A St. George community
Living in Desert Color
Desert Color is a master-planned community of about 3,350 acres, which means one plan lays out the roads, parks, and shops together. It sits on the far southeast edge of St. George, along the Southern Parkway near the Arizona line, and it is built around a lagoon for swimming. It is one of the newest and largest developments in the area, with lagoon-front resort homes, a gated 55-plus village, and value townhomes. Builders are still adding homes.
New to the area? Start with the St. George guide, then come back for Desert Color.
Current listings
Homes for sale in Desert Color
This feed comes straight from the MLS and covers the whole Desert Color master plan, with new single-family homes, townhomes, and condos. New listings show up here the day they list, and sold homes drop off.
No homes available? Be sure to check out all St. George listings.
Want the map view? Open the full Desert Color search. Selling instead? Start with what your home is worth.
Listing information comes from the local MLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
On this page
Life in Desert Color
What a day at the lagoon looks like
Desert Color was designed around water in the desert. The centerpiece is a recreational lagoon, a clear swimming basin with a white-sand shoreline. A day here can mean paddleboarding or wading at the beach before the heat builds. Around the lagoon sit parks, trails, and a growing town center, with the red rock and mesas of the far southeast valley as the backdrop.
This is the far edge of St. George. You reach it from Interstate 15 at Exit 2, then head south on the Southern Parkway. The Arizona line is only a couple of miles past the southern villages. Shops, groceries, dining, and fun spots are arriving, both in the community and near Exit 2, but they are still filling in. So some errands today still mean a short drive back toward central St. George.
What sets Desert Color apart is the range of homes. The same master plan holds rental-approved resort homes at the lagoon, single-family villages, a gated 55-plus community, value townhomes near the trails, and even a branded resort. It is less a single neighborhood than a small town, built one village at a time. Thinking about moving to Utah to retire? My retirement guide covers the bigger picture beyond any one village.
Villages
Six villages around one lagoon
Desert Color is a master plan made of separate villages, each with its own builders and its own kind of home. The six below are the current pieces, from the lagoon-front resort area to a gated 55-plus community to a branded resort. New phases and collections open often, so the live listings are the best guide to what is for sale right now.
Village 01
The Shores
The Shores is the resort area, wrapped around the lagoon at the heart of Desert Color. It mixes single-family homes, townhomes, and condos from several builders. Every home here is approved for nightly rentals, which means short stays booked by the night, so it is the vacation-rental center of the community. Amenities include a pool, a hot tub, cabanas, and the lagoon beaches just outside the door.
Look here if you want a home you can use some of the year and rent out the rest.
Village 02
Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills is a single-family village built mostly by CareFree Homes. Homes run from about 1,800 to over 3,000 square feet, across about a dozen and a half floor plans. It sits near the Interstate 15 and Southern Parkway side of the community, and builders are still adding homes.
It is one of the more traditional detached-home choices in Desert Color. It is a good pick if you plan to live in the home yourself rather than rent it.
Village 03
Sage Haven
Sage Haven is a single-family village with a focus on community and sustainability. CareFree Homes has a collection here, along with other builders. It is also the parent neighborhood for Mirada, a small Toll Brothers section of about two dozen larger homesites. Floor plans run up to roughly 3,500 square feet, with an RV-garage option, and nearly all of Mirada is now built.
Sage Haven itself keeps adding homes as the master plan grows.
Village 04
Regency at Desert Color
Regency is the master plan's gated community for ages 55 and up. Toll Brothers builds it, and it is planned for roughly 550 homesites in several home collections. Its private clubhouse of about 10,000 square feet has indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, and pickleball and bocce courts.
Because the community is age-restricted, at least one resident must meet its minimum age. Check the current terms before you rely on them. New collections still open from time to time, so ask me what is selling now.
Village 05
Ironwood Flats
Ironwood Flats is the trail village along the Arizona border and Lizard Wash. It has homes and townhomes from several builders, including Pulte, and it is marketed as the more affordable side of the community, in part because of its townhomes. It also has mountain views and links to the trails.
It is a good choice if you want new construction and a spot on the trails without a lagoon-front price.
Village 06
Atara
Atara is a branded resort with residences inside Desert Color. It is a roughly 14-acre Marriott Autograph Collection project that blends a hotel with for-sale resort villas, restaurants, a spa, and resort pools. It works like a hotel property, not like a regular subdivision of homes built from set plans.
Villas here sell as resort residences, and how you own and use one is different from the other villages. Ask me for the current details if Atara interests you.
Not sure which village fits? Tell me if you want a rental-approved lagoon home, a home to live in all year, a 55-plus home, or a value townhome. I will point you to the right builder and phase. You can also browse every Desert Color listing in the search above.
Homes & lots
New construction, top to bottom
Desert Color is almost all new construction. Homes date from 2019 and later, and a dozen or more builders work across the villages. The mix is wide. The Shores has lagoon-front resort homes, townhomes, and condos, and Auburn Hills and Sage Haven have detached single-family homes. Regency has gated 55-plus homes, Ironwood Flats has homes and townhomes, and Atara has resort villas. Styles, sizes, and prices vary a lot from one village and builder to the next.
Two things shape the choice here. The first is the village and the builder, which decide the kind of home and whether nightly rentals are allowed. The second is the pace of building: new phases and collections open often, which keeps homes for sale and prices moving. Tell me how you plan to use the home. It might be your main home, a part-time home you also rent, or a 55-plus home. I will steer you to the right village and the right new phase.
In Desert Color, the village you choose decides almost everything, including whether you can rent it.
The lagoon & amenities
Water, parks, and a town center taking shape
The recreational lagoon
A swimming lagoon of roughly 2.5 acres, with a half-mile white-sand shoreline. It is marketed as the largest private body of water in the St. George area, and swimming, paddleboarding, and the beaches are the heart of the community.
Parks & trail network
The master plan includes community parks, among them Akoya Pearl and Marilla. A large trail system winds through the villages. On the Ironwood Flats side, the trails reach the open desert near Lizard Wash.
Town center & entertainment
A mixed-use town center (shops, dining, and other uses together in one place) and the Exit 2 shopping area are filling in. So far that means dining and a golf entertainment complex. More is on the way, including a grocery store and a movie-and-bowling complex now under construction.
Airport close by
The St. George Regional Airport sits on the same southeast mesa, roughly 10 to 15 minutes away by the Southern Parkway. That makes Desert Color one of the handier St. George communities if you fly often.
Southern Parkway access
Desert Color connects to Interstate 15 at Exit 2 by the Southern Parkway, which runs just north of the Utah-Arizona border. The state line is only a couple of miles south of the lower villages.
Sand Hollow & Zion
Sand Hollow State Park is roughly 25 minutes away and Zion National Park is about 50 minutes away, both mostly by the Southern Parkway. That makes the reservoirs and canyons easy day trips from this side of town.
Errands & drive times
Errands, measured in minutes
Times are estimated, in normal conditions, from inside Desert Color. The freeway and airport are quick. Shops and dining are still arriving, so some errands today mean a short drive back toward central St. George.
| The errand | Where it happens | From Desert Color |
|---|---|---|
| Freeway | I-15 on-ramp, Exit 2 (Southern Parkway) | ~3 min |
| Dining and entertainment | Exit 2 town center, arriving | ~3 to 5 min |
| Full grocery run | Exit 2 grocery, opening, or central St. George | ~5 to 15 min |
| Flights | St. George Regional Airport (SGU) | ~10 to 15 min |
| Dinner downtown | Historic Main Street, St. George | ~13 min |
| Healthcare | St. George Regional Hospital | ~15 min |
| Arizona state line | South via the Southern Parkway | ~5 min |
| Day trip | Sand Hollow State Park | ~25 min |
| Day trip | Zion National Park | ~50 min |
Farther out, Las Vegas is roughly two hours down Interstate 15. The full day-trip map lives in the St. George guide.
Schools & education
Schools, by the facts
Desert Color is served by the Washington County School District. The district approved a boundary change (a boundary is the line that decides which school a home is assigned to) that starts with the 2026-2027 school year. It assigns the Desert Color area south of the Southern Parkway to Bloomington Elementary. Older students generally go on to the Desert Hills schools. Desert Color is new and still growing fast, so boundaries here are likely to keep changing. Use the district's boundary tool to check the school for any home. For outside school data, GreatSchools and Niche both publish numbers you can weigh yourself. Utah Tech University is across town in central St. George.
I cover the bigger education picture, including Utah Tech University, in the St. George guide.
What locals know
Notes from the lagoon edge
No listing photo tells you this part. I have lived in Southern Utah for more than 20 years, and here is what I would tell a friend looking at Desert Color.
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The lagoon is the whole idea. A 2.5-acre swim lagoon with a white-sand beach is the reason the community exists, and it sets Desert Color apart from every other St. George master plan.
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The Shores is built to rent. Every home in the lagoon-front village is approved for nightly rentals, so it works partly like a vacation-rental resort. That is a very different way to use a home than in the villages around it, where owners live.
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It is the far southeast edge. You get in by I-15 Exit 2 and the Southern Parkway, right against the Arizona line. A grocery, a theater, and dining are on the way, but today some errands still mean a drive back toward town.
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Building is still going strong. A dozen-plus builders are working across the villages, and every home is 2019 or newer. A 55-plus community and a Marriott resort sit in the same plan. New phases open often, so check what is current before you decide.
Buy or sell here
The buyer side and the seller side
Buying in Desert Color
Desert Color is on the far southeast edge of St. George. It sits east of Interstate 15 along the Southern Parkway and reaches south toward the Utah-Arizona state line. You get there from I-15 Exit 2 onto the Southern Parkway, and the community is built around a recreational lagoon.
It is the community's signature amenity, a swimming lagoon of roughly 2.5 acres with a half-mile white-sand shoreline. It is marketed as the largest private body of water in the St. George area. Residents and guests swim, paddleboard, and use the beaches and pool deck around it.
It is new construction across several villages. The Shores has lagoon-front resort homes, townhomes, and condos, and Auburn Hills and Sage Haven have single-family homes. Regency is a gated, age-restricted 55-plus village, Ironwood Flats has homes and townhomes, and Atara has resort residences. Several builders work across the plan.
As a new master plan, the range is wide. Recent sales have run from below the St. George median to the top of the market, depending on the village and the kind of home. For a citywide measure, my 2025 market report puts the St. George median sale price at $589,990. Prices move, so check the live listings.
Ready to look? See what is on the market or tell me what you are after.
Selling in Desert Color
Desert Color values move with the village, the builder, and whether a home is lagoon-front or approved for rentals. New phases nearby can also change resale value, so online estimates miss more here than usual. Start with the home valuation page, and I will compare your home with recent Desert Color sales, with no obligation.
When you list with me, your home is featured on MovingUtah where it fits best. It shows first on the St. George listings and on this Desert Color page, where buyers are already looking. The get featured page explains how it works. If you are thinking about selling, I would be glad to talk it through with you.
It depends on what the builders are releasing near you and what competes with your home. A rental-approved Shores home, a Regency 55-plus home, and an Ironwood Flats townhome are three different markets. Tell me your timeline, and I will tell you plainly what I see, not a pitch.
Yes, and it is common here. Most of the work is getting the order and the timing right. I cover the steps in the buy and sell at once guide. I am licensed in both real estate and lending. On any one purchase I take one role. If I am your lender, I can tell you early if a home could be hard to get a loan on.
Thinking about it? Start with your number or see how featuring works.
Keep exploring St. George
Want a closer look at Desert Color?
Buying? I can pull the current listings and tell you honestly which village and builder fit, from a rental-approved lagoon home to a 55-plus residence. Selling? I will give you an honest number and a plan to feature your home to the buyers already on this site. Either way, we start with a conversation.
Selling in Desert Color
Want to sell your home in Desert Color? List it with Scott Buehler and get featured on MovingUtah.
Desert Color sales have run from below the city median to the top of the market, depending on the village and kind of home, so pricing starts with knowing which village and builder your home belongs to.