in SCW and you want the newest, most energy-efficient, most modern-spec Del Webb construction, this is the era to focus on.

All 2x6 construction
All gas-stubbed
All tile roofs

★ The Insider Take · 1993–1997 ★

Why Phase 6 homes are different — and why it matters when you buy

From 1993 onward, every home built by Del Webb in Sun City West received three meaningful construction upgrades that buyers in the earlier phases simply didn't get:

🧱

2x6 Walls

Deeper cavities allow more insulation — lower cooling bills in Arizona summers and stronger structural performance.

🔥

Stubbed for Gas

Natural gas lines pre-run — future gas cooktops, dryers, or pool heaters are far easier to install.

🏠

Tile Roofs

Concrete tile vs. asphalt shingle — better for Arizona sun, fire resistance, and longevity (50+ years).

This isn't speculation from a brochure. It's documented from inside DEVCO during the years these homes were being designed and contracted. If a 1993-or-later listing claims to be a Del Webb build in SCW and it doesn't have these features, something's not right — and we'd want to look closer before you make an offer.

The Expansion Area

The newest 2,500 homes

The Expansion Area sits in the northwest portion of Sun City West — bordered roughly by Horseman Lane, Via Montoya, and Montego Drive, west of Dusty Trail Boulevard. About 2,500 homes were built here in the final years of construction.

One quirk worth knowing: these homes are in the Dysart Unified School District, while the rest of SCW de-annexed from any school district years before the Expansion Area existed. That means a small property tax line item on these homes that earlier SCW homes don't carry — but it's modest, and many buyers consider it well worth it for the upgraded construction.

1,335

New acres added

~2,500

Homes in the area

6,400

Planned new residents

1992

Year announced by DEVCO

After Sun City West

The communities Del Webb built next

Sun City West was officially built out in 1997 — but the Del Webb story in the West Valley was far from over. Within months of the final SCW home selling, the company had moved south of Grand Avenue with an entirely new vision. Eight years later, it broke ground on its most intimate, upscale community ever. Together, Sun City Grand and Corte Bella complete the trilogy that defines this corner of the Phoenix metro.

1996–2005 · The Third Sun City

Sun City Grand

Surprise, AZ · 4,000 acres · ~9,800 homes · 45+ community

With Sun City West winding down, Del Webb turned south across Grand Avenue and broke ground on what was marketed as Del Webb's flagship active adult community. The grand opening took place in fall 1996 — even before SCW had finished its final homes — and the community was built out by 2005.

Sun City Grand introduced things SCW never had: four championship golf courses, lakes and waterfalls at the entrance, lifelong learning programs, and a Village Center designed as a true town square. The age restriction was loosened too — Sun City Grand is officially a 45+ community, with up to 15% of homes allowed for residents aged 45–54.

Today it's been rebranded simply as "The Grand" by PulteGroup. About 20,000 residents call it home. It's a separate community from SCW with its own HOA structure, fees, and amenities — so when you compare home prices, Sun City Grand is never a valid comp for a Sun City West home, and vice versa.

2003–2007 · The Country Club

Corte Bella

Sun City West address · 718 acres · 1,650 homes · 45+ gated

Corte Bella was Del Webb's experiment in something completely different: a small, gated, private country club community. Built between 2003 and 2007, it has only 1,650 homes on 718 acres — roughly a tenth the size of Sun City West. The architecture is Santa Barbara Spanish style, with fountains, courtyards, archways, and ten-foot ceilings inside the homes.

Here's the local twist most people don't know: the land Corte Bella now sits on was the subject of a major fight between PORA and a developer called Continental Homes, who originally wanted to build high-density, low-income housing on the site. PORA gathered 12,000 petition signatures and convinced Maricopa County to require lower density. Continental rejected the new terms, and the land eventually went to Del Webb — who negotiated further with PORA on the final construction plans. Corte Bella exists in its current upscale form in significant part because SCW residents pushed for it.

Corte Bella shares the Sun City West zip code (85375), but it is a completely separate community with its own HOA, country club, semi-private golf course, and architectural standards. For valuation purposes, Corte Bella is also never a valid comp for a standard Sun City West home — different community, different price tier.

★ Important For Buyers & Sellers

If you're shopping for or selling a home in this corner of the West Valley, knowing the difference between Sun City West, Sun City Grand, and Corte Bella isn't just trivia — it directly affects pricing. Each community has its own HOA structure, its own annual fees, its own amenities, and its own resale market. Cross-shopping between them often works. Cross-comping homes between them doesn't. We make sure you're looking at apples-to-apples comps every time.

Four Recreation Centers

The heart of Sun City West living

As Sun City West grew across six construction phases, Del Webb built four major recreation centers to serve the community. Each one anchors a different era of construction — and each one is included in your annual recreation centers fee. Use any center, anytime, as a Sun City West resident.

Flagship · 1979

R.H. Johnson Recreation Center

19803 R.H. Johnson Blvd · 48 acres · 118,000 sq ft

The original and largest recreation campus in Sun City West, named after DEVCO Chairman R.H. Johnson. Social Hall opened March 1979, library October 1979. Home to 30 bowling lanes, the outdoor pool, the largest fitness center in SCW, lawn bowling rinks, racquetball courts, billiards, the Sports Pavilion, and the library. If a club or activity in SCW has a home, the odds are it's at R.H. Johnson.

Indoor Hub · 1980s

Beardsley Recreation Center

12755 W. Beardsley Rd · indoor pool, mini-golf, fitness

The community's indoor-focused hub, especially in the summer months. Climate-controlled indoor pool, mini-golf, horseshoes, shuffleboard, fitness center, and the homes of clubs from Mah Jongg to the Beaders to the Pinochle Club. Critical to summer-comfort SCW living when outdoor temperatures climb.

Arts Center · Late 1980s

Kuentz Recreation Center

14401 R.H. Johnson Blvd · arts & crafts hub · Stardust Theater

Named for Fred P. Kuentz, a Webb Corporation Senior Vice President. The hub for arts, crafts, and performing arts in Sun City West. Home to the Stardust Theater, the on-site woodworking shop, fitness room, outdoor pool with spa, tennis courts, softball field, and dozens of creative clubs from Calligraphy to Photography West to Decorative Arts.

Expansion Era · May 27, 1994

Palm Ridge Recreation Center

13800 W. Deer Valley Rd · newest, most modern · indoor & outdoor pools

Built specifically to serve the Expansion Area, opened May 27, 1994. The most modern facility in SCW — featuring both indoor and outdoor pools, an elevated indoor walking track that circles the indoor pool with views of the Deer Valley Golf Course, a state-of-the-art fitness center, ballroom, and the largest concentration of pickleball courts in the community.

For a complete deep-dive on amenities, hours, and what each center offers — visit the Sun City West Rec Centers page.

The Sundome Story

The largest single-floor auditorium in America

When John Meeker was planning the original Sun City West, he made one promise that stunned even his own executives: an auditorium that would seat 7,000 people in air-conditioned comfort. Why 7,000? Because that's how many residents used to bring lawn chairs to the open-air Sun Bowl in Sun City to hear Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney.

7,169

Total seats

6,000

At opening night

1980

Opened Sept 12

Largest of its kind in U.S.

On September 12, 1980, the Sundome Center for Performing Arts opened with Lawrence Welk conducting the band for 6,000 attendees. For the next quarter-century, the Sundome hosted nearly every major touring act of its era — Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Liberace, the Beach Boys, Bill Cosby in his prime, Engelbert Humperdinck, and dozens more. For a community that didn't even have city government, having a major performing arts venue felt like a statement: this is a real place.

The Sundome closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2014 to make way for retail expansion — but its legacy is permanent. The Sundome was proof that retirement didn't have to mean stepping back from culture. Today, Sun City West residents still attend major performances at venues across the West Valley, but the Sundome was where it all started.

The Stories You Won't Find in a Brochure

Things that might surprise you

Sun City West and the man who built it are full of details that never make the marketing materials — Yankees championships, Time magazine covers, law school cases, and a hospital that still bears his name. This is the deeper story.

The Stories You Won't Find in a Brochure

Things that might surprise you

The Yankees Years

10 World Series in 20 years

From 1945 to 1964, Webb co-owned the New York Yankees alongside Dan Topping. During those 20 years, the team reached 15 World Series and won 10 of them — featuring Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and manager Casey Stengel. Webb sold the team to CBS in 1964 for $11.2 million.

Spring Training History

The Yankees came to Phoenix in 1951

In 1951, Webb pulled off one of the most influential trades in baseball history — convincing New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham to swap spring training sites for a single year. The defending World Champion Yankees came to Phoenix Municipal Stadium with DiMaggio in his final season and a young Mickey Mantle just starting out. Webb gave Arizona its first close-up look at a major-league franchise — years before MLB's westward expansion.

Time Magazine

Webb on the cover, August 1962

Del Webb himself appeared on the cover of Time magazine on August 3, 1962, with a five-page feature on him, his company, and Sun City. The retirement community he built had become a national cultural phenomenon in under three years.

Law School Famous

Spur Industries v. Del E. Webb

The 1972 Arizona Supreme Court case Spur Industries v. Del E. Webb Development Co. is taught in first-year property law classes nationwide. It established the "coming to the nuisance" doctrine — a case so important that your community has a famous law school case named after it.

Famous Opening

Lawrence Welk opens the Sundome

The Sundome Center for Performing Arts opened September 12, 1980 with 6,000 people in attendance to hear Lawrence Welk strike up the band. It was the largest single-floor auditorium in the nation at the time, designed to seat 7,000 — chosen specifically because that's how many people used to bring lawn chairs to the Sun Bowl in Sun City to hear Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney.

The Hospital

Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center

The medical center anchoring Sun City West still bears Webb's name — now operating as Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, part of the Banner Health system. It's one of the top hospitals serving the West Valley, with full emergency services, surgical specialties, and cancer care. The name endures because the man insisted on healthcare being part of the community from day one.

Mayo Clinic Connection

Webb's hand in SCW healthcare

Even though Webb didn't live in his communities, he was deeply involved in healthcare planning behind the scenes. According to DEVCO president John Meeker, Webb personally steered the SCW hospital design team to consult with the Mayo Clinic — ensuring the medical campus that became today's Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center was built to the highest standards. He cared about residents' care even from a distance.

The First Residents

Wick & Uhl, October 16, 1978

Luman and Mary Wick (Topeka, Kansas) and Edward and Clarice Uhl (Alameda, California) were the first two couples to receive keys to their Sun City West homes. They are the foundational residents from whom every subsequent SCW community member traces back.

The Brand Lives On

Del Webb still builds today

In July 2001, the Del Webb Corporation merged with Pulte Homes to create the nation's largest homebuilding company. Today Del Webb is a national brand of PulteGroup — the leading builder of active-adult communities in America, with dozens of communities across more than 20 states. Every new Del Webb community ever built traces its DNA back to Sun City West.

Self-Governing

One of the largest unincorporated communities in the U.S.

Sun City West is an unincorporated community in Maricopa County — no mayor, no city council, no city government at all. Day-to-day "governance" is handled by the Property Owners and Residents Association (PORA), a quasi-governmental advocacy group built by residents. It's one of the largest unincorporated communities of its kind in the United States.

The Volunteer Engine

Run by its residents

What makes SCW endure isn't the original Del Webb plan — it's that residents took ownership of it. The Sheriff's Posse has patrolled the streets 365 days a year since 1979. The PRIDES have kept 26 miles of common areas pristine since 1982. Over 100,000 combined volunteer hours per year from residents who could be doing anything else. That's the real Del Webb legacy.

The Cactus League

Webb in the Cactus League Hall of Fame

Del Webb was inducted into the Cactus League Hall of Fame for his role in establishing Arizona as the home of Major League Baseball spring training. His 1951 Yankees-Giants spring training swap proved Arizona could host a top franchise — paving the way for the multi-billion-dollar Cactus League economy that today brings 15 MLB teams to the West Valley every spring.

The Question Everyone Asks

Did Del Webb ever live here?

It's one of the most common questions about Sun City West. The answer is one of the most interesting things about the man who built it.

"Webb himself never slowed down long enough to live in the kind of place he had created."

Del Webb lived in Phoenix his entire adult life, never moving into one of his own active-adult communities. He worked long hours, traveled constantly between Las Vegas and New York and Los Angeles, and seemed happiest when a new project was just beginning. He died on July 4, 1974, at age 75, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — from complications following surgery for lung cancer. Ironically, Webb had been a lifelong, militant non-smoker; a permanent NO SMOKING sign sat on his desk.

He had no children. His ashes were spread across Arizona — meaning, in a poetic sense, the man is now everywhere across the state he transformed. The man who invented retirement living never actually retired.

The Legacy

One Arizona experiment, a national movement

The success of Sun City and Sun City West triggered something Webb himself probably didn't fully anticipate. Communities inspired by his model began appearing across the country.

Arizona Nevada California Florida Texas South Carolina

Today, virtually every "55+ active adult community" in America traces its DNA back to what Del Webb pioneered in the Arizona desert. The phrase itself — active adult — didn't exist before Sun City. Webb invented it, sold it, and proved the world was waiting for it.

Before Del Webb, retirement was associated with quiet aging. After Del Webb, it was associated with golf and tennis and pickleball, with travel and learning, with hobby clubs and woodworking shops and dance classes, with sunshine and friendships and resort-style amenities. That cultural shift — that's the real Del Webb legacy.

Sun City West stands as a lasting symbol of a uniquely American idea — that retirement could be not an ending, but a new chapter filled with purpose, friendship, recreation, and freedom.

Sun City West Today

The vision still works

More than six decades after the first homes opened in the original Sun City, the Del Webb formula still defines what people expect from a retirement community. The blend of affordability, golf, recreation, desert beauty, and strong community culture continues to attract retirees from across the country — and the world.

Sun City West remains one of the premier active-adult communities in the nation. Every day, residents log thousands of volunteer hours, fill 103 chartered clubs, populate four recreation centers, and prove the original idea was right.

A builder believed people deserved more than simply a place to live.
They deserved a lifestyle built around joy, activity, and community.

— That belief is still building homes today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Every question buyers ask about Sun City West & Del Webb

Real answers to the questions we get most often from people researching the community. If you have a question that isn't here, just ask us.

Did Del Webb ever live in Sun City West?

No. Del Webb lived in Phoenix his entire adult life and never moved into any of the active-adult communities his company created. He worked long hours, traveled constantly, and as the Palm Springs Life biography put it: "Webb himself never slowed down long enough to live in the kind of place he had created." He died on July 4, 1974, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. His ashes were spread across Arizona — so in a poetic sense, the man is now everywhere across the state he transformed.

When were Sun City West homes built?

Sun City West was built between 1978 and 1997 by the Del E. Webb Development Company across six distinct construction phases. The community was officially "built out" in 1997 with approximately 16,900 homes total. After the original construction concluded, Webb began developing the adjacent Sun City Grand to the southwest.

What's the difference between Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, and Corte Bella?

Sun City (1960) was Del Webb's original retirement community, located east of Grand Avenue. It has approximately 27,500 residences and is the largest of the Sun Cities by home count. 55+ community.

Sun City West (1978–1997) sits about 2.5 miles to the west and has approximately 16,900 homes. It was built with the benefit of 18 years of lessons learned from the original — bigger lots, wider streets, more recreational amenities per resident, and (in the later phases) significantly upgraded construction specs. 55+ community.

Sun City Grand (1996–2005), now branded "The Grand," sits across Grand Avenue from SCW in the city of Surprise. About 9,800 homes on 4,000 acres. Four championship golf courses, lifelong learning programs, and a Village Center. 45+ community (more flexible age restrictions than the older Sun Cities).

Corte Bella (2003–2007) is Del Webb's private country club community — gated, with only 1,650 homes on 718 acres. Santa Barbara Spanish architecture, semi-private golf course, upscale amenities. 45+ community. Shares the SCW zip code (85375) but is a completely separate community with its own HOA and price tier.

For pricing purposes, none of these communities are valid comps for each other. Each has its own market, its own fees, and its own amenities. We make sure every comparable property we evaluate is from the same community.

What construction was used in Sun City West homes?

It depends on the phase. Homes built in the earlier phases (1978–1992) generally use traditional 2x4 wood-frame construction. Floor plans and amenities evolved meaningfully throughout this period as DEVCO learned from residents and refined its model offerings.

Starting in 1993, Del Webb meaningfully upgraded its construction specs in Sun City West. Every home built between 1993 and 1997 features 2x6 wall construction, was stubbed for natural gas, and was finished with a concrete tile roof. These Phase 6 homes are widely considered the best-built homes in the original Sun City West.

What is the Sun City West Expansion Area?

The Expansion Area is the northwest portion of Sun City West, announced by DEVCO in 1992 and built out between 1993 and 1997. It added 1,335 acres and approximately 2,500 homes to the community, planned for an additional 6,000–6,400 residents.

The Expansion Area homes are bordered roughly by Horseman Lane, Via Montoya, and Montego Drive, west of Dusty Trail Boulevard. Two important quirks: (1) these homes are in the Dysart Unified School District while the rest of SCW de-annexed years earlier, so they carry a small school district line item on property taxes; and (2) every home in the Expansion Area was built to the upgraded 1993–97 construction spec (2x6, gas-stubbed, tile roof).

Who was R.H. Johnson?

Robert H. Johnson was Chairman of the Del E. Webb Corporation during the planning and groundbreaking of Sun City West. He was one of the dignitaries who broke ground on February 15, 1978. The R.H. Johnson Recreation Center — the largest and oldest of SCW's four recreation centers — was named after him, as is R.H. Johnson Boulevard, the community's main east-west spine road.

How many recreation centers does Sun City West have?

Sun City West has four major recreation centers: R.H. Johnson (the flagship, opened 1979), Beardsley (indoor focus), Kuentz (arts and theater hub), and Palm Ridge (Expansion Area, opened May 27, 1994). All four are available to every Sun City West resident with no additional fee beyond the annual community recreation centers fee. See our complete rec centers guide for full amenities at each.

How many golf courses are in Sun City West?

Sun City West has nine golf courses: Hillcrest (1979, the original "Emerald Valley"), Stardust, Pebblebrook, Echo Mesa, Trail Ridge, Grandview, Deer Valley (1994, Expansion Area), and Desert Trails (1995). Seven are open to the public and two are private. See our complete Sun City West golf guide for details on each course.

Is Corte Bella part of Sun City West?

Corte Bella has a Sun City West mailing address (zip 85375) and was built by Del Webb, but it's a separate community from Sun City West. It's gated, has its own HOA, its own private country club, its own golf course, and its own architectural style (Santa Barbara Spanish). Corte Bella homes typically trade at higher price points than SCW homes of similar size.

For valuation, this matters: a Corte Bella home is never a valid comparable for a standard Sun City West home, and vice versa. If you see a comp pulled from the wrong community, the price will be off — sometimes significantly. We always filter comps to the correct community boundary.

Did Del Webb build the land west of Grand Avenue?

Not in the way originally planned. DEVCO's 1975 master plan called for a "Phase 2" of Sun City West to extend west of Grand Avenue — but the 1981 financial crisis (when interest rates hit 20%+) forced the Webb Corporation to sell off assets. The land west of Grand was the first to go. As a result, that land was eventually developed by other parties into what is now Sun City Grand (1996, by a recovered Del Webb), Happy Trails, Arizona Traditions, and other West Valley communities. So Del Webb did eventually return to the western land — but as a brand-new community, not as part of Sun City West.

Is Sun City West age-restricted?

Yes. Sun City West is a 55+ active adult community. At least one person on the home's title must be age 55 or older. The age restriction is protected under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act exemption to the Fair Housing Act.

Does Sun City West have an HOA?

There is no community-wide HOA in Sun City West. Most detached single-family homes have no HOA at all. Some condominium and townhome developments within SCW have their own individual HOAs that handle landscaping and exterior maintenance — fees vary by development.

However, every property owner pays an annual fee to the Recreation Centers of Sun City West, which funds the rec centers, golf courses, library, and common areas. See our community fees breakdown for current amounts.

Who governs Sun City West?

Sun City West is an unincorporated community — it has no mayor, no city council, and no city government. Day-to-day community advocacy is handled by the Property Owners and Residents Association (PORA), a quasi-governmental organization run by residents. Municipal services come from Maricopa County and a mix of public and private agencies. It's one of the largest unincorporated communities of its kind in the United States.

What was Del Webb's company called?

Del Webb founded the Del E. Webb Construction Company in 1928. In 1960, the firm went public as the Del E. Webb Corporation on the New York Stock Exchange. The residential development arm — the entity that built Sun City and Sun City West — was the Del E. Webb Development Company (DEVCO), a subsidiary founded in 1952. In July 2001, the Del Webb Corporation merged with Pulte Homes. Today, "Del Webb" is a national brand of PulteGroup that continues to build active-adult communities across the United States.

What did Del Webb build besides Sun City?

Del Webb's company built a remarkable portfolio across the 20th century. In Arizona alone: the 1938 Arizona State Capitol addition, Phoenix Symphony Hall, the Phoenix Civic Center, St. Joseph's Hospital, Christown Mall, the Westward Ho Hotel, the Arizona Republic Building, Luke Air Force Base, Williams Air Force Base, the Hughes Missile Plant in Tucson (now Raytheon), and Mountain Shadows Resort in Scottsdale. Nationally: the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the Beverly Hilton, Madison Square Garden renovations, and Kraft Foods distribution centers across the country. He also built entire communities: Pueblo Gardens (Tucson, 1948) and the company mining town of San Manuel (1953).

Did Del Webb own the New York Yankees?

Yes. In January 1945, Del Webb purchased the New York Yankees alongside Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail. Over the 20 years of Webb's ownership, the Yankees appeared in 15 World Series and won 10 of them — the DiMaggio-to-Mantle dynasty years featuring Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and manager Casey Stengel. Webb and Topping sold the team to CBS in 1964 for $11.2 million.

Why is the Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center named after him?

The medical center serving Sun City West today is named after Del Webb because his company built the original hospital — and Webb insisted from the very beginning that healthcare facilities had to be part of every Sun City community. He was personally involved in steering the design team to consult with the Mayo Clinic🍪. Today, Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center operates under the Banner Health system and is one of the top hospitals serving the West Valley.

Ready to call Sun City West home?

Knowing the phases, the construction differences, and the deep history of SCW is the difference between guessing about a home and knowing exactly what you're buying. We bring that knowledge to every transaction.

📞 Call Lona — (623) 203-6271 📞 Call Billy — (480) 297-3830