Sun City Texas
Encyclopedia
Age-restricted community
An age-restricted community or age-segregated community is a housing area, often gated, that restricts ownership to individuals who are over a set age. Often the minimum age is 50 years, but it could be 55 or even 60....
located in Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
(United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), a city 35 miles north of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
off I-35. It is part of the chain of Sun City
Sun City
-South Africa:* Sun City, North West, a luxury casino resort, situated in the North West Province-United States:* The Sun City is a nickname or moniker for El Paso, TX because of the fact that sun shines for more than 302 days on average in the city....
communities started by Del Webb
Del Webb
Delbert Eugene Webb was an American construction magnate, real estate developer and sports-team owner, who is most significant for founding and developing the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona.-Early life:...
.
|
Del Webb, a publicy traded company when Sun City Texas was originally conceived and through the first sevefal yars of homebuilding, was later sold to Pulte. Residency is restricted to persons over age 55, or in the case of couples one of which must be 55 years of age (except in the instance of guardianship and marriage). Sun City Texas is made up predominately of single family dwellings, but also has a small number of duplexes. For marketing purposes, near the main activity center there are a limited number of attached houses called Vacation Get-Aways (each complete with a golf cart) which are used for providing low-cost overnight accommodations for prospects to "live the life" of Sun City for a few days. Total buildout is approved by Georgetown for approximately 7,500 homes which equals a total of approximately 14,000 residents.
Activities
The community is generally oriented toward recent retirees. However, demographically, Sun City typically is not the last home where someone will live after retirement, but rather it is the first home of retirement for "active adults" who actively play tennis, golf, dance, do yoga or participate in numerous activities and clubs. These stll-active retirees typically between the age of 55 and 65 are known a "Zoomers" as they are the active segment of the Baby Boom generation.Thanks to a change in state law initiated by the developer, it is legal to drive licensed "golf cars" on the streets in the development and the shopping areas and all activity centers throughout Sun City have special parking spaces for same. Schedules of activites and events are be found on the Sun City resident website HERE
There are three golf courses, a large central activity center (with a ballroom, meeting rooms, a library and business center), hobby facilities (including woodworking, computer lab, ceremics studio, dancing, and others), numerous pools, a lake for fishing, and many other recreational facilities. Two "satellite" activity centers are located across the development, each with a pool, aerobic and dance studios and many other facilities. There are clubs for almost any interest such as and an active nature club that takes advantage of the 14 miles of nature walks and special ecological features of the site.
The community's close proximity to Southwestern University
Southwestern University
Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...
provides access to a variety of additional cultural activities. And, of course, the thriving city of Austin is nearby providing a rich variety of urban activities, and the surrounding Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
region provides many opportunities for outdoor activities.
Voting strength
The project is located within the incorporated city limits of the City of GeoregtownGeorgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
and receives water, wastewater, and electric service from the city. Because of its size relative to the city, and the high growth rate within Sun City, the project has a significant impact on the local demographics. In elections, voter turnout in Sun City precincts typically exceeds 90 percent. As a result of redistricting of council districts in 2011, two of the six single-member city council districts are composed predominantly of Sun City residents, and the current mayor, George Garver (as of 2011) is a Sun City resident and was a former city councilmember.
Target audiences
Although the community attracts residents from all over the country, it has proved especially popular with retirees from the Upper MidwestUpper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
because of the lower cost of living and relatively mild climate, but residents from Dallas and Houston who want to live in the Texas Hill Country are also target prospects. The project name at the beginning of the development was Sun City Georgetown, but the name was later changed to Sun City Texas because of its focus on attracting residents throughout the Lone Star State. In 2007, Georgetown was named by Retirement Places Rated (Seventh Edition) as the Best Place in America to Retire.
Legends of Texas Bridge
Simultaneous to the opening of the Legacy Hills golf course, Del Webb started the tradition of inaugrating Texas residents from around the state into the Legends of Texas Bridge (an idea developed and orchastrated by PR consultant Don Martin based on the celebrity granite stars located in downtown Austin) with a ceremony in which a granite star with their name was placed into the sidewalk of the main bridge on Sun City Blvd over Berry Creek at the entrance to Sun City. Honorees were selected in an open nomination process. The honorees also received a glass memorial of the induction and most attneded an induction ceremony and were greeted by Sun City residents. Each year typically three to five senior Texans, 55 or older, were honored, including luminaries such as Carol Burnett, Willie Nelson, Darell Royal, Tom Landry, Barbara Bush, George Christian, and Ebby Halliday. The program was discontinued after about ten years.Notable residents
- Murray WierMurray WierMurray Neal Wier , nicknamed "Rampaging Redhead" and "Wizard Wier," is an American former professional basketball player for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Waterloo Hawks...
, a former college basketball All-American and National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) player, is a resident of the retirement community.
- Another resident is former Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
Hall-of Fame football player Bob LillyBob LillyRobert Lewis Lilly is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League and photographer. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.-College career:...
, the first player initiated into the Cowboys' Dallas Cowboys Ring of HonorDallas Cowboys Ring of HonorThe Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor was a ring around Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas and currently around Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas which honors former players, coaches and club officials who made outstanding contributions to the Dallas Cowboys football organization. The Ring of Honor began...
(in 1975). Only nine players received the honor during the first three decades of the Cowboys existence, making the Ring of Honor a coveted accolade.