Genealogy Club Sun City AZ: Family History and Local History

If you are searching for a genealogy club in Sun City AZ, start with the West Valley Genealogical Society, which began in Sun City in 1972 and still holds its public monthly meetings there. For local history, the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum in Sun City covers the story of Sun City and Sun City West.

Three communities, one regional society

Sun City, Sun City West and Sun City Grand each run their own recreation system, card and chartered clubs. Family history works a little differently. The main genealogy group in this corner of the West Valley is an independent society, not a club tied to one recreation card, so people from all three communities can use the same meetings and library. The museum is also its own organization.

What I tell clients: if research nights matter to you, name the place you will use most, the society meetings, the Youngtown library or the museum archive, and then we look at homes in the community you like best. For the wider club scene, see my guide to Sun City clubs and activities.

How newcomers usually get started

1. Go to a WVGS membership meeting. They run 1 to 3 p.m., usually on the second Monday, September through May, and the society says they are open to the public.
2. Take a library tour. WVGS lists free tours of its Youngtown library on the last Monday of each month.
3. Join online if it suits you. The society's Join Us page uses an online form, and returning members renew by logging in.
4. Pick a class or special interest group once you know what records you are chasing.
5. If you live in Sun City West, add your recreation card to the mix for on-site Ancestry.com access at the SCW library.

Society dues, museum memberships and recreation card fees are separate from your home purchase, and I do not quote those amounts. Confirm them on each organization's site.

West Valley Genealogical Society

The West Valley Genealogical Society began in Sun City in 1972 with 36 charter members. According to the Sun City Independent, it started as the Sun City Genealogical Society, later kept its collection at the R.H. Johnson Library in Sun City West as the Sun Cities Genealogical Society, and took its current name in 1998 as membership spread across the West Valley.

Today the society holds monthly speaker meetings at First Presbyterian Church in Sun City. Its 2026-2027 schedule lists a November 9, 2026 talk on the haunted history of the Pioneer Cemetery. Meetings run September through May, so plan your first visit in that season.

The WVGS Library at 12222 N. 111th Ave. in Youngtown is a non-circulating research library, so materials stay in the building. The society lists books, periodicals, CDs and a map collection, plus a computer lab with free access to several genealogy websites, including Ancestry.com, and to FamilySearch records that cannot be viewed at home. The Sun City Independent describes it as a FamilySearch affiliate library run by volunteers. Posted hours are:

• Monday and Friday: noon to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday: noon to 4 p.m., October through April
• Closed Wednesdays, and closed on the second Monday of the month for membership meetings

The society also lists classes, special interest groups for research on U.S. and international regions, seminars, research afternoons and research trips to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and archives in Washington, D.C. The library's office line is 623-933-4945. Hours can change, so check azwvgs.org before you go.

Del Webb Sun Cities Museum and local history

The Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, run by the Sun Cities Area Historical Society, collects and displays materials on the history of Sun City and Sun City West and on Del E. Webb and the company that built both communities. The museum is at 10801 W. Oakmont Dr. in Sun City. Posted hours are Sunday noon to 3 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Museum members get free admission.

For researchers, the museum's history and research section has oral histories in audio, video and transcript form, hundreds of photos of Sun City and Sun City West, hundreds of scanned scrapbooks and History Maker videos. Clubs and groups of eight or more can request a tour through the museum's online form. The museum's line is 623-974-2568.

Sun City, Sun City West and Sun City Grand clubs

Sun City. The Recreation Centers of Sun City club pages did not load for me, so I could not confirm a separate RCSC-chartered genealogy club. Check the RCSC club directory or the recreation office before you count on one. The society meetings and museum are in Sun City either way. The Maricopa County Library District's Fairway Library has hosted a beginner program presented by WVGS library representatives; see my Sun City library guide.

Sun City West. The Recreation Centers of Sun City West say recreation members can use Ancestry.com at the Information Center in the library. It cannot be accessed remotely, so you research on site. I did not find a genealogy club on the SCW chartered or non-chartered club lists. An SCW card is not a Sun City card.

Sun City Grand. Sun City Grand in Surprise has its own association and club list. Its current list of chartered clubs and interest groups does not include a genealogy or history club. It does include a Tech Club and a Paper Arts & Memories Club; see my post on computer and photography clubs. Grand residents can use the regional society and museum like anyone else.

FamilySearch. The Sun City Arizona FamilySearch Center at 13014 N. 108th Ave. says it is open to the public, with computers, scanners, printers and local books or records. It posts summer and holiday closures, so check before you go.

Buying tips for research-first buyers

• Name your main resource first: society meetings, the Youngtown library, the museum or on-site Ancestry access in Sun City West.
• Visit during a meeting or open library hours, not only on a quiet afternoon tour.
• A den or spare bedroom makes a good research room for files, a scanner and a computer. Ask Terry for the floor plan on any home you like.
• Compare Sun City, Sun City West and Sun City Grand as separate recreation systems.
• All three are age-restricted communities with rules in their CC&Rs and association documents. Read them before you write an offer.

Some Arizona resales offer assumable FHA or VA loans, which is worth asking about; assumption is subject to lender approval. For the bigger picture, browse the Arizona 55+ living hub.

Questions people ask

Is there a genealogy club in Sun City AZ?

The best-known group is the West Valley Genealogical Society, which began in Sun City in 1972 and holds its monthly meetings at First Presbyterian Church in Sun City, September through May. The society says the meetings are free and open to the public.

Where is the West Valley Genealogical Society library?

At 12222 N. 111th Ave. in Youngtown. It is a non-circulating research library with a computer lab, and it is closed Wednesdays and on meeting Mondays.

Where is the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum?

At 10801 W. Oakmont Dr. in Sun City. It covers the history of Sun City and Sun City West, with online oral histories, photos and scrapbooks.

Does Sun City West have genealogy resources?

Yes. Recreation members can use Ancestry.com on site at the Information Center in the Sun City West library.

Does Sun City Grand have a genealogy club?

Not on the association's current club list. Grand residents can attend the regional society's meetings and use the museum.