Buckeye and Goodyear are two adjoining Arizona cities to the west of Phoenix, with Buckeye being the westernmost city in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. They are among the fastest-growing cities in Arizona thanks to the continued expansion of Phoenix, which is now the fifth-largest city in the United States.
Buckeye has a population of just under 70,000 and gets its name from the Buckeye Canal, around which it was founded. The canal was named by an early settler for his home state of Ohio, the Buckeye State. It’s about 35 miles west of downtown Phoenix, with one of Arizona’s main highways, Interstate-10, running through it.
Goodyear is slightly larger with a population of almost 80,000 and owes its name to Goodyear Tires who in 1917 purchased the land on which the city stands. Goodyear is about 19 miles west of central Phoenix with I-10 also running through it.
Both Buckeye and Goodyear have climates similar to that of Phoenix, with average temperatures of over 100 degrees from June to September, very mild winters, hardly any snow, and perhaps only a few nights of sub-zero temperatures each year. The wettest months are February, March, and August when the summer monsoon rains arrive. Even so, August sees little over an inch of rain in either city.
Both cities also have plenty of active adult and 55+ communities worth considering. Here are some of our top picks.
Sun City Festival – Buckeye
Low $200s – High $500s
Sun City Festival is a large 45+ active adult community of 7,200 single-family homes with prices from the low $200s to the low $600s. There are several models of homes available, starting at 1,099 square feet through to 2,849 square feet. Smaller homes have one bedroom and a den/second bedroom, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. Larger homes have three bedrooms, 2/3 bathrooms, and a three-car garage.
The community is thirty miles northwest of downtown Goodyear on the far side of White Tank Mountain Regional Park. This 29,271-acre park is the largest in the county with a mix of desert and mountain landscape, and 26 miles of hiking, biking, and horse-riding trails.
Amenities at Sun City Festival include a 31,000 square-foot clubhouse, the 18-hole Copper Canyon Golf Club, a ballroom, library, an outdoor amphitheater, lap pool and spa, and courts for tennis, pickleball, bocce ball, softball, basketball, and volleyball. There are numerous clubs, classes, and activities including hiking, arts, crafts, tennis, and dancing.
Victory at Verrado – Buckeye
High $200s – High $500s
Victory at Verrado is a community of 3,500 single-family homes for the 55+ active adult. Prices range from the high $200s to almost $1M, with floor plans from 1,222 square feet (two-bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garage) to 3,500 square feet (three bedrooms plus a den, three bathrooms, three-car garage).
Amenities for residents include a 35,000 square-foot clubhouse, a 7,000 square-foot fitness center, an 18-hole golf course, three pools, tennis and pickleball courts, an arts and crafts studio, and it has its own vineyard. There are also many clubs and activities including Spanish lessons, dancing, music, golf, poker, and even a drive-in movie night.
Sundance – Buckeye
High $100s – High $200s
Sundance is a 55+ community of 1,102 homes that is five minutes off I-10 and 35 minutes due west of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Homes are in the low to high $200s, with floor plans ranging from 1,389 to 2,209 square feet. All have two-car garages, and from two bedrooms plus a den to three bedrooms plus a den. All have two or two-and-a-half bathrooms.
Amenities at Sundance include the 18-hole Sundance Golf Course with its restaurant and bar, a 15,000 square-foot clubhouse, a fitness center, two outdoor pools, a library, six pickleball courts, two tennis courts, and six bocce courts. There are several social clubs including dancing, board and card games, Zumba, and various outdoor pursuits.
PebbleCreek – Goodyear
Low $200s – Low $900s
PebbleCreek is a large community of 6,200 homes for the younger 45+ active adult wishing to buy a home in Arizona. Homes are on the larger size, with 1,272 square feet being the smallest model (two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage) through to 3,408 square feet for a five-bedroom home with three bathrooms and a three-car garage. Prices start at the mid $100s through to the low $900s.
Because of the size of this community, there are numerous amenities available to residents. These include a 47,000 square-foot clubhouse, a 27-hole and an 18-hole golf club, a 332-seat theater, several pools, two restaurants, several arts and crafts studios, seven tennis courts, and twenty pickleball courts. There are also countless activities and clubs which residents can join, ranging from art to woodcarving by way of chess, hiking, dance, genealogy, painting, poker, and a singles club.
