The Community of Green Valley

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Green Valley, with a population of 21,000 in 2020, has all the advantages of small town living within an easy half hour drive of vibrant Tucson, a metropolitan area of over a million.  In winter, thanks to the blue skies and pleasant temperatures, snowbirds expand the population.  

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Green Valley has all the necessary amenities: groceries, hardware and appliance stores, pharmacies,  nurseries, gift shops, carpet stores, etc.  There are doctors, specialists, dentists and a new hospital with an efficient emergency room.  In addition, there are a full range of professional and service people from lawyers to title companies, from electricians to roofers, etc.  

Green Valley is a retirement community, with 77% of the population over the age of 55.  Development of the community started in 1965 by different developers who built neighborhoods, each with its own character and self-governing homeowner association (HOA).  Green Valley is unincorporated, and is governed by Pima County, but the Green Valley Council (GVC), made up of representatives from most of the 120 HOAs, is a highly effective intermediary in presenting Green Valley's interests to the county.  

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The greatest feature of Green Valley is the vast number of activities available.  Many Green Valley homes require memberships in Green Valley Recreation (GVR), a non-profit which might be described as a mixture of country club, entertainment provider, arts and crafts supporter and educational organization all rolled into one.  GVR facilities include thirteen swimming pools, six fitness centers, thirty-six pickleball courts, seventeen tennis courts, all spread throughout Green Valley. Also, amazingly well stocked workshops and studios for woodworking, art, pottery, silversmithing and lapidary; state of the art computer and photography centers and many venues for meetings, talks and entertainment.  GVR has a wide range of clubs from hiking, where 300 happy hikers set off weekly on 15 graded hikes throughout the area, to the Green Bay Packers club, where members gather to watch Packer games.  If there isn't a club for the activity you want to pursue, GVR will help you start one, as recently happened to the Cycling Club.  GVR runs over 900 courses a year, ranging from many types of exercise classes, to philosophy, painting, bridge or mahjong.  GVR runs an active program of bringing entertainers to Green Valley, varying from classical music to Elvis impersonators to comedians, as well as regularly showing free movies.  It organizes day trips and occasionally even outing lasting several days, e.g. to Rocky Point in Mexico.

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Green Valley has many other clubs and opportunities that are not under the umbrella of GVR.  Six golf courses offer enthusiasts variety at a very reasonable price, all within a fifteen-minute drive.  The Community Performing Arts (CPAC) provides a wide array of local and national entertainment.  The local cinema has all the latest releases as well as regularly showing simulcasts from the Metropolitan Opera.  There are many opportunities for making and listening to all kinds of music; the Green Valley concert Band, the Chamber Music Society, the Bavarian Band, the Flute Choir, and others. All welcome new players and regularly give concerts.  True Concord, a nationally renowned choral group, always performs its concerts in Green Valley as well as in its hometown of Tucson.

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The opportunities for Volunteering are enormous and many Green Valley residents participate.  One of the best known locations is the White Elephant Thrift store which typically gives over one  million dollars to a number of local organizations.  The Animal League has a devoted following of helpers and dog walkers.  The Sheriff's Auxiliary has a large cadre of volunteers who run the Scam Squad program, check on houses when owners are away, and help with security at local events.  The Fire Department also has volunteers who replace fire alarms in people's houses, remove unwanted reptiles, and do fall prevention checks on homes.  Friends Indeed relies on volunteers to maintain and lend out donated medical supplies such as wheelchairs, walkers and grabbers.  The annual Senior Games has over 500 people participating in bicycle races, tennis, pickleball, card tournaments, etc., both as volunteers and participants.  Then the library, the elementary school, CPAC and many clubs all rely on many volunteers.  Moreover, GVR, GVC, and HOA's rely on their members to volunteer for their governing bodies to keep all of Green Valley functioning smoothly.  

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Overall, you never need to leave Green Valley unless you want to and indeed many people never do, especially as they age.  However, many residents regularly visit the vast array of opportunities and activities available in Tucson.  The shopping is excellent; restaurants are many and varied in price, type and ethnicity; entertainment is abundant; most weeks there are major events, from the Tucson Rodeo or the Gem and Bead Show to the Book, Jazz, Song and Native American Festivals.  The Tucson Airport is only a 30 minute drive, with many connections across the nation. Additionally, many people to Rocky Point, Mexico to enjoy the beaches and experience a different culture.​