moving from detroit to tuscon (Tucson, Oracle: apartments, rentals, crime) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

hrkp522 · 10-11-2014, 01:13 AM

My husband is getting relocated to Tuscon... What is the neighborhood like at Simmons and Oracle? We are looking at a home in a small gate community. We have 2 kids that are very young, so schools aren't really a priority right now.

azdr0710 · 10-11-2014, 08:24 AM

had to look up Simmons....are you talking about the area just N of Prince?.....is this his work area or where the house might be?....

that area is a bit older, very much in town, a mix of rentals and owner-occupieds, somewhat shabby in spots, very busy right along Oracle, small duplexes, small apartments, small houses....nothing really special.....very convenient location within town and almost everything you'd need nearby to live your entire life!....maybe your gated place is a newer in-fill development??....

and we spell it "Tucson"!....don't worry - you're not the first!

borregokid · 10-11-2014, 11:32 AM

Not sure what a gated community is on Simmons. I "drove" down there on google maps. Going west from Oracle it starts out as a little more than a paved alley with chain link fences and older homes. At the 800 block their is a development of manufactured homes that they can roll a gate across and close. Further down its a pretty nice street with sidewalks. Crime wise its not too bad based on the last 30 days. Its better than the areas around it. There is a large 55+ manufactured home park that is gated in the area. Its near a lot of shopping and other businesses thats for sure. There is another development at the 630 block that might be gated now. It wasnt when Google drove by two years ago.

hrkp522 · 10-14-2014, 06:49 AM

Omg, I am mortified I spelled my new city wrong... Anyway, our home is in the 700 block of simmons if that helps narrow it down. ��

beTucsonan · 10-14-2014, 12:15 PM

That area is pretty much stock, standard mid-town Tucson. It's not nice, it's not bad, it's just there.

Tucson experienced very rapid growth for a few decades and it seems like a lot of these neighborhoods were just thrown together to accommodate that growth, so they feel a bit discombobulated compared to the newer, planned neighborhoods, but that shouldn't bother you.

As has been mentioned, you are near to quite a lot of things, including some Tucson icons like The Tucson Mall, The Loop River Trail (great walking/biking trail) El Guero Canelo's (Mexican food, but not just any Mexican food, the home of Tucson's infamous "Sonoran Dog!"), and Restaurant Sinaloa (amazing Mexican seafood).

The negative, I think, to that sort of neighborhood is that they offer no respite in the summer heat. You have an environment of pavement, dirt and concrete. When it's 105 degrees that can be miserable, so you'll want to be conscious of the need to get the family out of the house and to some cooler environs when you can. This sounds obvious, but I've seen so many people just give into the heat in these cases and hole up in their air conditioned house, and before long they can end up hating Tucson for it. It's sort of the opposite case of colder climates where some people hate winter and hide inside while others go skiing and such and they love the winter.

Bonus: my grandfather worked at Evergreen Cemetery right down the street and he swore it was haunted, so ... Happy Halloween!!

borregokid · 10-15-2014, 06:20 AM

The home you are looking at appears to be a manufactured home. If the price is right then its probably OK. In my opinion manufactured homes work better in the north or in colder climates. I would expect a home in the desert to have a large patio with a large overhanging roof or metal awning. With a manufactured home you can get that but it typically requires a step down to a patio . It would be nice to have some trees. I have a 43 year old home that has two large trees. The shade temps under the trees is about 6 degrees cooler than shade temps away from the trees. The area you are looking at I would prefer to the south end where you will also see manufactured homes.

Bummer · 10-15-2014, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrkp522

My husband is getting relocated to Tuscon... What is the neighborhood like at Simmons and Oracle? We are looking at a home in a small gate community. We have 2 kids that are very young, so schools aren't really a priority right now.

Any particular reason why you selected this location / home, Hrkp . . . Price and/or Proximity to Employment?

Personally, I have a feeling you could do better.

jksn75 · 10-15-2014, 11:27 AM

Yea, I'm not a huge fan of the area either.

hrkp522 · 10-22-2014, 10:12 AM

It was kind of a rushed decision... Is it a manufactured home like a trailer park? We missed out on a lot of nice houses bc of a miscommunication in starting dates.

JGMotorsport64 · 10-23-2014, 11:03 AM

I'm gonna try to be as politely blunt as possible,

I wouldn't move anywhere near there. I drive down that way on Prince on my way into work (Downtown)

There is a sewage plant at Roger near Oracle(a little north) and a now documented private sewage problem for the Oracle and Prince area (I smell it every morning). It smells like Sulfur. There are a lot of half-way houses and the like in that area, not to mention to aging infastructure and Miracle Mile (which if that's your thing fine, but I wouldn't have kids near that environment)

No judgment, people choose what they like, but from experience, this area I would generally avoid.

I'd look further North, East or West.