Seventeen years after it opened, Sun City Huntley remains one of the nation’s most popular active adult communities.
An organization called 55Places.com recently posted on its website a list of the 100 most popular active adult places, based on the number of visits to each community’s page on 55Places.com over the past year.
“Check out our list of the communities that active adults choose to call home,” the website says in its 2016 popularity report.
Huntley’s Sun City ranks 5th out of the 100. Even though there is some link between a community’s size and its popularity, there is no general pattern reflecting this. Our Sun City’s page gets visited far more times than do those of such larger communities as the original Sun City and Sun City West in Arizona, Sun City Texas, and others such as Saddlebrooke in Tucson, Arizona; Holiday City at Berkeley in Toms River, New Jersey; and Solivita in Kissimmee, Florida.
Here’s what 55Places.com says about Sun City Huntley: “SCH is a midwest jewel offering low-maintenance homes and a rich lineup of amenities that provide retirees with an active and social environment. This age-restricted community is spread across 2,300 acres of lush landscaping with a 94,000-square-foot clubhouse and more than 80 clubs and interest groups. It’s no surprise that this active adult development continues to be a hit among the 55+ crowd looking to retire in the Chicago area.” Huntley’s site also includes information on Meadow View Lodge.
This posting is based on a three-page illustrated web page placed on 55Places.com by Sun City’s marketing committee, that now is chaired by Joanne Haerle. This is part of the committee’s local, regional, and national marketing effort that was launched in 2014. The Huntley page opens with a color picture of Prairie Lodge and the Whisper Creek golf course, and continues with narratives of the community’s indoor and outdoor amenities, homes and real estate opportunities, charter clubs and interest groups, and information on the Huntley and Chicago areas.
Another marketing committee paragraph on the Huntley page reads: “This 55+ community offers the ultimate in active adult living. There are more than 80 different clubs and interest groups that cater to nearly every imaginable interest. Whether your interests include fitness activities such as aerobics, golf, and tennis or more hobby-related activities such as ceramics, woodworking, or arts and crafts, there is something for everyone at Del Webb in Huntley.”
The page goes on to tout performing arts, sports, and card-playing groups, as well as the monthly Lifestyles magazine.
Other members of the marketing committee are Helene Weston, Katherine Wienberg, and Sarah Elam. The Board of directors liaison is Ken Andersen.
Which communities are ranked above ours? Number one is The Villages in Florida, the nation’s largest, with 56,000 homes, 48 recreation centers, 35 golf courses, and more than 50 swimming pools. Second is On Top of the World, in Ocala, Florida. Third is Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina; and fourth is Sun City Center in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Rounding out the top 10 are Sun City Carolina Lakes, Fort Mill, SC, 6th; Holiday City in New Jersey 7th; Solivita in Florida 8th; the original Sun City in the Phoenix area, 9th; and Oak Run, Ocala, Florida, 10th.
These rankings are based solely on the number of visits that are made to these communities’ pages on the 55Places.com website.
