Green Valley in May 2026: A Sourced Community Spotlight on Tucson's South-Side 55+ Anchor 25 Miles Down I-19 — Where the Snowbirds Just Headed Home, Green Valley Recreation Flips to Its Summer Schedule, and the Madera Canyon Backyard Is the Quietest It Will Be All Year

Green Valley is the unincorporated Pima County community 25 miles south of downtown Tucson off Interstate 19, founded in 1964 by developer Donald W. Friedman as one of the original Sun Belt master-planned active-adult retirement communities. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2020 Green Valley CDP population was approximately 22,616, and per World Population Review and other aggregator estimates, the year-round 2026 population sits in the low-to-mid 20,000s — with snowbird-driven seasonal swings that have shaped the community's calendar for six decades. The community is organized around Green Valley Recreation, Inc. (GVR) — a member-owned nonprofit operating 13 recreation centers, a network of pools, golf, pickleball, tennis, fitness, art studios, and more than 200 active clubs. Memorial Day weekend, May 23 to 25, 2026, is the practical transition from the winter cool-season calendar to the GVR summer schedule. Here is a fully sourced May 22, 2026 walk-through for buyers, sellers, relocation prospects, and second-home shoppers evaluating Green Valley against Sahuarita, Marana, Oro Valley, and the broader Tucson metro.