Newlife in Sun City in Maricopa County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Welcome
Del Webb Sun Cities Museum
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, January 19, 2026
1. Welcome Marker
While some may see Del Webb's Sun Cities as simply a brand, we know it as a way of life. More importantly we know the amazing effort it took to create
"The Community That Changed a Nation."
The company's employees - and those early pioneers who moved here in the beginning - took enormous risks. Despite those who said the concept of an "active-adult retirement community" would never succeed, Sun City was an immediate hit and its popularity has never diminished.
The love affair between the community and the company that created it is a story that should never be lost - and indeed, is a story told within the walls of this building. As the world's very first active-adult retirement community, Sun City re-defined what it meant to be retired in the United States. The community became a blueprint for the thousands of age-restricted
this page online
This building - one of the original model homes opened in 1960 - was purchased by the Sun Cities Area Historical Society shortly after the publication in 1985 of "Jubilee, Sun City's 25th Anniversary," (available at the museum). The committee putting the book together started collecting memorabilia and soon realized they had a wealth of history that needed to be shared - and stored in a permanent facility.
They understood Sun City would be studied by countless groups of professors, sociologists and future retirees. They knew the Sun City story was a story worth preserving and, more important, sharing with future generations.
The definition of "retirement" dramatically changed forever the day Sun City opened on Jan. 1, 1960. This Museum is a salute to those early "pioneers," as well as all those who played a role in creating a "New Active Way of Life" for retirees.
Thank you for stopping by. We hope you enjoy your visit and would love having you become a member so we can become "your Museum."
www.delwebbsuncitiesmuseum.org
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, January 19, 2026
2. Welcome Marker
Location. 33° 36.069′ N, 112° 17.534′ W. Marker is in Sun City, Arizona, in Maricopa County. It is in Newlife. It can be reached from West Oakmont Drive east of North 108th Avenue. Located at Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10801 West Oakmont Drive, Sun City AZ 85351, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, and in the Tohono O’odham Nation. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Gadsden Purchase, and Mexico’s Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sun City, Arizona (here, next to this marker); The Town of Marinette, Arizona (here, next to this marker); Another First for Sun City (here, next to this marker); Golf Car Oddities...Only In Arizona
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, January 19, 2026
3. Sun Cities Museum Sign
Also see . . . Del Webb Sun Cities Museum. (Submitted on January 22, 2026, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2026, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 57 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 22, 2026, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
