As we’ve covered on the Sunbound blog before, one of the best things about retiring to Phoenix is that the Phoenix metro area is actually a collection of a bunch of different amazing cities, each with their own unique flavors and each offering its own benefits and reasons to retire there. From the resort-style amenities of a town like Scottsdale, to college towns like Tempe, to quieter more retiree-focused communities like Goodyear, you’re likely to find the perfect place to retire in one of the cities that make up the Phoenix Metropolitan area. With so many great options to choose from, make sure to keep checking the Sunbound blog as we take you through all the best places in Phoenix, Arizona for retirement. Next up this week is Buckeye, Arizona - a beautiful and relaxed town in the western suburbs of Phoenix. Not only is Buckeye the westernmost of Phoenix’s suburbs, sitting roughly 30 miles to the west of downtown Phoenix, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

‍Retiree Destination ‍

What is now known as the city of Buckeye, Arizona was first established in 1877 by a group of settlers from Iowa who had traveled to the desert in order to look for a place to live to improve their health. And since this time, people have continued to flock to Buckeye, Arizona in order to seek a relaxing, healthy lifestyle in the desert. So many people have chosen to move to Buckeye, Arizona, that it routinely ranks as one of the fastest growing cities in the entire country, earning the label of the fastest growing city in America in 2017 and 2018. To put it in another context, while the population of Buckeye, Arizona was just over 6,000 people in 2000, today it is over 90,000. 

One interesting thing about the demographics of Buckeye is that while it is an incredibly popular spot for retirement, the ages of the town’s residents are actually fairly spread out with only 6.7% of the population being at or above the age of 65. This makes Buckeye perfect for people who want to enjoy a more laid back retirement lifestyle in a peaceful desert town, but who still want to live around groups of all ages. 

‍Great Communities‍

One of the reasons that so many people flock to Buckeye, Arizona is the prevalence of amazing master-planned communities. This is particularly true of active adult and senior living communities, as Buckeye has some of the best active adult and senior living facilities in the entire state. A few of the most popular communities in Buckeye are listed below:

‍Sun City Festival - Built by nationwide active adult community builder Del Webb, Sun City Festival in Buckeye provides resort-style amenities and luxury single-story homes. Their amenities include two large recreational centers, a clubhouse with a pool, spa, and fitness center, and 27 holes of professional golf as well as tennis, pickleball, bocce, and basketball courts. Sun City Festival also offers a variety of cultural offerings like dancing lessons in its spacious ballroom or using its state of the art craft studio.

‍Victory at Verrado - Victory at Verrado is another high-end active adult community in Buckeye offering resort-style amenities and plenty of amazing activities and social opportunities. Victory is located at the base of the beautiful White Tank Mountains, and provides a stunning view of the Valley of the Sun and Verrado below. Along with these scenic views, Victory at Verrado offers 21 miles of walking paths and hiking trails as well as a top-flight golf course. What makes Victory at Verrado particularly unique is the main street of Verrado, offering all the shopping and dining you could ever want. In addition, Victory at Verrado even has a vineyard, which not only offers amazing wine but also a host of activities too, like wine education nights or the annual Harvest and Crush party. 

‍Sundance Adult Village - Another active adult community located near the White Tank Mountains is Sundance Adult Village. A relatively larger active adult community, Sundance Adult Village has roughly 1,100 homes. The community also has some great amenities, such as two pools, a fitness center offering classes led by fitness instructors, and an 18-hole golf course. In addition, the community features over 20 clubs catering to a wide range of interests like quilting, banasta, tennis, or fitness. 

Along with the great communities that exist within Buckeye’s actual boundaries, there are also some other really amazing living options in neighboring towns that you should definitely consider if you like the sound of Buckeye. In neighboring Goodyear, Arizona, for example, is one of our favorite communities and one that we recently featured in the Sunbound Blog community spotlight: Robson Reserve at PebbleCreek. Built by Robson Communities, one of the premier home builders in Arizona, Robson Reserve at PebbleCreek offers luxury, amenity-rich senior living with both independent and assisted living options. What’s so amazing and unique about Robson Reserve at PebbleCreek is not just the high level of amenities it has on property, like a state of the art private movie theater, but the fact that because it is connected to the neighboring active adult community built by Robson called PebbleCreek, residents of Robson Reserve also get to enjoy all of the amazing amenities offered by that community as well. 

So if you love the Buckeye area, but want to explore some other options, make sure to check out neighboring towns like Goodyear or Surprise. 

‍Convenient Desert Lifestyle‍

One thing we’re always hearing from people who relocate to Buckeye, Arizona is how much they love being close enough to downtown Phoenix to take advantage of all the amenities and services it has to offer, while also being in a slightly quieter neighborhood away from all the hustle and bustle of the big city. For many retirees this provides the perfect balance of being a short drive from everything they need in their daily life as well as plenty of entertainment options, while also getting to live away from it all. Along with offering a measure of peace and quiet, being on the western edge of Phoenix also gives residents of Buckeye easy access by car to Arizona’s beautiful outdoors. From amazing hikes to enjoying countless golf courses, there’s no shortage of amazing outdoor activities in and around Buckeye. Another way to get outside, at least in the spring, is to visit all of the Major League Baseball teams that have their spring training facilities in and around Buckeye (several teams also host spring training in Goodyear, Arizona right next door). Whatever your interests are, you’ll have plenty to do in the warm Arizona sun if you move to Buckeye. 

Sunbound is the best way to pay for senior living. If you want to learn more about how Sunbound can help make senior living more affordable for residents and easier to manage for communities, email us at info@sunboundhomes.com or request a demo here. Sunbound is on a mission to make senior living more affordable for everyone.