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Old 05-14-2014, 03:38 PM
 
23 posts, read 42,639 times
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Hi Tucson,

I am originally from the Bay area of California which I love the weather/culture but it is just too expensive. I have been living in Scottsdale for 6 years and at first the cost of living was much lower than CA but I have made less money every single year that I have lived here. I am massage therapist that works for resort spas so work is seasonal but I want to start teaching massage as well. I am considering moving to Tucson which I know will be seasonal work as well but a lower cost of living. I also am considering Las Vegas due to all the tourism but it's hard to get a job at a resort or the Denver area but it is more expensive to live there. I like a healthy life style of hiking, yoga, organic food etc.. My only big concern is crime, I don't walk around at night but I do like to go shopping and do errands when it's dark. Someone compared Tucson to Detroit and I was shocked, it's been a couple of years since I've been to Tucson, has it gotten that bad? Any tips are greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:57 PM
 
Location: Cape Cod/Green Valley AZ
1,111 posts, read 2,781,424 times
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Comparing Tucson to Detroit is way over the top. I spend my winters 20 miles south of Tucson, and do a substantial amount of shopping and eating out in that city. I've never felt threatened or uncomfortable. I'm sure if you look to recreate in bad areas or choose to hang out with folks with bad habits (drugs, alcohol, doing stick-ups- you get the idea) you might just find the problems you're concerned about.
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Southern Arizona
9,593 posts, read 31,552,830 times
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WOW, SweetHome . . . very interesting comparisons.

I relocated to Tucson from the Bay Area about 15 years ago and, believe me, there's absolutely NO comparison. I have never lived in Detroit but I do know a few people from "up there" and when the topic of crime and/or safety comes up, they all agree . . . NO COMPARISON.

As Rich has already posted . . . hang out with the wrong types in the wrong areas and you will definitely find trouble in no time.

Remember that old saying . . . "sleep with dogs and you are certain to wake up with fleas".
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Old 05-14-2014, 11:01 PM
 
4,235 posts, read 14,000,112 times
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I hope you find what you're looking for.....but Tucson does NOT have a significantly lower COL than the Phx/Scotts area....and, though it certainly exists, tourism is quieter down here than Phx.....so much more business in Phx.....

forget the whole silly Detroit thing.....don't know what "someone" was talking about when they suggested that.....as for crime, take the usual precautions you're already doing now, I hope, and all should be fine
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Old 05-15-2014, 12:41 AM
 
Location: Tucson for awhile longer
8,869 posts, read 16,243,364 times
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I certainly concur with everything azdr0710 says.

First and foremost, no one should move to Tucson if they think the COL is an improvement over Phoenix, because it's not. I can't think of a single thing I pay for in Tucson that would be significantly more expensive in Phoenix. In fact, the last time I bought a car I went up to Phoenix to get it at a better price than I could find here. Pima Co. has fewer than a million people; Phoenix has more than four times that. It only makes sense that competition for the consumer dollar is far greater in Phoenix in every possible category, including rent.

Gasoline might be a tad more expensive in Phoenix. But I know I use more in Tucson on a day-to-day basis. When I'm in Phoenix, the things I need are in better proximity, so I drive fewer miles.

As for the tourist trade, I've lived in Tucson for eight winter seasons and to my eye the number of snow birds has decreased every year. When I first came, my neighborhood was chock-a-block with out-of-state cars from November to April. This year, I swear I didn't see a single Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota license plate all season. I was actually looking for them.

I laugh at that Detroit comment, just as everyone else will. There is crime here, of course; we've got just as many tweakers as Phoenix does. But violent crime is tied to the drug trade, as azdr said. Don't use or sell and it's unlikely to be anywhere near you. Other crimes are the same as they are in Phoenix: car theft, B&Es, petty fraud, identity theft, etc. Most crime can be avoided with careful precautions. As for walking around at night, Tucson pretty much rolls up it's streets after dark, so I don't know where you'd go unless you want to frequent college bars. Even in a fairly busy neighborhood, like Campbell Ave. between River and Speedway, you don't see many people on the sidewalks by 9 p.m.

Finally, an important fact for you specifically. You can't throw a golf ball in Tucson without hitting a massage therapist. Swedish, Chinese, Thai, Shiatsu, craniosacral, myofascial. accupressure, trigger point, sports massage, etc., etc. And then there's acupuncture, reflexology, lymphatic drainage, Reiki, Rolfing, chakra balancing ... it's already here, so your job opportunities are going to be limited. Sorry.
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Old 05-15-2014, 05:02 PM
 
Location: Colorado - Oh, yeah!
833 posts, read 1,704,614 times
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I can't argue with anything everyone else has said and Jukes made a few good points about Tucson being a smaller town and there IS a penalty for that when it comes to variety and availability. Rent may be higher, especially in Scottsdale, but most everything else will be comparable and I don't really see a better COL down here. If anything, the job market in general is not so great and wages are low down here so .even if there are COL savings you make less. I know I could easily make 10-15% more if I lived in Phoenix.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl View Post

Finally, an important fact for you specifically. You can't throw a golf ball in Tucson without hitting a massage therapist. Swedish, Chinese, Thai, Shiatsu, craniosacral, myofascial. accupressure, trigger point, sports massage, etc., etc. And then there's acupuncture, reflexology, lymphatic drainage, Reiki, Rolfing, chakra balancing ... it's already here, so your job opportunities are going to be limited. Sorry.

As for the plethora of massage therapists down here, one big reason we have so many is the massage school - Cortiva. They are cranking out graduates as fast as can be and many don't want to leave Tucson. That may be a good thing for the OP if they can get a job there, but if they want to teach on their own I think that might be a problem.
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Old 05-15-2014, 09:49 PM
 
23 posts, read 42,639 times
Reputation: 31
Thanks Tucson Folks!

I took a drive to Tucson on Wednesday night and it reminded me a lot of Tempe. It didn't feel like it was an unsafe ghost town like the person who said Tucson had become like Detroit. Interesting that tourism was down this year because Scottsdale picked up this year from last. I want to teach CEU classes which are for licensed therapists to renew their license so more massage therapists is actually better. I got the COL data off of Sperling's great places were you can compare cities and the cost of living. I have lived in many places and found it to be pretty accurate. Tucson is a lower than the national average so it is pretty cheap especially rentals. Everyone is just trying to get by these days so I have a lot of compassion for people who are struggling.
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Old 05-15-2014, 11:41 PM
 
1,500 posts, read 2,888,918 times
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Anyone who compares Tucson to Detroit has either not been to Tucson, or has not been to Detroit.
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Old 05-16-2014, 03:17 PM
 
Location: Tucson, AZ
612 posts, read 1,014,009 times
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Yeah - agree that it's a pretty silly comparison.

I think what happens is that people tend to over exaggerate the nice things about Tucson and when they do a little driving around and see that - just like any city - there are poor, run-down areas, there's sprawl, vacancies, etc., they freak out. I've heard a lot of people (on this forum, for example) really hit Tucson hard about it's minuses and when they explain themselves it's always relative to their expectations/experiences: "I often fly in and stay at Ventana Canyon for a couple of days of golf ... but this time I drove to South Tucson for some tacos and it turns out Tucson sucks!"

If, as per the original post, your concern is crime then you're probably going to be fine. Coming from the Phoenix metro you know well how there are places where you are safe and places where you aren't. Tucson is the same, generally speaking, just smaller.
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Old 05-19-2014, 05:28 PM
 
Location: Tucson
205 posts, read 727,451 times
Reputation: 378
I bought a used classic car from a retired homicide detective in Detroit (he lived in Grosse Pointe) and remember when he was giving me directions, he said that no matter what, do not get off the Interstate and drive into Detroit. Even if your car catches fire, park it on the shoulder of the freeway and wait for the police to arrive. His stories of crime in the city were horrifying, especially the murder rate.

Tucson, OTOH, has actually had a decline in a number of categories and burglaries, during the great recession, actually went down which is totally counter-intuitive. From a high in 1997 of 1500 per 100,000, to 959 per 100K in 2012. Total Part I and II UCR crimes also declined by the same rate during the same period. Doesn't mean Tucson is "safe", no city since about the 1950's has truly been "leave you door unlocked" safe (Source: Tucson Police Data)

As to cost of living, it will be slightly lower than your current location, probably not enough to justify, by itself, a move. For whatever reason, Tucson seems to maintain the lowest gas prices in the state and always considerably lower than the national average. Food is a wash, I believe TEP has a lower Kwh charge than APS but not significantly so. Lots of rentals and I suspect if you could find someone with a rental "cottage" on their property, you could work out a cash deal for a very reasonable rental rate.

As to careers, Tucson/Pima County seem to turn a blind eye to unlicensed massage therapist or places have figured out a way to operate under one license with multiple "therapists". We go to a (hopefully) legitimate Asian spa not far from home and get a one hour massage for $35 - I'm not sure how the split works but can't believe the therapists are making much money at that rate. I'm forever getting Amazon local specials for more upscale "spas" but they are still giving $35-$45 an hour introductory massages.

I've said it here any number of times but it bears repeating - it's a great place to retire with sufficient fixed income. I wouldn't want to be a newly married couple starting a family and having to find a career that would support all of that along with savings and planning for retirement.
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