What I Love, Hate, Like, Dislike about Tucson, AZ (Bisbee: school, closing)

[JAinAZ]

Originally Posted by 2farsouth

My thoughts, exactly. I have been lurking here for a very long time to help decide if Tucson is the right move for me and have never felt the need to do more than look through archived posts. 99% of the questions I've had are all answered within. The rest need to be answered by my own experiences in the area.
Many thanks to all who have posted here, you are doing Tucson proud and I really appreciate it!!!!!

This is exactly what I did when I was considering moving to AZ. In fact, I never even registered until it was a done deal, and I wanted to say thanks to all who had unknowingly helped us make the decision. Gleaning the archives was more than enough info for us to make the decision.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by 2farsouth

My thoughts, exactly. I have been lurking here for a very long time to help decide if Tucson is the right move for me and have never felt the need to do more than look through archived posts. 99% of the questions I've had are all answered within. The rest need to be answered by my own experiences in the area.
Many thanks to all who have posted here, you are doing Tucson proud and I really appreciate it!!!!!

Originally Posted by JAinAZ

This is exactly what I did when I was considering moving to AZ. In fact, I never even registered until it was a done deal, and I wanted to say thanks to all who had unknowingly helped us make the decision. Gleaning the archives was more than enough info for us to make the decision.

You're welcome. I'm always more than happy to answer specific questions if I can, but I'm not about to write the FAQ every time. Somebody's looking for housing around U of A or DM... Well, so did dozens of others before you.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by MDCB

(similar thread in Portland, OR forum...good discussion)

Anticipating a move to Tucson in 4-5 months.

I feel like it is a bit of a conundrum...beautiful mountains, and nice winter weather...but the crime is outrageous and the summer weather is unbearable.

Some complain that it is too small of a town?

Hate? Dislike? Love? Like?
What do you guys think? Thanks!

Originally Posted by MDCB

Sorry guys. Didn't mean to come off like a troll.

Just starting a thread to investigate the best things about Tucson and the worst.

Coming from Cleveland, I suppose the crime rate doesn't really matter all that much. In my opinion, if you have money/make decent money, live in a good part of town, and don't involve yourself in anything illegal, you will be fine in general anywhere you go. So I suppose I am not particularly worried about the crime rates, but just something I wanted to know about.

Some of the best things about Tucson:
- Good weather
- Low cost of living

Bad things
- Extreme summer weather
- Crime? (for some)
- No water anywhere....not drinking water...but rivers, lakes, etc.

Just trying to start a conversation like this.

And I am not trying to be lazy...actually working on a "sticky" of "fun things to do in Tucson"--- Check out the other thread...I will update it soon

lets take the bad you listed here;

extreme summer weather-yes it does get above 100 degrees during the summer during the day, and even the over night lows can be in the 90s at times. but the worst part of the summer is only a couple of months long when the humidity gets above 20% or so, and even that is quite bearable. imagine southern louisiana in the summer when the temp gets around 90 degrees with 90% humidity, all summer long.

crime?- yes like any city in the country, there is crime here, but it is not as bad as many cities, like cleveland, new york, los angeles, chicago, etc. and if you maintain proper awareness you should have no trouble.

no water i lakes or rivers anywhere?-rubbish. there are a few lakes around tucson within a hour or two drive, patagonia lake being fairly large. reid park also has a shallow lake built in. you like white water rafting? the grand canyon, and glenn canyon are just a few hours away, as is lake mead.

[jjbradleynyc]

I was stationed in Tucson at Davis-Monthan AFB and remained there to finish my degree at the University of Arizona. I lived there from 1991 until 1998.
Let me tell you, Tucson is gorgeous...if you like hot, sunny, dry weather, it's for you. The winters were awesomely mild, the summers were not too bad (I like hot weather) and there was such a great cultural scene in terms of arts.
In terms of crime, my whole time there I never saw any. I had more crime experiences in Atlanta when I lived there. There are bad areas of town, but not like east coast "bad areas" such as the ones you are probably use to in Cleveland. Meaning, visually, Tucson's areas don't appear as run down. Hard to explain, but I think it is because of the desert--it seems to even out nice areas vs run-down ones, if that makes sense.
Anyway, it is a big city, but is sprawling like many sunbelt cities--and feels suburban in most areas. The east side, the foothills to the north, to the west, and many areas in the city itself are super nice.

The worst parts of Tucson for me were little change between seasons from what I was use to, the monsoon season was brutal (but unusual and interesting), and the cookie-cutter adobe houses are everywhere. Also, too much sprawl.

You'll love Tucson I think. It was a wonderful experience and I would easily move back if I could.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I was stationed in Tucson at Davis-Monthan AFB and remained there to finish my degree at the University of Arizona. I lived there from 1991 until 1998.
Let me tell you, Tucson is gorgeous...if you like hot, sunny, dry weather, it's for you. The winters were awesomely mild, the summers were not too bad (I like hot weather) and there was such a great cultural scene in terms of arts.
In terms of crime, my whole time there I never saw any. I had more crime experiences in Atlanta when I lived there. There are bad areas of town, but not like east coast "bad areas" such as the ones you are probably use to in Cleveland. Meaning, visually, Tucson's areas don't appear as run down. Hard to explain, but I think it is because of the desert--it seems to even out nice areas vs run-down ones, if that makes sense.
Anyway, it is a big city, but is sprawling like many sunbelt cities--and feels suburban in most areas. The east side, the foothills to the north, to the west, and many areas in the city itself are super nice.

The worst parts of Tucson for me were little change between seasons from what I was use to, the monsoon season was brutal (but unusual and interesting), and the cookie-cutter adobe houses are everywhere. Also, too much sprawl.

You'll love Tucson I think. It was a wonderful experience and I would easily move back if I could.

Thanks for the response! I wish most people on this board would be this genuine but instead they complain about their "obligation" to post on the board.

I think it is a sunbelt city that I will feel comfortable in...mean I will be able to adapt to a desert location. It is 3 years and I hope to fall in love with the environment....

What other thoughts do you have? If it is a repetitive question with repetitive answers, please post other messages that address the question, or just go share info with others. I like the middle conservative/liberal situation....

[Subie2]

Originally Posted by MDCB

Thanks for the response! I wish most people on this board would be this genuine but instead they complain about their "obligation" to post on the board.

Wow, way to look a bunch of gift horses in the mouth. We've been genuine with you in various threads of various pages. If you're going to have an attitude like this when people have been MORE than patient with you, don't expect much help in the future. This statement of yours really offends me.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by Subie2

Wow, way to look a bunch of gift horses in the mouth. We've been genuine with you in various threads of various pages. If you're going to have an attitude like this when people have been MORE than patient with you, don't expect much help in the future. This statement of yours really offends me.

Sorry to offend you. I just meant, if you don't want to answer, that is fine. Just don't be rude and say that it has been answered in other threads.
Why not make a sticky with all the questions that have been asked?
I am working on one and will post soon.

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by MDCB

Sorry to offend you. I just meant, if you don't want to answer, that is fine. Just don't be rude and say that it has been answered in other threads.
Why not make a sticky with all the questions that have been asked?
I am working on one and will post soon.

People may also use the advanced search feature built into City-Data. That way, one can search for every imaginable topic and find answers that way, then post questions that have not been discussed recently.

People have not been rude to you, MDCB. In fact, I think the members have been remarkably kind, frank and forthcoming in their answers, patient, and generous with their time.

[observer53]

And, what is designated as a "sticky" is not determined by a single poster who decides to put one together. If you make a new thread, it's likely to be duplicative of this and other threads. You came and asked many questions, and got answers, sometimes more than once. Good luck with your residency.

[swbell6]

Maybe he wants a fresh perspective - some of those threads go back two or three years. A lot has changed since then - the economy for one. And I wasn't posting back in 2008, so maybe I have some unique insight? Ha - not likely. I'm sure it's all been said before. But here goes:

Likes: hiking/biking year-round; sunny almost every day, which never gets old btw; an easy commute to work; good people and great friends; rain is always welcome as opposed to oppressive like back East; lots of interesting places to visit - ghost towns, Kartchner Caverns, Bisbee, Silver City, N.M., etc.; monsoon storms; backyard pool parties; Fourth Avenue - for shopping and people-watching; Fourth Avenue Street Fair; Gem Show; al fresco dining at many restaurants (and not all of them are chains); sunsets over the mountains; Neon Prophet; Mt. Lemmon in the summer; enjoying a glass of wine on my patio, virtually year-round. I guess there's an outdoor theme here.

Dislikes: no east-west freeway; Friday rush-hour traffic; dusty days; pollen from god knows what; I won't even mention the summer heat; people who drive too slow; white people with dreadlocks; lousy Thai restaurants that can't even make a decent Pad Thai; people who drive too fast; no ocean within a 10-minute drive; the general animosity toward cyclists. I'm sure I'll think of more.