Why visit Sun City
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 51 parks and trails, 114 places to eat, 14 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Harkins Arrowhead Fountains 18, Sun Bowl Amphitheatre, Central School and Sun City Country Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 105°F; December lows average 40°F.
Weather in Sun City
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Sun City
Sun City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, that is located within the Phoenix metropolitan area.
From the Wikipedia article Sun City, Arizona (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Harkins Arrowhead Fountains 18
Cinema and theater · 2.7 mi
16046 North Arrowhead Fountains Center Drive, Peoria
Museums and landmarks6
Sun Bowl Amphitheatre
Museum · 2.7 mi
Concert venue in Sun City, Arizona, United States of America
10220 North 107th Avenue, Sun City
Central School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
School building in Peoria, Arizona
Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum
Museum · 1.1 mi
10801 West Oakmont Drive, Sun City
Parks, trails and playgrounds51
Sun City Country Club
Golf course · American · 2.9 mi
18 hole Par 72
9433 North 107th Avenue, Sun City
Coyote Lakes Golf Club
Golf course · 3.1 mi
18 hole Par 71
18800 North Coyote Lakes Parkwway, Surprise
Sun City Lakes West Golf Course
Golf course · 0.5 mi
18 hole Par 72
10433 West Talisman Road, Sun City
39 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes114
Scooter's Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 3.3 mi
12675 West Bell Road, Surprise
Mo-Fr 05:00-19:00; Sa 06:00-19:00; Su 06:00-18:00
808 Social
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 3.4 mi
8435 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria
Mo-Fr 06:00-14:00,Sa-Su 07:00-14:00
House of Honey
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.9 mi
9163 West Union Hills Drive, Peoria
Mo-Sa 06:30-15:00; Su off
102 more on the map.
History
In June 1959, James G. Boswell II, then owner of the J.G. Boswell Company, sold the company’s Marinette and Santa Fe ranches to Del E. Webb Development Co for more than $20 million. This land, totaling 20,000 acres, would become the company’s first retirement community, Sun City.
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. At first it was called the Marinette Retirement Community, but after a nationwide naming contest in which the winner would win a house, developer Del Webb selected the name Sun City.
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.
The community is well known to law students, as it is featured in the case Spur Industries, Inc. v. Del E. Webb Development Co., 494 P.2d 700 (Ariz. 1972), commonly used in first-year property law courses to illustrate nuisance law.
The community's street network design consists largely of concentric circles in four main pinwheels.
From the History section of Sun City, Arizona on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay14
Comfort Inn & Suites Surprise Near Sun City West
Motel and hotel · 3.0 mi
16741 North Greasewood Street, Surprise
Windmill Suites Surprise, Ascend Hotel Collection
Motel and hotel · 3.1 mi
12545 West Bell Road, Surprise
Extended Stay America Select Suites - Phoenix - Peoria - Sun City
Motel and hotel · 2.0 mi
8949 West Sweetwater Avenue, Peoria
Holiday Inn Express Peoria North - Glendale
Motel and hotel · 2.8 mi
16771 North 84th Avenue, Peoria
Churches and places of worship46
Sun City Church of the Nazarene
Church · Church Of The Nazarene · 0.5 mi
14636 North Del Webb Boulevard, Sun City
Saint Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 2.1 mi
9728 West Palmeras Drive, Sun City
Santa Teresita Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 2.1 mi
14016 North Verbena Street, El Mirage
Pan de Vida Iglesia Luterana
Church · Lutheran · 2.8 mi
12444 West Paradise Lane, Surprise
All Saints of the Desert Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal · 1.7 mi
9502 West Hutton Drive, Sun City
Antioch Church of God in Christ
Church · Pentecostal · 2.6 mi
9600 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church
Church · Orthodox · 1.8 mi
11234 West Alabama Avenue, Youngtown
Compass Bible Church
Church · Protestant · 1.8 mi
11230 West Alabama Avenue, Youngtown
Shopping23
Gas and EV charging22
Schools, colleges and libraries62
Centennial High School
School · 3.0 mi
14388 North 79th Avenue, Peoria
Healthcare67
AMAVA Regenerative Medicine
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.5 mi
9720 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria
Map of Sun City
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 41°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 69°F | 44°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 76°F | 49°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 84°F | 55°F | 0.3 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 93°F | 64°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 102°F | 72°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 105°F | 80°F | 0.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 104°F | 79°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 98°F | 72°F | 0.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 87°F | 60°F | 0.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 74°F | 48°F | 0.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 40°F | 0.9 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Youngtown (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Maricopa County has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-06-28: Boulder View Fire (Fire)
- 2024-06-12: Rose Fire (Fire)
- 2023-06-28: Diamond Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-27: Avondale Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-23: Aquila Fire (Fire)
- 2020-06-20: Bush Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Luke Air Force Base (LUF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Youngtown 2 mi southwest, about 4 min by car
- El Mirage 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- Sun City West 6 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
- Glendale 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Litchfield Park 9 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Surprise 10 mi west, about 17 min by car
- Citrus Park 11 mi southwest, about 18 min by car
- Phoenix 12 mi east, about 19 min by car
- Tolleson 12 mi south, about 19 min by car
- Peoria 13 mi north, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Sun City-Sun City DEVCO Model -1-1959, Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sun Bowl, Sun City Arizona, USA, Carptrash, CC BY-SA 4.0
- P-Peoria Central School 1906, Tony the Marine ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.