55+ and Retirement Communities in California, Ranked by Size

How we ranked California's 55+ communities

This guide covers the largest age-restricted active-adult communities in California, ranked by number of homes. Size matters because larger communities usually have more resale homes on the market, more clubs and more amenities, though also more people. We used each community's profile on 55places.com, a listing portal that collects details from public records and listings, checked in October 2026. Its prices are the portal's recent average and its dues are an approximate range from current listings, so confirm both with the association and a current listing.

We left out communities that are not age-restricted. Trilogy at Monarch Dunes in Nipomo, often listed with them, is open to buyers of all ages. Oakmont Village in Santa Rosa is listed at the end, outside the numbered ranking; 55places now gives it 3,300 homes, level with Sun Lakes Country Club.

The largest 55+ and retirement communities in California

Ranked by number of homes. Price is 55places' recent average; dues are a monthly range from current listings.

The Inland Empire and Coachella Valley hold most of the larger, lower-cost communities. Orange County has two of the three biggest, Laguna Woods Village and Leisure World Seal Beach, where condos and co-ops keep average prices under $450,000 despite the location. The Sacramento region's Sun City communities have some of the lowest dues.

Each community, from largest to smallest

1. Laguna Woods Village, Laguna Woods

Laguna Woods Village is the largest 55+ community on the West Coast, a gated community in south Orange County with seven clubhouses, 36 holes of golf including a 27-hole championship course, five pools, an equestrian center, an 814-seat performing arts center and a private bus system. Its 12,736 homes span more than 90 floor plans, from 675-square-foot Cadiz condos to Casa Monaco houses of nearly 2,600 square feet, in three housing groups: Third Mutual, United Mutual (co-ops) and The Towers. Buyers must meet minimum financial requirements for membership, so ask for them before you shop.

55places lists 12,736 homes built 1964-1985, a recent average price of about $449,275 and dues of $570-$910 a month.

2. Sun City Lincoln Hills, Lincoln

Del Webb built Sun City Lincoln Hills in Placer County between 1999 and 2008. Its 6,783 homes come in more than 40 floor plans: attached homes of 917 to 1,519 square feet in two-story buildings, and single-family homes of 901 to 3,068 square feet. The 68,000-square-foot Orchard Creek Lodge has indoor and outdoor pools and a fitness center, and there are two 18-hole golf courses. Listed dues are among the lowest of any large community here.

55places lists 6,783 homes built 1999-2008, a recent average price of about $599,533 and dues of $101-$188 a month.

3. Leisure World Seal Beach, Seal Beach

Rossmoor Corporation built Leisure World Seal Beach between 1960 and 1981, one of the first active-adult communities in Southern California. Its 6,608 homes are co-op units and condos of 550 to 1,540 square feet, mostly one or two bedrooms with a carport, split into 17 neighborhoods called Mutuals, each with its own board and rules. It had the lowest listed average price of any community in this guide. Ask which Mutual a unit is in, since fees and rules differ.

55places lists 6,608 homes built 1960-1981, a recent average price of about $364,100 and dues of $323-$607 a month.

4. Rossmoor, Walnut Creek

Rossmoor, begun in 1963 in Walnut Creek, has more than 6,600 homes: about 3,247 condos in garden-style duplex to fourplex buildings, 3,368 co-op units, many in mid- and high-rise buildings, and 63 detached houses. Residents get 27 holes of golf, five clubhouses, pools, tennis and hiking trails, more than 200 clubs, a weekly newspaper and a community TV channel. The dues range is wide because co-op fees cover more of the building costs. See the Walnut Creek 55+ guide.

55places lists 6,600+ homes built 1963-1995, a recent average price of about $580,900 and dues of $478-$1,383 a month.

5. Sun City Palm Desert, Palm Desert

Del Webb's Sun City Palm Desert covers about 1,600 acres in the Coachella Valley with nearly 5,000 homes, built from 1992 to 2003. There are three clubhouses and two 18-hole championship golf courses. Homes run from 1,000 to 3,200 square feet, including some with casitas, and many have golf cart garages. Summer heat is the trade-off for low prices and mountain views.

55places lists about 5,000 homes built 1992-2003, a recent average price of about $549,000 and dues of $240-$467 a month.

6. Sun City, Menifee

Menifee's Sun City is one of the oldest communities in this guide, built by Del Webb and Presley Co. from 1962 to 1981, and the area's first master-planned community of its kind. Its 4,762 homes are all members of the Sun City Civic Association, with Civic Hall, North Town Hall and Webb Hall as activity centers. Listed dues of $25 to $49 a month are the lowest here. Temecula is the nearest city this site covers; see the Temecula 55+ guide.

55places lists 4,762 homes built 1962-1981, a recent average price of about $410,000 and dues of $25-$49 a month.

7. Sun City Shadow Hills, Indio

Sun City Shadow Hills in Indio is Del Webb's second Coachella Valley community, two miles east of Sun City Palm Desert, built from 2003 to 2016. Its 3,400 single-level homes come in more than 30 floor plans of 1,099 to just under 3,000 square feet. The 35,000-square-foot Montecito Clubhouse and the Santa Rosa Clubhouse are the activity hubs.

55places lists 3,400 homes built 2003-2016, a recent average price of about $499,966 and dues of $217-$398 a month.

8. Sun Lakes Country Club, Banning

Sun Lakes Country Club is a gated community of 3,300 homes on about 1,000 acres in Banning, in the San Gorgonio Pass. Built from 1987 to 2003, it has 50 floor plans of 850 to 2,627 square feet, two 18-hole golf courses and three clubhouses. The HOA covers common areas, security and cable TV. Its listed average price was the second-lowest in this guide.

55places lists 3,300 homes built 1987-2003, a recent average price of about $373,995 and dues of $245-$503 a month.

9. Sun City Roseville, Roseville

Del Webb built Sun City Roseville's 3,110 single-family homes between 1995 and 2000, about 10 miles south of Sun City Lincoln Hills. Its 52,000-square-foot Timber Creek Recreation Lodge has a 25-meter indoor lap pool, and there are 27 holes of golf. Homes run from 878 to more than 2,600 square feet in 25 plans. See the Roseville 55+ guide.

55places lists 3,110 homes built 1995-2000, a recent average price of about $577,971 and dues of $148-$225 a month.

10. The Villages Golf and Country Club, San Jose

The Villages is a gated 1,200-acre community in San Jose's Evergreen foothills, with 2,536 homes: 2,309 condos or townhomes and 227 single-family houses, mostly two bedrooms. It has four clubhouses, a championship golf course, stables and bridle paths, lakes and more than 500 acres of open space. Its top listed dues, up to $1,579 a month, are the highest in this guide. See the San Jose 55+ guide.

55places lists 2,536 homes built 1967-2000, a recent average price of about $728,901 and dues of $494-$1,579 a month.

11. Leisure Village, Camarillo

Leisure Village is a guard-gated community of 2,136 homes in Camarillo, built from 1973 to 1984. Most are duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes of 672 to 1,829 square feet, with one or two bedrooms. The association fee covers the clubhouse, 24-hour security, water, trash, cable, sewer, landscaping and exterior maintenance, so compare it with what you pay for those now. See our Leisure Village guide.

55places lists 2,136 homes built 1973-1984, a recent average price of about $600,000 and dues of $386-$783 a month.

12. Four Seasons at Beaumont, Beaumont

K. Hovnanian built Four Seasons at Beaumont, a gated community of 1,923 single-family and duplex homes, between 2005 and 2019. Homes run from 1,183 to 2,775 square feet in more than 30 floor plans, and there are three recreation centers, with The Lodge as the main one. It sits in the San Gorgonio Pass between the Inland Empire and the desert.

55places lists 1,923 homes built 2005-2019, a recent average price of about $475,567 and dues of $210-$417 a month.

13. Solera at Oak Valley Greens, Beaumont

Solera is a Del Webb community of 1,290 homes in Beaumont at about 2,600 feet, which keeps summers cooler than the desert 30 miles east. Del Webb and Pulte offered only three floor plans, of 1,392, 1,687 and 2,127 square feet, each with two bedrooms, a den and a two-car garage. It opened in 2003 and has been resale-only since 2006.

55places lists 1,290 homes built 2002-2007, a recent average price of about $459,700 and dues of $182-$307 a month.

14. Trilogy at La Quinta, La Quinta

Shea Homes built Trilogy at La Quinta's 1,238 homes from 2003 to 2011 against the Santa Rosa Mountains, near PGA West. It has two amenity centers, an 18-hole golf course and a full-service spa, and its 12 ranch-style plans run from 1,381 to 2,769 square feet.

55places lists 1,238 homes built 2003-2011, a recent average price of about $676,033 and dues of $288-$622 a month.

15. Gavilán at Rancho Mission Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo

Gavilán is the age-restricted neighborhood inside the Esencia and Sendero villages of Rancho Mission Viejo, planned at about 1,200 homes built by Standard Pacific, Shea Homes, Del Webb, Lennar and William Lyon since 2013. Residents can use the master plan's amenities as well as the Hacienda Clubhouse. It is the highest-priced community in this guide and one of the few here still listing some new homes. Ask about Mello-Roos, which newer master plans often carry; see our Mello-Roos guide.

55places lists about 1,200 planned homes built 2013-2021, a recent average price of about $1,334,104 and dues of $220-$438 a month.

16. Trilogy at the Vineyards, Brentwood

Shea Homes began Trilogy at the Vineyards in Brentwood, in the eastern Contra Costa County foothills below Mount Diablo, in 2006 and has completed about 1,100 single-story homes in 21 plans. It is surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and preserves. It has the highest listed average price of the three Bay Area communities here.

55places lists about 1,100 homes built 2006-2024, a recent average price of about $888,406 and dues of $279-$478 a month.

17. Heritage Palms, Indio

Heritage Palms in Indio is a guard-gated golf community of 1,004 homesites on 379 acres, built from 1995 to 2004. Its 32,000-square-foot clubhouse sits beside a semi-private 18-hole course, and two shopping centers are within walking or golf-cart distance. Duplexes start at 1,382 square feet; single-family homes run about 1,500 to 2,500.

55places lists 1,004 homesites built 1995-2004, a recent average price of about $525,400 and dues of $315-$600 a month.

18. Four Seasons at El Dorado Hills, El Dorado Hills

Four Seasons at El Dorado Hills is the smallest community here, 460 single-family homes built by K. Hovnanian from 2004 to 2009 near El Dorado Hills Town Center and Folsom Lake. Homes run from 1,389 to 3,245 square feet, and there is a two-acre community garden. Folsom is the nearest city this site covers; see the Folsom 55+ guide.

55places lists 460 homes built 2004-2009, a recent average price of about $761,317 and dues of $204-$320 a month.

Also notable: Oakmont Village, Santa Rosa

Oakmont Village is a 1,255-acre 55+ community in Sonoma County wine country, a few miles from downtown Santa Rosa, built in phases from the late 1960s to 2016. About 80% of homes are single-family and 15% attached, and the Oakmont Gardens assisted-living apartments are inside the community. It has 36 holes of golf and three clubhouses with pools. 55places lists an average price of about $707,830 and dues of $58 to $357. See the Santa Rosa 55+ guide.

Active adult, CCRC or assisted living: which retirement community is which

Active adult (55+) communities

Every community in the table is an active-adult community: you buy a home, pay HOA dues, and no care is included. Rules on age, guests and younger residents come from the CC&Rs and the law below.

Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs)

A CCRC sells a continuing care contract, often with a large entry fee, that covers housing plus care as needs change. In California these are governed by Health and Safety Code section 1770 and following. The Department of Social Services shares oversight: its Continuing Care Contracts Section reviews providers' finances and issues the certificate of authority a provider needs before signing contracts, and its Adult and Senior Care Program licenses and inspects the facilities. Ask any CCRC for its certificate of authority and recent financial filings.

Assisted living and memory care

These are licensed care facilities you rent, not homes you buy. Search the Department of Social Services' care facility database for a facility's license and inspection reports.

The legal rules for 55+ communities in California

Federal rule: HOPA and the 80% test

Under the Housing for Older Persons Act (42 U.S.C. 3607), a community can exclude households without someone 55 or older only if at least 80% of occupied units have at least one resident 55 or older, it publishes policies showing that intent, and it verifies ages. HUD's rule requires age surveys updated at least once every two years, using documents such as a driver's license, passport or birth certificate (24 CFR 100.307).

California rule: Civil Code section 51.3

California defines a "senior citizen housing development" as one built or substantially renovated for seniors with at least 35 dwelling units. In such a development a qualifying resident is 55 or older. A "qualified permanent resident" can stay after the senior dies, is hospitalized or divorces if they lived there before and were 45 or older, or were a spouse, cohabitant or person providing primary physical or economic support. Ask the association how it applies these rules to adult children, caregivers and guests.

What a California 55+ community really costs

Dues and what they cover

Dues in this guide range from $25 a month in Menifee's Sun City to more than $1,500 in parts of The Villages. Higher dues often include water, cable, exterior maintenance or co-op building costs, so compare the total of dues plus the bills they replace.

Property tax and Prop 19

Prop 13 resets your assessed value to the purchase price. If you are 55 or older and selling a home elsewhere in California, Prop 19 may let you carry your old taxable value to the new home, up to three times. See our Prop 19 guide and property tax guide.

Insurance and special assessments

Many of these communities date from the 1960s to 1980s. Ask for the reserve study and any planned roof, pipe or road projects, and get a homeowners or HO-6 quote early, especially in the foothill communities. See the homeowners insurance guide.

How to choose a 55+ community in California

Start with the region, then compare communities on the same checklist.

• Climate: the Coachella Valley is hot in summer, Beaumont and Banning sit higher and cooler, and the coast is mild but costs more.
• Health care: map the drive to the hospitals and specialists you use.
• Paperwork: get the CC&Rs, age policy, budget, reserve study and a year of board minutes.
• Ownership: confirm whether a unit is a condo, a co-op share or a house on its own lot, because financing differs.
• Rules on rentals, guests and younger co-residents.

For city-by-city detail, see our 55+ guides for Oceanside, Orange County, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Palo Alto, and compare towns in the best places to retire in California.