Youngtown AZ Retirement Community History

Youngtown began in 1954 as one of the first towns in the country planned for retirees, and it kept an age rule for decades. That rule ended in the late 1990s after the Arizona Attorney General found it could not be enforced. Today Youngtown has no townwide age restriction, while its older homes still reflect that retirement-town start.

I'm Terry Day, REALTOR® with DeLex Realty. My Youngtown city guide covers parks, schools, services and neighborhoods. This post goes deeper on one thing buyers keep asking me about: how Youngtown went from a retirement town to an all-ages town, and what that history means when you shop for one of its older homes.

How Youngtown started

Ben Schleifer moved to Phoenix from Rochester, New York, and went into real estate. According to the Sun City Independent, he came up with the idea after visiting a friend in a retirement home and disliking how tightly residents' days were controlled there. He pictured something different: a town where retirees owned their own modest homes and stayed active.

The site was a 320-acre cattle ranch owned by Frances Greer. In 1954 the land was bought for the new town, and 125 homes went up in 1955. The marketing line was "Live Here and Be Forever Young," which is where the name comes from. Early homes were small, about 750 square feet according to local news accounts.

Growth was slow until 1957, when NBC's live program "Wide Wide World" broadcast from Youngtown and gave it national attention. By 1959 the town had roughly 1,400 residents. The Sun City Independent reports that this attention also caught Del Webb's eye as he studied a retirement community of his own.

Sun City arrives next door

Youngtown incorporated in 1960. That same year, Del Webb opened Sun City just east of town. Webb's project was far larger, and the land it took up around Youngtown limited how far the smaller town could grow. In 1959, rancher Jim Boswell held back land west of 111th Avenue between Alabama and Grand avenues from the Sun City sale, which left Youngtown room to expand.

Sun City also brought business to the area, including a post office, bank, grocery store and pharmacy. The two places grew up side by side, but they have always been separate. Youngtown is its own incorporated town. Sun City is a separate community with its own recreation centers and its own age-restricted rules, which I cover in my Sun City guide.

How the age rule ended

For most of its history, Youngtown limited residency by age through a senior overlay. Local reporting says that overlay was challenged as far back as 1986 and the matter moved slowly. The turning point came in 1996, when the town cited its age rule in refusing to extend a stay for a 16-year-old living in town.

Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods looked into it and concluded the age ordinance could not be enforced. Sources differ slightly on the final date: some local accounts say 1998, and an academic study cites the repeal in 1999. Either way, by the end of the 1990s Youngtown was an all-ages town. You will still see it called a retirement community online, but that describes its history, not its current rules.

A 2004 study in the Journal of Real Estate Research looked at what happened to Youngtown home prices after the change. The authors found that the price premium tied to age-restricted status faded within about 12 to 18 months. The Town itself now describes Youngtown as a community in transition, with a much younger population than in its early decades.

What the age rules look like today

There is no townwide age restriction in Youngtown. That does not mean every document is the same for every address. When I help a buyer here, we look at two layers:

• Town rules. Zoning and permits come from the Town of Youngtown. Any question about a current ordinance goes to the Town.
• Property documents. Some homes sit in subdivisions with their own HOA and recorded CC&Rs, such as Agua Fria Ranch in the south part of town. Many older homes have no association at all. Your title commitment shows what is recorded against the lot.

If you are looking specifically for an age-restricted community, nearby Sun City and other West Valley options are on my Arizona 55+ living hub. For legal questions about deed restrictions, talk with an Arizona real estate attorney.

Youngtown homes next to Sun City

Because the towns share a border, many of my buyers tour both in one day. The homes look similar from the street, mostly single-story block or frame ranch homes, but the details differ. Here is what I compare:

• Recreation access. Sun City recreation centers are run by the Recreation Centers of Sun City under their own membership rules. A Youngtown address is outside Sun City, so do not assume access. Ask RCSC directly.
• Home age and size. The original Youngtown streets near Clubhouse Square and Maricopa Lake hold the oldest, smallest homes. Newer subdivisions have later floor plans and garages.
• Association. Many older Youngtown homes have no HOA. Sun City homes come with recorded CC&Rs and recreation obligations.
• Lot layout. Compare yard size, carport or garage, and alley or street access lot by lot.

What buyers check on older Youngtown homes

A house built decades ago may have had several owners and several rounds of updates. A new kitchen does not tell you anything about the roof or the wiring. This is my starting list for inspections:

• Roof: age of the covering and condition of the decking underneath
• Cooling: age of the AC or heat pump, duct condition and airflow to each room
• Plumbing: pipe materials, sewer line condition (a camera scope is worth it on older lots) and water heater age
• Electrical: panel type and capacity, grounding, and any older wiring
• Additions: Arizona rooms, enclosed carports and garage conversions, and whether they were permitted with the Town
• Drainage: grading around the slab, irrigation overspray and monsoon runoff
• Survey and title: fences, sheds and walls that may not match recorded lot lines

If you plan to own the home part of the year, my posts on monsoon season tips and closing up an Arizona home for summer are good next reads. For nearby care and services, see my West Valley senior services list.

Questions people ask

Is Youngtown still a 55+ community?
No. Youngtown dropped its townwide age restriction in the late 1990s after the Arizona Attorney General found the ordinance could not be enforced. Check the recorded documents for any specific address.

When was Youngtown founded?
Youngtown started in 1954, the first homes were built in 1955, and the town incorporated in 1960.

Was Youngtown the first retirement community in the U.S.?
It is widely described as the country's first planned retirement community, and it came before Sun City, which opened in 1960.

Can Youngtown residents use Sun City recreation centers?
Not automatically. Youngtown is a separate town, and the Recreation Centers of Sun City set their own membership rules. Ask RCSC directly before you count on access.

Do Youngtown homes have HOAs?
Some newer subdivisions do, and many older homes do not. Your title commitment and the seller's disclosures will show what applies.