A Guide to 55+ Active Living Communities in Arizona

 

Retire to the Sunny Desert Oasis of Arizona

Though it’s best known for its Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona is also a great place for retired, active adults to pursue what they love, whether golf, swimming, hiking or a new hobby.

With sunny skies throughout the year and plenty of stunning desert landscapes, Arizona is a beautiful place to live for those 55 and older. Much of Arizona is arid, flat desert terrain with year-round temperatures that rarely dip below 40F in the winter or rise above 110F in the peak of summer. If you’re looking for climate change, the mountainous region of Northern Arizona experiences the four seasons, where autumn colors or a weekend ski trip are within a few hours' drive away.

Arizona’s best 55+ communities are picturesque oases with lots to do for long-term residents. There’s a surprisingly diverse choice of desert-friendly plants that grow well in a low-maintenance xeriscape setting. Growing your fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs is possible year-round in raised, irrigated home garden beds and orchards for those who enjoy the hobby.

Many of the most popular places to live in Arizona for active 55+ seniors are master-planned communities with move-in-ready single-story homes, perfect for empty nesters looking to downsize and age in place.

Other excellent Arizona housing options include luxury apartment rentals, age-restricted, manufactured home communities, and condominiums.

Famous cities like Phoenix and Tempe offer high-end dining and shopping opportunities while still maintaining a relatively conservative, rural charm that persists across the state. Historically, Arizona has been home to many indigenous tribes, and the cultural impact of these tribes can still be seen today.

Whether you’re looking for the advantages of living in an age-restricted community or want the vibrancy of an all-ages neighborhood, you’re sure to find a place to live in Arizona that best suits your lifestyle!

 

Popular Areas for Retirees in Arizona

Among 55+ residents of Arizona, Phoenix and the surrounding areas are the most popular choices thanks to the fantastic array of activities well-suited to an active lifestyle.

Consider moving into a community in Phoenix’s East or West Valleys, or look at housing outside the Phoenix area. Many of the most popular areas for retirement are near each other. If you’re looking to travel as part of an active lifestyle, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is just a short drive from the best retirement locations in the state.

Phoenix East Valley

The Phoenix East Valley metropolitan area has plenty of nearby wilderness pockets to explore. Active residents enjoy fun activities like river tubing, kayaking in Tempe Town Lake, and hiking through Lost Dutchman State Park. The variety of shopping, dining, entertainment, and art options rival that of a big city.

Popular 55+ communities within Phoenix East Valley are found in the suburbs of Chandler, Apache Junction, Mesa, Tempe, and Rio Verde.

Phoenix West Valley

Phoenix West Valley is a beautiful section of Maricopa County that includes the scenic suburbs of Peoria, Buckeye, El Mirage, and Surprise. This booming district routinely hosts live events like concerts, comedy shows, and sporting events.

Check out West Phoenix’s shopping malls and entertainment centers, or tee up your next round of golf. It's easy to stay active in this attractive valley!

Outside of Phoenix

While Phoenix is one of Arizona’s most popular destinations, plenty of great towns are outside the city limits!

Popular locations include the luxury, outdoor-centric Scottsdale, filled with golf courses, spas, and high-class eateries, and Florence, a historic suburb with many museums and buildings constructed in Victorian architecture.

The rural community of San Tan Valley is especially popular with those 55 and older, offering many quiet residential neighborhoods and leisure activities like hiking and nature tours.

 

Arizona’s Best Activities for Active Residents

Arizona is an ideal state for those seeking an active retirement. Check out activity groups, outdoor excursions, and other fun things to do within your community and around town!

Staying Active Within Your Community

Many indoor and outdoor on-property activities exist in Arizona’s active older adult communities.

Many residential communities have fitness centers and gyms for those who want to work out close to home. Some have walking trails that wind through the property, while many feature dog parks and DIY grooming stations so your pets can stay as fit and healthy as you!

Swim in the Community Pool

Arizona’s desert climate means that pools are available for year-round use. Most 55+ communities feature pools and spas for residents to use at their leisure.

In addition to providing relief from the heat, swimming is a great way to stay active as you get older. Water sports like water aerobics and lap swimming put less stress on the joints than other high-intensity land-based workouts while reaping the same health benefits. Many seniors use hydrotherapy to stay fit despite chronic pain, while others simply enjoy the fun of staying active.

Visit the Community Center or Clubhouse

Many 55+ residential areas feature a private community center or clubhouse. These recreation centers offer the perfect opportunity to meet your neighbors and house various activities, many of which are great for staying active!

Indoor activities include board games, group exercise classes, and meetups for interest groups like book clubs, card games, and arts and crafts. Outdoors, you’ll find options such as tennis and pickleball courts, scenic walking trails meandering through desert landscaping, and golf courses or putting greens. 

Enjoy a Low-Maintenance Property

The desert climate of Arizona means most roads are flat, easily walkable, and golf-cart friendly. It also means that properties don’t require much maintenance, and you won’t have to spend your weekends maintaining the lawn, raking leaves, or shoveling snow.

Many 55+ residences also offer access to a community garden, where you can rent your own raised bed to grow your favorite desert-friendly produce with other like-minded community residents.

Explore the Nearby Off-Property Areas

Arizona has abundant fun and exciting things to do that aren’t far from residential communities. Shopping opportunities include large malls and locally-owned shops with handmade goods. Casual dining options include authentic Mexican, American, Asian, and Mediterranean fare. Fine dining options, like traditional steakhouses and modern, multi-course, haute cuisine, are perfect for special occasions. 

Take a day trip to standout art museums like the Phoenix Art Museum, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. Arizona also has many live music venues that perform concerts from rising stars and golden oldies.

Culturally-specific gathering places are familiar in Arizona, including meeting spaces for different ethnic groups and religious centers like churches and temples. The diversity of cultures in Arizona is one of the most exciting reasons to call it home! 

If you’re planning to travel during your retirement, Arizona has multiple international airports, the largest of which is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). If you’d prefer not to fly, the Amtrak train arrives in Maricopa, the closest station to Phoenix. Convenient bus transfers to the Flagstaff train station are also available directly from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Trains head to significant destinations such as San Diego, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Chicago!

Also, close to many of the most popular 55+ communities in Arizona is Mexico! At just under three hours by car from Phoenix and Tempe and about an hour and a half from Tucson, the border towns are very accessible for seniors.

Play a Round of Golf 

With year-round sunny weather and a generally drier climate than other country areas, golf can be enjoyed 365 days a year in Arizona!

Arizona has over 300 golf courses in various styles and layouts, so you can easily find one. Some standout courses include the Rio Verde Golf & Social Club, Phoenix Scottsdale Golf, and the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club.

Hike the Trails

While there are opportunities to stroll around the property at most 55+ senior living communities, many scenic hiking trails offer new experiences and opportunities to challenge yourself!

Arizona is home to a diverse array of permanent and migratory wildlife. Keep your cameras and binoculars at hand to observe the incredible variety of bird life you’ll encounter throughout the year. Some larger animals you may see include deer, wild horses and donkeys, coyotes, and the occasional mountain lion. 

Any time of year, pre-dawn hikes to the local summits are rewarded with gorgeous sunrises over the valley. Flash floods are common in dry canyons due to snow melt and monsoons. It’s essential to stay aware of your surroundings as the ruggedness of the natural environment includes an element of danger. 

Popular tourist spots like Sedona and the Grand Canyon offer opportunities for hiking, camping, and water sports for seniors. You can also find local trails that wind through picturesque regions of the desert, such as Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak.

Win Big at the Casinos

You don’t have to travel to Las Vegas to try your luck!

There are many casinos in and around the Phoenix area, while other destinations in the state have casinos, too! Popular casinos can be found in towns like Flagstaff, Scottsdale, Mohave Valley, and more. 

 

Why Arizona Could Be the Perfect New Home for You

Arizona is one of the most senior-friendly states in the country, and it’s an ideal retirement spot for people looking to relax but also stay active and healthy!

It’s a popular choice thanks to its excellent health services, low-maintenance lifestyle, affordable cost of living, and consistently sunny and warm weather. It’s especially desirable for active older adults who love having new experiences.

Arizona offers a retirement full of discovery and adventure, where you can golf, hike, stay fit, explore stunning desert landscapes, gamble, visit art museums, and celebrate diverse cultural events. 

 

Explore Arizona’s Most Popular Types of Communities

There are various types of active older adult residential options in Arizona. You’re sure to find one that suits your budget and lifestyle needs. Some of the most popular are listed below.

Golf Course Communities

For those who enjoy regular rounds of golf, there are fantastic master-planned golf course communities with properties with golf course views and convenient access to the course and surrounding amenities.  Some of these courses are for the exclusive use of the residents. 

Courses of all sizes and types abound in Arizona! Some offer professional-level design, private membership, and added amenities, while others are designed for all levels of the public, whether novice or casual golfers. Many communities offer putting greens and driving ranges for residents to practice honing their skills in between rounds.  

Manufactured Home Communities

Seeking a budget-friendly way to enjoy Arizona’s active older adult lifestyle? Buying or leasing a manufactured home in one of Arizona’s manufactured home communities is an affordable option. 

These communities are either resident-owned or land-lease, both of which have advantages. 

Luxury Apartment Rentals

If you’re looking forward to total relaxation and living a life of luxury, check out luxury apartment rentals in Arizona.

Leasing a luxury apartment allows active older adults the benefits of resort-style living with the flexibility of being free to move if they find a more appealing community. Luxury apartments have many amenities that appeal to 55+ residents without extra costs. These features include outdoor entertainment areas with pools, spas, and BBQ facilities, tennis/pickleball/ basketball courts, modern fitness centers, clubhouse and activity centers, dog parks, secure parking, and other high-end features you might expect to find at 5-star hotels.

Luxury apartment floor plans are appealing because they often are on a single floor, have elevators to upper floors, great views, modern appliances and fixtures, and high-quality flooring and window coverings. Unit sizes range from studios to three bedrooms and often feature a private patio or balcony.   

Condominium Communities

Condominium (condo) communities encourage a sense of shared community between residents while also offering amenities that are exclusive to the residents. They're the perfect midpoint between the higher costs of maintaining a single-family home and the impermanence of leasing an apartment.

The advantage of condo living is that maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowners' association. Anything that needs to be repaired or replaced outside your unit’s walls is paid monthly. In Arizona, condo communities are dedicated to 55+ residents and communities that welcome residents of all ages.  

 

Arizona Cost of Living and Taxes

Arizona is one of the most affordable states in the Southwest United States. Compared to neighboring states, the property taxes in Arizona are affordable. The abundance of sunshine makes solar panels the optimal way to produce energy, while taxes on goods and services remain moderate. The proximity to commercial farms keeps the costs of fresh produce and dairy reasonable.

Employment options abound for those seeking to supplement their income or remain active in the workforce. One popular way to subsidize resort living is to work part-time on a golf course for some pocket money and reduced green fees.

Even in well-known cities like Phoenix and Tucson, the cost of living is relatively affordable, especially compared to other states’ metropolitan cities.

 

High-Quality Healthcare in Arizona

Arizona offers numerous general practitioners, specialists, and emergency healthcare organizations throughout the state, all of which are made more accessible to residents through programs like the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s Medicaid agency.

It’s home to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and other standout facilities like Banner-University, St. Joseph’s, and Abrazo. Managed care insurance plans supplement Medicare in Arizona to give you even more excellent choices in how you care for your health. Many of these managed care plans have contracts with medical offices near retirement communities and cater to the active older adult lifestyle.