3874 N Hidden Canyon Drive, Florence
Courtesy of HomeSmart. 602-230-7600
+16232069936
Loving Phoenix Team | Real Broker
The Del Webb 55+ side of the Anthem at Merrill Ranch master plan in Pinal County, where the tax bill deserves as much attention as the amenity list.
The thing that surprises buyers here is not the amenity list. It is the tax bill.
Homes in Sun City Anthem carry a Town of Florence Community Facilities District assessment on top of ordinary Pinal County property taxes and HOA dues, and there is a separate per-lot special assessment that some sellers have paid off and some have not. Two nearly identical homes on the same street can carry noticeably different annual costs because of it. That is the first thing I pull on any home in this community, and it is the thing almost no listing page will explain to you.
Second thing worth clearing up before you go any further: this is not the Anthem you may have seen off Interstate 17 north of Phoenix. Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch sits in Florence, Arizona, in Pinal County, southeast of the metro. Different community, different county, different drive entirely. If online listings for "Anthem" have looked inconsistent to you on price, this is usually why.
With that out of the way, here is what the community actually is. Del Webb began building the age-restricted Sun City Anthem section inside the larger Anthem at Merrill Ranch master plan in 2006. It is age-qualified, single-level, and built around a 48,000 square foot recreation building called the Union Center, with an on-site ASU Lifelong Learning Academy that you will not find at most Phoenix area 55+ communities. Poston Butte Golf Club sits inside the master plan. Del Webb is still selling new homes here today.
If you are relocating from out of state, start with the 55+ Phoenix relocation guide for the wider picture on climate, taxes, and how the different parts of the Valley compare, then come back to the specifics below.
Important note. Because Sun City Anthem and the all-ages Anthem Parkside neighborhoods share the same master plan and the same Florence mailing address, listing feeds and search sites regularly mix them together. Before you write an offer, confirm in writing that the specific home is in the age-restricted section if that matters to you.
One master plan, two very different products. This is the distinction that determines whether a home is right for you, and it is the one most search results blur.
Built by Del Webb as an age-qualified active adult community. At least one resident must be 55 or older. Homes are single-level, and residents have private access to the Union Center along with the clubs, classes, and social calendar that go with it.
This is the side you want if you are looking for neighbors at a similar stage of life and a quieter street. The trade-off is a smaller selection of floor plans and generally two-bedroom-plus-den layouts rather than large family homes.
Developed by Pulte and other builders as conventional all-ages housing, including two-story plans with four, five, and six bedrooms. Amenities lean toward families: a water park, ball fields, playgrounds, and a rock climbing wall.
Parkside homes are not age-restricted. Some active adult buyers actually prefer this side for the larger lots and lower price per square foot, and that is a perfectly reasonable choice as long as you go in knowing the neighborhood will be mixed-age.
Worth knowing. Sun City Anthem residents get their own private amenities and access to the larger Anthem at Merrill Ranch amenity package. That means adults-only clubs and pools during the week, plus a water park and fishing lake for when the grandkids visit. Parkside residents do not have access to the Union Center. It is one of the more genuinely useful arrangements I have seen in an Arizona 55+ community. Trilogy at Encanterra and Sun Lakes are the two southeast Valley communities buyers most often weigh against this one.
This is the section I wish every buyer read before touring here, because it is the difference between two homes that look identical on paper.
Anthem at Merrill Ranch was developed inside Town of Florence Community Facilities Districts. A CFD is a separate taxing entity formed to finance public infrastructure like streets, and it levies its own secondary property tax. On a Pinal County property tax statement for a home here, you will see CFD line items listed separately from the county, school, and fire levies. They are real, they are recurring, and they are not part of your HOA dues.
Layered on top of that, individual lots in certain areas of the community carry a special assessment lien. A seller may have paid theirs off at some point, or may still be carrying an amortized balance. This is why you will occasionally see a listing here proudly note that the Florence assessment bond is paid in full. That is not marketing filler. It is a genuine difference in what the home costs you every year.
What I do on any home in this community is straightforward: pull the actual tax bill for that specific parcel, confirm whether the special assessment has been paid off, and get the payoff figure if it has not. From there we decide whether to ask the seller to clear it, assume the balance, or trade it against price. All three are legitimate approaches. Which one is right depends on how long you plan to hold the home.
The practical takeaway. Do not compare a Sun City Anthem home to a Maricopa County 55+ home on list price alone. Compare total annual carrying cost: taxes including CFD levies, HOA dues, and any unpaid assessment. Run that same math against a West Valley benchmark like Sun City Grand before you decide. Sometimes Florence still comes out well ahead. Sometimes the gap is much smaller than it looked. Either way you should know before you fall in love with a floor plan.
Del Webb currently builds three series here. Everything is single-level. Several individual plans are being marketed as final opportunities, which usually signals a series is nearing the end of its run, so timing matters more than it would in a community with years of build-out left.
The smallest footprints in the community, roughly 1,279 to 1,533 square feet. Two bedrooms, two baths, two-car garage. A sensible fit for a lock-and-leave second home or a buyer who genuinely wants less house to maintain.
The middle of the lineup, roughly 1,576 to 2,191 square feet, and the series most buyers land in. Layouts here typically add a den, a powder room, or a guest suite, which is what makes the difference when family visits for a week.
The largest plans, roughly 2,230 to 2,760 square feet, with guest suites, three-car and golf cart garage options, and the most room for entertaining. Worth considering if you host often or if a family member may live with you part of the year.
Alongside these, the resale market here includes a deep bench of earlier Del Webb plans built since 2006, names like Providence, Paramount, Arcadia, Preserve, and Oasis. Many of those older homes have been updated, and some are offered furnished, which can make sense if you are relocating from a long distance. Our guide to resale versus new construction in 55+ communities walks through how those two paths differ on price, timeline, and negotiation. Square footage figures above reflect the plans as currently marketed and can change, so confirm the specifics on any home before you write.
What residents actually have access to, on both the age-restricted side and the wider master plan.
The 48,000 square foot recreation building at the heart of the 55+ side, formally the Union Center for Wellness and Higher Learning. Fitness center, indoor lap pool and spa, an indoor walking track that circles the pool, ballroom with a stage, craft studios, card rooms, and a demonstration kitchen.
Coursework and programs offered on site in partnership with Arizona State University, held at the Union Center. Very few Phoenix area active adult communities have a university learning program built into the clubhouse, and for buyers who want more than card games and pickleball, it is a real differentiator.
An 18-hole par 72 course designed by Gary Panks and managed by Troon Golf, with an island green at the 17th. It operates as a daily-fee public course, so play is paid separately from HOA dues rather than bundled in.
Pickleball, tennis, bocce, horseshoes, and shuffleboard on the 55+ side, plus basketball and sand volleyball courts on the all-ages side of the master plan. Pickleball is as active here as it is anywhere in the Valley, and it is usually the fastest way for a new resident to meet people.
Indoor lap pool and spa for year-round swimming, plus an outdoor resort-style pool complex. The indoor option matters more than buyers expect once July arrives and outdoor water becomes genuinely unpleasant in the afternoon.
Miles of walking paths through the master plan, a catch-and-release fishing lake, picnic ramadas, a dog park, and a community garden. The Sun City Anthem homeowners association publishes current amenity hours and club listings, which is worth a look before you tour.
I would rather you hear this from me than discover it on your third visit.
Florence is genuinely remote compared with the West Valley communities most of my buyers compare it against. A trip to central Phoenix or Sky Harbor is a real drive, generally an hour or more each way depending on where you are headed and when you leave. Larger shopping and dining sit in Casa Grande and out toward Gilbert and Queen Creek. There is a grocery store and a handful of everyday services right at the community entrance, which covers most daily needs, but it is not a place where you run out for a specialty item on a whim.
For a lot of buyers that is exactly the appeal. Very little traffic, quiet streets, dark skies at night, wide desert views, and prices that generally sit below comparable Maricopa County active adult communities. Historic downtown Florence is just south with a real main street. If your idea of retirement includes not sitting in traffic, this delivers. Province in Maricopa is the closest comparable on that trade, also Pinal County and also priced below the Maricopa County average.
The item I push hardest on is healthcare. Facility availability in this part of Pinal County has shifted over the years, and I do not want you relying on a marketing page for that. If you see specialists regularly, look up where they are, drive it once, and factor that honestly into the decision. Our overview of healthcare access across greater Phoenix is a reasonable starting point. That is not a reason to rule Florence out. It is a reason to go in with your eyes open.
Values here vary more than most buyers expect, depending on series, lot position, golf course frontage, and whether the special assessment has been paid off. Get a quick, no-obligation estimate based on recent comparable sales in your part of the community.
Get My Home ValueReal reviews from buyers and sellers we have worked with throughout the Phoenix area.
Is Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch the same as Anthem north of Phoenix?
No, and this trips up more buyers than any other question I get about this community. Anthem off Interstate 17 is in the north Valley, roughly 35 miles north of downtown Phoenix, and it is a Del Webb master plan with its own age-restricted section. Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch is in Florence, in Pinal County, southeast of the metro. Two different communities, two different counties, two different drives. If you have been comparing listings online and the prices seemed inconsistent, this is usually why.
What is the minimum age to live in Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch?
Sun City Anthem is a 55+ age-restricted community, which means at least one resident in each home must be 55 or older and the community follows standard federal 55+ housing rules limiting younger occupants. The surrounding Anthem Parkside neighborhoods are all ages and are not age-restricted at all. Because both sit inside the same master plan and share a mailing address in Florence, it is worth confirming in writing which side of the community a specific home sits on before you write an offer.
What is the CFD assessment at Anthem at Merrill Ranch?
Anthem at Merrill Ranch sits inside Town of Florence Community Facilities Districts, which were formed to finance streets and public infrastructure in the master plan. That shows up as separate line items on the secondary side of your Pinal County property tax bill, on top of the ordinary county and school levies. Our guide to Arizona property taxes for 55+ buyers covers how the secondary side of an Arizona tax bill works. There is also a per-lot special assessment tied to certain areas of the community. Some sellers have paid theirs off and some have not, so two nearly identical homes can carry meaningfully different annual costs. Check the actual tax bill for the specific parcel, not a neighbor's.
Is the special assessment negotiable when I buy?
Yes, and this is one of the more useful things to know before you write an offer here. If the assessment on a resale home has not been paid off, the balance is a negotiable item in the contract. You can ask the seller to pay it off and release the lien, you can assume the remaining balance, or you can trade it against price. Most sellers prefer the buyer assume it. Which approach makes sense depends on how long you plan to stay and what the payoff figure looks like against the annual carrying cost, and that is a calculation I would rather run with you than have you guess at.
What is the difference between Sun City Anthem and Anthem Parkside?
They are the two halves of the same Florence master plan. Del Webb built the Sun City Anthem side as age-restricted active adult housing, with its own private Union Center and its own social calendar. Pulte and other builders developed Anthem Parkside as all-ages family housing, with a water park, ball fields, and larger two-story floor plans. They share the master plan amenities and the same general address. It is the same structure you find at Trilogy at Encanterra, where an age-restricted enclave sits inside an all-ages master plan. If you are shopping for a quiet 55+ setting, the distinction matters, because inventory in both sections often appears together in search results.
Can Sun City Anthem residents use the all-ages Anthem amenities?
Yes, and it is one of the genuine advantages here compared with a standalone 55+ community. Sun City Anthem residents have their own private Union Center and, separately, access to the larger Anthem at Merrill Ranch amenity package on the all-ages side. In practice that means you get the adults-only clubs, classes, and pools during the week, and there is a water park, playground, and fishing lake to take the grandkids to when they visit. Not every 55+ community in the Phoenix area gives you both.
Is golf at Poston Butte included in HOA dues?
No. Poston Butte Golf Club is an 18-hole daily-fee public course designed by Gary Panks and managed by Troon Golf, and play is paid separately from your HOA assessment. You can pay per round, buy a pass, or play as a resident at resident rates. That structure works in your favor if you do not play often, because you are not carrying golf costs you would not use. If you do play regularly, price out the pass options before you assume golf here is cheaper than a community with golf bundled into dues.
Can I still buy new construction from Del Webb here?
Yes. Del Webb is still building and selling in Sun City Anthem across three series: Prelude, Retreat, and Encore. Several individual plans are being marketed as final opportunities, which is normally a sign that a series is nearing the end of its run. That matters for timing. If a specific plan matters to you, it is worth checking availability sooner rather than later. Builder contracts also work differently from resale contracts on timelines, upgrades, and what is actually negotiable, so I would want to walk you through that before you sit down at the design center. If you are still weighing the two, start with resale vs new construction in 55+ communities.
What should I know about the drive and daily services in Florence?
Florence is a genuine drive from central Phoenix, generally around an hour or more depending on where you are going and when you leave, and Sky Harbor is a real trip rather than a quick run. There is a grocery store and a handful of services at the community entrance, with larger shopping and dining in Casa Grande and the Gilbert and Queen Creek area. Healthcare access is the item I most often tell buyers to verify personally, since facility availability in this part of Pinal County has changed over the years. If you have specialists you see regularly, map that drive before you commit, and read our overview of healthcare access for 55+ residents alongside our notes on transportation and walkability.
Four articles that come up in almost every conversation about buying in Florence rather than the West Valley.
Every community out here trades something different, so the real question is which one fits the way you want to live. Most Sun City Anthem buyers are weighing Pinal County against the East Valley, so those come first.
Whether you are comparing Florence against the West Valley or you already know this is the community for you, I will pull the tax and assessment detail on any home before you write an offer.
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