How Sun City, Arizona Began: Del Webb and the 1960 Opening Weekend

Sun City, Arizona began on January 1, 1960, when developer Del Webb opened a new community for older adults on former ranch land northwest of Phoenix. It started with five model homes, a shopping center, a recreation center and a golf course, and about 100,000 people showed up that first weekend, roughly ten times what Webb's team expected.

Sun City's curving streets, golf carts and low, tidy homes all have a story behind them. Here is how a piece of West Valley ranch ground turned into one of the best-known communities in the country.

Before Sun City: The Marinette Ranch Land

In June 1959, the J.G. Boswell Company sold its Marinette and Santa Fe ranches, about 20,000 acres in all, to Del E. Webb Development Co. The new community was built on the site of Marinette, a small settlement that had faded into a ghost town by then.

The local historical society notes that a sales office was already up in 1959 when construction began. At first the project went by a working name, the Marinette Retirement Community. That did not last long.

How Sun City Got Its Name

Webb's company held a nationwide naming contest, and the prize was a house. From the entries, Del Webb picked the name Sun City. It was simple, it described the Arizona weather in two words, and it fit on a sign. Later communities built by the company carried the name too, including Sun City West in the late 1970s, Sun City Grand in the late 1990s, Sun City Anthem in 1999 and Sun City Festival in 2006.

Who Was Del Webb?

Delbert Eugene Webb was born in Fresno, California, in 1899. He left high school to apprentice as a carpenter, and in his late 20s he came down with typhoid fever and moved to Phoenix to recover. In 1928 he started the Del E. Webb Construction Company.

Before Sun City, Webb was already a well-known name. He and his partners bought the New York Yankees in 1945, and he co-owned the team until 1964, a run that included 15 World Series appearances and 10 titles. His company was the general contractor for the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas in 1946, and FOX 10 Phoenix notes he also built Luke Air Force Base and the Beverly Hilton. Webb died in 1974. A Sun City tour guide told FOX 10 that of everything Webb built, Sun City was the most significant because it changed people's lives.

Opening Weekend: January 1, 1960

When sales opened on New Year's Day 1960, buyers could walk through five model homes and see a shopping center, a recreation center and a golf course already in place. That was the big idea: instead of selling lots and promising amenities later, Webb built the lifestyle first.

The crowds were huge. About 100,000 people came that first weekend, ten times more than expected, and FOX 10 reports that more than 230 homes sold right away. The story caught national attention, and Del Webb landed on the cover of Time magazine in August 1962.

The First Model Home Is Now a Museum

One of those five original model homes still stands at 10801 W. Oakmont Drive. It is now the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, run by the Sun Cities Area Historical Society. The house is a small two-bedroom model of about 850 square feet, and the museum says visitors love its "pretty in pink" rooms. The first owners, John and Chloe MacDonald, added space across the back. When the home came up for sale in the late 1980s, the historical society bought it and opened it as a museum in January 1990. A Del Webb Gallery was added in 2019.

If you go, check the museum's website or call ahead for current hours, since they can change.

Circles, Rec Centers and a Famous Court Case

From above, Sun City looks different from most of the Valley. Its streets are laid out largely in concentric circles grouped into four main pinwheels. Today the community has eight golf courses, seven recreation centers and the Sun Bowl Amphitheater for concerts and events. Rec centers with names like Oakmont, Fairway, Mountain View, Lakeview and Sundial anchor different parts of town.

Sun City also shows up in law school classrooms. As homes spread south, they ran into a cattle feedlot owned by Spur Industries, and the flies and smell were hurting residents and sales. Webb's company sued, and in 1972 the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the feedlot had to go. In an unusual twist, the court said Webb had to cover Spur's losses from moving or shutting down, since Webb had built toward the feedlot. Law students still study the case today.

Sun City Today

Sun City is still an unincorporated community in Maricopa County, about 16 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, bordered by Youngtown and next to Sun City West. Most neighborhoods are age-restricted, so it is smart to confirm the age rules and any recreation or association fees before writing an offer. You can read more on my Moving to Sun City guide, look at homes for sale in Sun City, or compare with Sun City West. For another Valley history story, see how Falcon Field in Mesa got its name.

Questions People Ask

When did Sun City, Arizona open?
Sun City opened on January 1, 1960. About 100,000 people visited that first weekend to tour five model homes and the early amenities.

Who named Sun City?
Del Webb chose the name after a nationwide naming contest where the winner received a house. Before that, the project was called the Marinette Retirement Community.

Is Sun City, AZ its own city?
No. Sun City is an unincorporated community in Maricopa County, so it does not have its own city government.

Terry Day, REALTOR®, DeLex Realty, 10115 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.