Anthem, AZ

Anthem is organized around a community council rather than an incorporated municipal government. Del Webb founded the 5,920-acre master-planned community in northern Maricopa County in 1999, and its initial buildout was completed in 2008. The community now contains 10,305 homes and extends across both sides of Interstate 17: Phoenix provides municipal services to the portion west of the freeway, while Maricopa County serves the eastern side. Three homeowners associations and the seven-member, homeowner-led Anthem Community Council divide responsibility for neighborhoods, common property, and communitywide services. The census counted 23,190 people in the Anthem CDP in 2020. Protected desert land is part of the plan rather than leftover space. About 1,400 acres are washes and other preserved open space, and 15 miles of paths connect neighborhoods with council facilities. The 63-acre Community Park contains fishing lakes, playgrounds, a splash pad, fields, courts, a skate park, an amphitheater, the Daisy Mountain Railroad, and the Anthem Veterans Memorial.

ATTRneepster from Phoenix, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0

At 11:11 a.m. each Veterans Day, sunlight passing through the memorial's five pillars forms a solar spotlight on the Great Seal of the United States. The council also owns three other parks. Its 43,000-square-foot Community Center has fitness and indoor-court space, seasonal aquatics, a climbing wall, childcare and camps, and a 14-court pickleball complex; active resident membership or entry as a member's guest is required. On the Boulder Creek High School campus, the 17,000-square-foot North Valley Regional Library serves both the public and students with computers, Wi-Fi, meeting and study areas, and recurring programs. Some council events are open beyond the associations: the 2026 Music in May series scheduled free Friday concerts and food trucks at Community Park.