Sun City Texas
| Sun City Texas | |
|---|---|
| Community | |
|
Main entry to Sun City Texas | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Williamson County |
| City | Georgetown |
Sun City Texas is a 4,100-acre (17 km2)[1] age-restricted community located in Georgetown, Texas (United States), a city 35 miles north of Austin off Interstate 35. It is part of the chain of Sun City communities started by Del Webb.[2]
Del Webb, a publicly traded company when Sun City Texas was originally conceived and through the first several years 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[3] (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 build-out 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 still-active retirees, typically between the ages of 55 and 65, are known a "Zoomers" as they are the active segment of the Baby Boom generation.[4]
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 activities 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, ceramics 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 an active nature club that takes advantage of the 14 miles of nature walks and special ecological features of the site.
The community's proximity to Southwestern University provides access to a variety of additional cultural activities. And the city of Austin is nearby providing a rich variety of urban activities, and the surrounding Hill Country region provides many opportunities for outdoor activities.
Voting strength
The project is located within the incorporated city limits of the City of Georgetown 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.[5] 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 council member.[6]
Target audiences
Although the community attracts residents from all over the country, it has proved especially popular with retirees from the Upper Midwest 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 state. In 2007, Georgetown was named by Retirement Places Rated (Seventh Edition) as the "Best Place in America to Retire".[7]
Legends of Texas Bridge
Simultaneous to the opening of the Legacy Hills golf course, Del Webb started the tradition of inaugurating Texas residents from around the state into the Legends of Texas Bridge (an idea developed and orchestrated 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.[8] Honorees were selected in an open nomination process. The honorees also received a glass memorial of the induction and most attended 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.[9] The program was discontinued after about ten years.
Golf courses
- Legacy Hills
- White Wing
- Cowan Creek
Notable residents
- Murray Wier, a former college basketball All-American and National Basketball Association (NBA) player, is a resident of the retirement community.[10]
- Another resident is former Dallas Cowboys Hall-of Fame football player Bob Lilly, the first player initiated into the Cowboys' Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor (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.
References
- ↑ TCB|AECOM: Sun City
- ↑ "Del Webb". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ "Del Webb Get Aways=accessdate=19 August 2011".
- ↑ Jonathan Chevreau (9 September 2009). "Defining The Zoomer Philosophy". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ Rasmussen, Blake; Suzanne Haberman (13 August 2010). "Sun City Still Drives Georgetown Growth". Community Impact News. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ "Georgetown Begins Redistricting Process". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ David Savageau (2007-08-24). Retirement Places Rated (Seventh Edition). Wiley. ISBN 9780470089590.
- ↑ "Texans Get Opportunity to Nominate Outstanding Texas for Legends of Texas Bridge". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ "Texans Get Opportunity to Nominate Outstanding Texas for Legends of Texas Bridge". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ Dietz, Gil (27 February 2006). "Former resident stirs up a racket during retirement: Wier swapped a basketball for a tennis ball". Muscatine Journal. Retrieved 14 August 2010.