Help Needed Retirement to Somewhere in AZ? (Phoenix, Tucson: apartment complex, crime)

[mceimages]

Thanks for the info Pnderosa: When you say Tucson is digny looking compared to Phoenix is that because it is older or is it a pooer city?

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Definitely consider Tucson. It is in a more attractive desert setting and the weather is a little cooler summer and winter. Tucson gets much more rain in summer which, believe me, you will come to appreciate. The lifestyle is more laid back than Phoenix. People seem less aggressive. The downsides to Tucson is there is not as much to do entertainment-wise, the city itself is really dingy looking compared to Phoenix, the airport does not have the service you might expect from such a large city, and the lack of cross-town freeways can make driving a nightmare.

[mceimages]

Thanks for the reply Phoenix Lady; Does Univ of Tucson Med Ctr have a excellent rep state wide or is it just the best in the South. Az and the local med ctr are simply too small to compare?

Originally Posted by Phoenix lady

The University of Tucson/Med Center has an excellent reputation and it's a magnet hospital (not many hospitals have that status and it pertains to excellence in nursing care=good pt. outcomes).

[Upstate Nancy]

Originally Posted by mceimages

Thanks for the reply Phoenix Lady; Does Univ of Tucson Med Ctr have a excellent rep state wide or is it just the best in the South. Az and the local med ctr are simply too small to compare?

Univ. Hospital in Tucson is a good hospital I hear over and over. I'd rather go there than most of the Banner's here in Phoenix.
But, Good Sam (Banner) is a very good hospital w/ an excellent reputation. St. Joseph's is good, too.

[Boompa]

I came to Arizona with a list of places I wanted to look, They were all Biege and had tile roofs. After a couple of days i couldn't remember which was which.

[Grannysroost]

If you are retired, do you need to be in a city? Maybe a more rural area? Casa Grande is halfway between Phoenix and Tucson with a hospital and many clinics, a mall, quite a few grocery stores, and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to travel from far north end of town to far south via city streets, from where I am about 2-1/2 miles to a grocery store that has about everything, a little further if going into the heart of town or to the mall, but I am on the north end. Just a thought as not much stress from traffic here even in the winter with snowbirds...

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

If you are retired, do you need to be in a city? Maybe a more rural area? Casa Grande is halfway between Phoenix and Tucson with a hospital and many clinics, a mall, quite a few grocery stores, and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to travel from far north end of town to far south via city streets, from where I am about 2-1/2 miles to a grocery store that has about everything, a little further if going into the heart of town or to the mall, but I am on the north end. Just a thought as not much stress from traffic here even in the winter with snowbirds...

Dust Storms, I'll stay in Sierra Vista, high around 90, low 60 and rain almost every afternoon

[dbrooks411]

If you looking to retire in Tucson or Phoenix area, Tucson has snow and Phoenix don't. Both places are beautiful and both offer age restriction community.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by mceimages

Thanks for the info Pnderosa: When you say Tucson is digny looking compared to Phoenix is that because it is older or is it a pooer city?

Mostly water. Tucson is water challenged and has had high rates for a long time and a culture of water conservation. There is noticeably less landscaping, water features etc than Phoenix where water supplies are more favorable and diverse. In addition, much of what people call "Tucson" is actually outside of any city limits in Pima County. In contrast, city governments dominate the Phoenix area with a relatively small part of the population living on "county islands". Counties just don't do the parks, landscaped medians, art work etc that cities do and it shows.

[mceimages]

Thanks Granysroost. This is an area I have not considered yet. I will have to take a look at it.

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

If you are retired, do you need to be in a city? Maybe a more rural area? Casa Grande is halfway between Phoenix and Tucson with a hospital and many clinics, a mall, quite a few grocery stores, and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to travel from far north end of town to far south via city streets, from where I am about 2-1/2 miles to a grocery store that has about everything, a little further if going into the heart of town or to the mall, but I am on the north end. Just a thought as not much stress from traffic here even in the winter with snowbirds...

[mceimages]

Wow. I did not know the city of Tucson had snow. I am trying to escape from it. Is it the cityof Tucson and suburbs with snow or just the mountains?

Originally Posted by dbrooks411

If you looking to retire in Tucson or Phoenix area, Tucson has snow and Phoenix don't. Both places are beautiful and both offer age restriction community.