The Original Retirement Community

We spent a day earlier this month in the northwest part of "The Valley" in Surprise and Sun City. It was geocaching that took us 90 miles from home. Besides, the 30 or so geocaches we found, we saw some interesting sculptures and the Original Retirement Community.

This was by far the most stunning sculpture of the day, located very appropriately by the library. It is called Learning Tree Sculpture by Joe Tyler.

27 feet high metal tree shading

a 10 by 14 foot book

detail on the ends of the two metal benches

one of the book's quotes

(click on the photo to make it larger for reading)

and the other appropriate quote

the details completely intrigued me

I have since learned Joe Tyler has a similar sculpture in Chandler: Las Brisas: Tree Ramada and Hummingbird Arch at the entrance to a park. Joe also did the 5 Cs sculpture in Chandler. (posted in the December 11, 2020 blog post.

Christmas display at the Texas Rangers stadium

Lucky Strike

some of us are old enough to think cigarettes?

another sculpture near the entrance to a golf course

Finally, the biggest surprise to me, learning that Retirement Communities started in the 1960s.

Sun City was opened January 1, 1960, with five home models, a shopping center, a recreation center, and a golf course. The opening weekend drew 100,000 people, ten times more than expected, and resulted in a Time magazine cover story. The future retirement community was built on the site of the former ghost town of Marinette. Developer Del E. Webb expanded Sun City over the years, and his company went on to build other retirement communities in the Sun Belt. Sun City West was built in the late 1970s, Sun City Grand in the late 1990s, Sun City Anthem in 1999, and Sun City Festival in July 2006. ~ Wikipedia

Sun City, Arizona wasn't the first of its kind though. In 1957 Sun City, California was built in the middle of the Southern California desert next to a tiny town called Menifee.

one of the five original model homes in Sun City AZ

The idea of a community for 'active retired people' was radical in 1960. Couple that with building it far from downtown Phoenix, way out in the desert! Bell Road was still dirt in that area. The first communities were built in concentric circles with four main pin wheels. Originally, there were no fences between the houses, being more of the style from the east.

purchased in 1989 by the Sun Cities Historical Society

it is now a museum

The story of Del Webb, the contractor for this first retirement community, is quite interesting. We see Del Webb communities throughout 'The Valley." I am including a link to his Wikipedia page: Del Webb