Moving to Tucson (Phoenix, Vail: standard of living, cost, authority)

[tom4416]

Congratulations on the interview. Do remember that people in Tucson tend to be a little bit more laid back and so the interview may be a little more low key than one in say, Seattle. Not to say professionalism isn't key, it is, but we met an executive of a fair size company while we were out there (actually met him on the plane first) and he laughed about the number of New Yorkers that interview with them and how they are almost combative in their interview techniques, as if it was going to boil down to a cage match to see who got hired. I know Seattle is a LONG ways from NY, but Tucson might be just as far from Seattle. Good luck!

[Dr. Avery]

Thanks for piping in, Tom!

Thanks for the heads up. I'm not a naturally adversarial person, so I think I should be ok there.

[CheyDee]

Thanks for the update. Good luck Monday!

[Dr. Avery]

After all of that, they have decided not to extend me an offer as a Support Associate.






Instead they're extending me an offer as a Support Specialist, which pays significantly more.

[goolsbyjazz]

Welcome to the desert! May it be all and more than you've imagined.

[tom4416]

Congratulations! Welcome to Tucson!

[Dr. Avery]

Thanks guys.

Now I just have to find a quiet neighborhood where I can rent a decent house (not an apt) for right around a grand a month. Tough to do when I don't even know neighborhood names. I'll be working right near the intersection of E Broadway and S Craycroft, and I'll be relying on public transportation to begin with - so I'd like to be either close in to that location, or on a direct and major bus line.

Perhaps you all could recommend some areas I should be looking at?

[themudpuppy]

Congrats!

Although I drive by Broadway and Craycroft a lot for shopping and such, I'm too new here to know which areas around there are good and bad to live in, so I can't offer any advice on housing. I'm sure someone will come along who can.

[Dr. Avery]

Having lived in Tucson for a year now, I feel prepared to address the questions I asked all that time ago. We'll take this point by point.

Originally Posted by Dr. Avery

* The folks of Tucson are roughly as xenophobic about citizens from the north as they are about aliens from the south.

As has been mentioned elsewhere, much of the wintertime population of Tucson comes from out of state, which keeps most of the xenophobia at bay.

* People aren't very friendly, so if you aren't in the market to be a crazy old hermit, it's a bad idea to live here.

People do tend to arrive with the people they want to know, and it's a bit harder to meet people in Tucson as groups tend to keep to their own, as compared to locations in the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. The people are not excessively friendly, but nor are they hostile. As with any other population of people, there are individual exceptions to this baseline - but on average you will have to work a bit harder to chip through the ice when attempting to meet new people.

Cultural groups tend to keep to their own a bit more than one might be used to, but it's certainly not impossible to cross these lines.

* There's no work to be had, especially tech work.

I cannot speak to this, as I came to Tucson for a job. There is very little work in my specific field. But since I occupy one of those vaunted roles, It hasn't been a problem for me, except for in terms of career mobility.

* The few available jobs pay Calcutta rates.

This is absolutely true. My company pays so little that it is common for people to stay for 2 years, and then take employment elsewhere making two or three times more doing the exact same work. I place a value of $15000 per year on year round sunlight. That is the amount of loyalty I extend to my company. Once I am offered that much more to work for some other company, I will probably take the offer.

That said, the cost of living is lower in some respects -- gasoline and housing costs, for example. The internet has a way of homogenizing the price of big ticket items, but one can rent a very nice house for a very reasonable rate. This will also play a role in determining when it is appropriate to jump ship to a better company.

* No one speaks English...

Not true. Those people who do not speak English tend not to be running the front desk.

* ...Except for the preponderance of cross burning, lynch mobbing neo-facists who, ironically, don't speak English very well either.

Like any industrialized area, this has been pushed to the fringes. Certainly, moving from the northwest it's going to be a bit more evident here than one might be used to - but these kinds of views have largely been shamed into silence.

I'd like to get the straight dope from actual residents. What's it like in Arizona, specifically Tucson? Are there any cultural quiddities I should know about?

If coffee is an important part of your morning, some planning will be required. In Seattle or Portland, for example, the process for getting coffee is to head to work, and stop at any of the 30 or so espresso invariably strewn along your route.

In Tucson, this does not work. You will be required to plan your route - not based on your final destination, but rather on the location of the nearest coffee shop with the capacity to handle your order at that time of day. Many places serve their coffee lukewarm, and you will have to specifically request a temperature if 'tepid' isn't a word you would use to describe your ideal cup of joe.

As for where I would recommend I live in Tucson?

Right now, Vail is looking good.

[WatnNY]

Originally Posted by Dr. Avery

If coffee is an important part of your morning, some planning will be required. In Seattle or Portland, for example, the process for getting coffee is to head to work, and stop at any of the 30 or so espresso invariably strewn along your route.

In Tucson, this does not work. You will be required to plan your route - not based on your final destination, but rather on the location of the nearest coffee shop with the capacity to handle your order at that time of day. Many places serve their coffee lukewarm, and you will have to specifically request a temperature if 'tepid' isn't a word you would use to describe your ideal cup of joe.

As for where I would recommend I live in Tucson?

Right now, Vail is looking good.

There is only THREE Dunkin Donuts in Tucson! This is a travesty!!!

Mike