Best Places to Retire in Phoenix

Phoenix is a very large area geographically that includes many towns and 55+ and active adult communities. As the largest city in Arizona, there is sure to be a community with the retirement lifestyles you are looking for at a price your budget can afford. For example you could retire to a large new urban community within the City of Phoenix, live in a traditional college town like Mesa, or choose from hundreds of gated and active adult communities that about abound in the Phoenix Metro.


 
 
 

Here are some of our favorite places to retire in and around Phoenix:

  • Chandler - is a fast growing town southeast of Phoenix. Formerly agricultural (think ostriches), what we like about Chandler is that all kinds of people live here, not just retirees. It has a very strong performing arts resource.
  • Mesa - This is now the 5th largest city in Arizona. Mesa has many cultural resources, in addition to being adjacent to the Superstition Mountains.
  • Scottsdale - This fast-growing and very affluent town was one of the first suburban outgrowths of Phoenix. Its setting in the desert by the McDowell Mountains is spectacular. In addition to being a famous resort, Scottsdale is home to a wide variety of active adult communities.
  • Sun City - There are actually several Sun Cities in the Phoenix Metro - the original Sun City, Sun City West, and Sun City Festival. Sun City is the archetype of the active adult community. It is huge and offers every type of activity and housing. The original Sun City is northwest of Phoenix near Glendale.
  • Goodyear - Goodyear, west of Phoenix, is one of the newer towns in the Phoenix area. It can boast of being the spring training home of 2 major baseball teams (both from Ohio) - the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinatti Reds. Two colleges have purchased land in Goodyear for possible future development - Franklin Pierce University and the University of the Incarnate Word.
  • Glendale - This old farming town northwest of Phoenix has since been engulfed by the Phoenix metro. Vestiges of its past remain, but for the most part it is now suburban and filled with developments. Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management has the old WW II Thunderbird Air Base as its campus in Glendale.
  • City-Data discussion about active adult communities in Phoenix
  • Further out of Phoenix - Paradise Valley, Buckeye, Peoria, Gilbert, Goodyear, Tempe, and Surprise are some of the other popular retirement towns in the Greater Phoenix area. Each has something unique to offer.
  • More About the Best Places to Retire in Arizona
  • Active Adult Communities in Arizona
  • Retirement Guides to 49 Other States
  
   
 

Click here For a Directory of Phoenix's Best Active Adult Communities