Sun City Anthem: The Most Active 55+ Community in Las Vegas

When you drive into Sun City Anthem in Henderson, the first thing you notice is the energy. Golf carts glide past on their way to the clubhouse. Neighbors wave from bocce ball courts. Inside the recreation centers, mahjong games are in full swing, guitars are tuning up for a '60s rock rehearsal, and the happy hour bar is already pouring drinks. This is not a quiet retirement village where people disappear behind closed doors. This is a place where 7,150 households have built a small town that hums with activity every single day.

I've lived in Las Vegas for more than 20 years, and I've spent the last few weeks showing homes here to multiple clients. Every single one of them has fallen in love with this neighborhood. They love the casita floor plans you can't find anywhere else. They love the three state-of-the-art clubhouses, the five swimming pools, and the 60+ chartered special interest groups. They love that the Revere Golf Course winds through the community with 36 holes of desert canyon golf and panoramic views of the Las Vegas skyline. And they love that this place feels like a small town where everyone cares about each other, even though it's the second largest 55+ community in the Las Vegas Valley.

Sun City Anthem sits at the foothills of the Black Mountains in the southeastern corner of the valley, in the city of Henderson, one of the safest cities in the nation. It's 24 minutes to the Las Vegas Strip, 20 minutes to the airport, and close enough to Green Valley shopping and dining that you never feel isolated. The homes were built by Del Webb between 1998 and 2008, and they range from about 1,100 square feet to 3,100 square feet. In the last six months, prices have ranged from $360,000 to $1.5 million. There are 34 different model floor plans, and people shop by the model name because they know exactly what they want. Right now there are about 90 available properties, which is just over 1% inventory. This is a neighborhood where homes move, and when you tour it, you'll understand why.

Sun City Anthem is located in Henderson, in the southeastern Las Vegas Valley, carved into the igneous rock at the base of the Black Mountains. Those black rocks you see everywhere? They're from extinct volcanoes that erupted millions of years ago. Black Mountain itself is an extinct volcano, and it's where all the TV towers sit. If you put an antenna on your roof, you can get free television from those towers. It's a small perk, but it's the kind of detail that makes this place feel like home.

This is the second largest 55+ community in Las Vegas, with around 7,150 single-family and patio homes. The homes were built by Del Webb from 1998 to 2008, so they're not brand new, but they're not old either. They range from about 1,100 square feet to 3,100 square feet, and in the last six months, prices have ranged from $360,000 for a very small home to about $1.5 million, probably a golf course property that's been fully updated. There's a wide range of affordability here. It's not all luxury, and it's not all entry-level. You can find something that fits your budget.

Prospective residents can choose from 34 different model floor plans, and every single one is listed on the homeowners association website. Not every realtor puts the model name in the MLS, but you can usually figure out which model you're looking at by the square footage, unless there have been modifications. People come here and shop by the model. They know the Sedona, the Capri, the Siena. They've studied the floor plans online, and when they walk into a home, they know exactly what they're looking at. I've been here with three or four different clients over the last few weeks, and I've been inside about half of the available homes. Every client has fallen in love with this neighborhood.

One of the features that sets Sun City Anthem apart from other 55+ communities is the casita. A casita is a separate guest house or office, usually detached or semi-detached from the main home. I see casita opportunities regularly here. I've only seen one over at Del Webb, but here at Anthem, they're common. I recently showed a two-bedroom home with a casita, so it effectively has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. They're asking $680,000, or $397 per square foot. It was built in 2006, so it's under 20 years old. The casita is perfect for a studio, a guest room, or a private office. I've seen these done out where they rip out the closet, put in a little refrigerator and a coffee bar, and make it like a hotel room for guests. I've seen them used as offices, exercise studios, and music studios. If you're looking for a small main house with a separate space for guests or hobbies, this may be the perfect neighborhood for you.

That particular home has energy-saving design with solar light tubes, those canisters that come in from the ceiling and let light into a room that's a little bit dark. They've already replaced the windows with premium Andersen windows, and they have plantation shutters. The backyard is landscaped beautifully with desert design, and there's a covered patio for shade. The two-car garage is 440 square feet, so there's plenty of room for storage and a workshop. The kitchen appliances are stainless steel, and the house is move-in ready. It's not a small amount of money, but it's within the budget for a lot of the people.

Another home that was probably the nicest remodel I've seen out here, and I've seen some pretty good ones. They're asking $849,000, which is $322 per square foot. It's 2,638 square feet, so it's one of the larger homes in the neighborhood. It was built in 2006, and it's fully remodeled and absolutely elegant inside. There are dual primary suites with ensuite baths and walk-in closets. The main bathroom is spa-inspired with a freestanding soaking tub, okay, not a lot of my clients like those because they're difficult to get in and out of, but it's beautiful, a walk-in shower, and dual vanities. The chef's kitchen is gourmet with quartz countertops, soft-close cabinets, and premium KitchenAid appliances. They really did a great job on the update. The great room has a fireplace, a custom wet bar, and a beverage fridge. My client really liked that feature. There's a versatile den office with a powder room for guests and a large laundry room. The oversized two-car garage is 600 square feet, and it's sitting on a 7,800-square-foot lot, so it's not a small lot. The clients I bring out here fall in love with this neighborhood.

Sun City Anthem consistently ranks among the top 10 luxury active adult communities in the United States. It's resort-style living with a vibrant social life. People drive around the neighborhood in their golf carts. They drive from their home to the clubhouse to hang out. There are three state-of-the-art clubhouses, and I'm standing in front of one of the big ones right now, on the bocce ball courts. It's a bit breezy and cool today, a cold front's coming in, or this bocce ball court would be pretty packed.

There are state-of-the-art fitness centers, indoor walking trails, indoor heated lap pools, and outdoor resort pools with umbrellas and cabanas. There are tennis courts, paddle tennis, and pickleball. There are bocce ball courts. There's a 300-seat theater for performances. The clubhouse behind me has over 60 chartered special interest groups that help give the residents a vibrant social life. What kind of groups? Arts and crafts groups. I saw a woodworking shop and a ceramic shop. There are sports clubs, clearly you've got all of the sporting facilities behind me, from bocce ball to tennis. There are game clubs where people love gaming and playing different kinds of games like mahjong and old-school card games, poker, things like that. There are social and travel clubs where people are just spending their time getting together, being social, and traveling. There are music clubs and a theater club. When I was here with my client a couple of weeks ago, we saw people rehearsing for a play. That was really exciting to me. And then we went into another room and there was a bunch of old guys tuning up their guitars, drums, and keyboards, and they were getting ready to rock out with '60s and '70s music. I felt like going home and getting my guitar and sitting in with these guys. It looked like they were getting ready to have a lot of fun.

There are even learning clubs for people who want to keep the brain going. We went in and talked to the librarian. There's a library here, and she is so nice. She was a little perturbed one day because somebody had been putting games in the library, and they are just for books and puzzles. So she made it very clear to us that the library is only for books and puzzles. She was very nice and said, look, this clubhouse is great, but you don't want to limit yourself to the bubble. She volunteers over at the Smith Center so she can get a little bit of extra social and cultural activity outside the bubble of the community. I thought that was some very wise advice coming from the librarian. She knows what she's talking about.

There's a happy hour here just about every day. When we went in there, it was going strong. They were pouring drinks. Everybody was happy. We bumped into a guy who was one of the drummers for the Beach Boys. He had traveled with the Beach Boys and played the drums for them. He said he even toured with Larry Carlton, which is one of my guitar heroes. So that was fun meeting that guy. Mahjong players were all over the place. This was the most active club we visited. We went all over town that day with my client. We went to all the other communities, even Sun City Summerlin, which is very active and a fantastic community, by the way. But the day we were here and the day we were there, Sun City Anthem beat Sun City Summerlin for being the most active that day. From that experience, I'm saying that Sun City Anthem is the most active 55+ community in the Las Vegas area. Of course, Sun City Summerlin is a pretty close second, maybe even a little ahead on some days. It's a very nice community over there too. Anyway, this is one active and vibrant community. The people I talk to around here have smiles on their faces, and they are happy to live here and happy to be here.

One of the things that really impressed my clients is the level of community support. If you live in Sun City Anthem and you need a light bulb changed or your smoke detector is chirping, they actually have a service department run by volunteers. You can call, and they'll come out and do that for you. They have special services for single women that offer protection, transportation, and communication services in case there's a problem. This neighborhood, this community, has it all. It's like living in a small town where everybody cares about each other.

Even though we're in the southeast corner of the valley, we're still convenient to many places throughout town. If you live here, a good hang for people who don't want to hang in the clubhouse is probably the M Resort. If you want to do a little gambling or go out to a nice restaurant, the M Resort is only 11 minutes from here, off I-15 and St. Rose Parkway. In fact, I-15 itself, if you're getting ready to take a trip to California, is only 12 minutes from here. It's 10 minutes to the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa. The District at Green Valley, kind of the upscale shopping area, like downtown Summerlin here in Henderson, is only 14 minutes away. If you want to go all the way to the Las Vegas Strip, that's only 24 minutes. And guess what? The airport's on our side of town here, so it's only 20 minutes to get to Las Vegas International Airport. That's faster than I can get there from the central or west part of town. So it's very convenient to the airport here. If you want to go to downtown Las Vegas, well, that's going to be 30 minutes, so it's a little farther, just on the other side of the Strip. And if you want to go all the way to downtown Summerlin, which is all the way across town on the other side, that is only 31 minutes away. That's how convenient things are here at Sun City Anthem.

The golf course at Sun City Anthem is called Revere . Revere has two 18-hole golf courses, the Lexington and the Concord, and I've played them both. They are fantastic golf courses, and they meander all throughout this community. There's lots of elevation, a lot of risk and reward shots if you're a golfer. You're going to love playing the Lexington and Concord. They've got desert canyons and views of the valleys and the Vegas foothills, breathtaking panoramic views and the Las Vegas skyline while you're playing. You're going to just love everything you see around here.

Now, Sun City does not own the golf course. In fact, none of the 55+ communities in town that have golf courses own them. They're owned by private companies that run the golf course. If you're a resident at Sun City, you get special privileges and discounts on tee times. So check out the Revere Golf Club. It's awesome, and I think you're really going to like that. It's just beautiful whether you play golf or not. My mom lives on a golf course and she's 90. She's never touched a club in her life, but she just loves watching all the players go by and all of the natural beauty and the wildlife that lives on the golf course. She just loves it. I think you're going to like living here amongst the Revere Golf Course, the Lexington, and the Concord courses. It's beautiful here and you're going to love it.

The day I was here with my client, we visited both communities. We went all over town that day, and we stopped at all the other 55+ communities too. The day we were at Sun City Anthem and the day we were at Sun City Summerlin, Anthem beat Summerlin for being the most active. That's why I'm saying that Sun City Anthem is the most active 55+ community in the Las Vegas area. Of course, Sun City Summerlin is a pretty close second, maybe even a little ahead on some days. It's a very nice community over there too.

Another difference is location. Sun City Anthem is in Henderson, in the southeast corner of the valley. It's 20 minutes to the airport, 24 minutes to the Las Vegas Strip, and 31 minutes to downtown Summerlin. Sun City Summerlin is on the west side of the valley, closer to Red Rock Canyon and the mountains. It's a little farther from the airport but closer to the northwest part of town. Both locations are convenient, but it depends on where you want to be and what you want to be close to.

Sun City Anthem is the most active 55+ community in Las Vegas. I've been here with multiple clients over the last few weeks, and every single one of them has fallen in love with this neighborhood. They love the casita floor plans, the three state-of-the-art clubhouses, the five swimming pools, and the 60+ chartered special interest groups. They love the Revere Golf Course with 36 holes of desert canyon golf and panoramic views of the Las Vegas skyline. They love that this place feels like a small town where everyone cares about each other, even though it's the second largest 55+ community in the Las Vegas Valley.

FAQ: Sun City Anthem 55+ Community

What is the age requirement for Sun City Anthem?

Sun City Anthem is an age-restricted 55+ community. At least one person in the household must be 55 or older. There is an 80/20 rule that can allow some flexibility for households under 55, so call me for details if you're interested and want to know more about how that works.

How much do homes cost in Sun City Anthem?

In the last six months, homes in Sun City Anthem have sold for between $360,000 and $1.5 million. The lower end is typically a very small home, and the higher end is usually a golf course property that's been fully updated. There's a wide range of affordability here, so you can find something that fits your budget.

What amenities does Sun City Anthem offer?

Sun City Anthem has three state-of-the-art clubhouses, five swimming pools (indoor heated lap pools and outdoor resort pools), indoor walking trails, state-of-the-art fitness centers, a 300-seat theater, bocce ball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts, paddle tennis, a library, a woodworking shop, a ceramic shop, and over 60 chartered special interest groups. There's a happy hour just about every day, and in the summers on Fridays they have live concerts. It's the most active 55+ community in Las Vegas.

Does Sun City Anthem have a golf course?

Yes, the Revere Golf Course winds through Sun City Anthem. It has 36 holes, two 18-hole courses called the Lexington and the Concord, designed by Billy Casper and Greg Nash. The courses have desert canyons, lots of elevation, and breathtaking panoramic views of the valleys and the Las Vegas skyline. Sun City does not own the golf course; it's privately owned. Residents get special privileges and discounts on tee times. There's also a grill room, Buckman's Grill, where you can grab a sandwich, and a pro shop with golf gear and apparel.

What is a casita, and are they common in Sun City Anthem?

A casita is a separate guest house or office, usually detached or semi-detached from the main home. Casitas are common in Sun City Anthem, but I've only seen one over at Del Webb. They're perfect for a studio, a guest room, or a private office. I've seen them done out as hotel rooms for guests, offices, exercise studios, and music studios. If you're looking for a small main house with a separate space for guests or hobbies, Sun City Anthem is probably your best bet.

How far is Sun City Anthem from the Las Vegas Strip and the airport?

Sun City Anthem is 24 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and 20 minutes from Las Vegas International Airport. It's also 11 minutes to the M Resort, 10 minutes to Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, 14 minutes to the District at Green Valley shopping, 12 minutes to I-15, 30 minutes to downtown Las Vegas, and 31 minutes to downtown Summerlin. The airport is on our side of town, so it's very convenient if you travel frequently.

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