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I currently reside in Modesto in northern central California and am considering a move to Tucson. I have never been to Tucson but my family migrated to California from Phoenix in the 40's. Because of my love of hot weather and deserts, I have researched Tucson extensively and have fallen in love with it from a distance. I am interested in pursuing a career in the culinary arts and no schools exist in my immediate area but Tucson has two, it seems like an awesome place to study cooking.
But there are complications.
I have asperger syndrome along with several other issues that have messed with my ability to hold down long term employment, the only current income is my aunts social security check that is about $900 a month here in California (likely lower in AZ) Is it possible to find housing with that type of income in Tucson?
I know it might seem crazy to want to move with such limited income but I have found that I do not excel here in central California and actually do much better in other areas. (A visit to Utah to see my sister as evidence) I have found during my medical research that some Aspies are very sensitive to environmental toxins such as the pesticide residue that are found in the area that I live. When I first moved here as a kid, I experienced a sharp decline in academics and social interactions. I strongly believe that leaving will help.
A social worker has pushed me to apply for state disability (I have twice and was denied) I could do so again but I am not interested in waiting the year and a half it would take for the process to go through. I am also living in a place with no bathroom or kitchen (they are in a seperate shared house and I dont like the setup) and paying almost $600 a month, I feel that I could find a better place in Tucson. (I also have three cats.)
I just want to get on with my life and I dont feel I can do it here with the current state of things. I have no problem working once I get there, just as long as my limitations dont pose a barrier.
I do tend to ramble and I do apologize. Any advise you guys may have, weather positive or not, would be greatly appreciated.
You can live here on a limited income. Obviously your choices will be limited somewhat, but decent studios and small 1 bedrooms can be found for under $500. Beyond just the standard apartment complexes there are also options including guest houses rented out by homeowners, and small rental units (4-12 unit places, usually slump block with concrete floors and very basic amenities, but inexpensive and sometimes in good locations for the rental price). Craigslist is a decent starting point for finding these things.
Definitely look into income requirements as many places require that you can show an income that is a certain percentage above your rent.
Will your aunt be moving with you? If by yourself it would be best to try to get a small apt or guest house with no lease or a short one. There are a lot of cheap apts but I think mostly in the university area. Your sensitivity to pesticides, etc - me too! I have MCS (multichemical sensitivity), having a hard time finding a place to live long term or a townhouse to buy.
Apartments are sprayed monthly in most places. Roundup is the 'flavor of the month' outside or pre-emergent, sprays for termites or scorpions. I sometimes can smell chemicals but more so I can taste them as soon as I enter the apt/house. In addition to pesticides, some use air fresheners when they show a place. With frequent turnovers there is almost always fresh paint, new flooring, cleaners stinking up the place. Laminate is very harmful to our health, the glue when they put down vinyl flooring is worse than the vinyl. There are a lot of pools, so possibly the chlorine would bother you, best not to be too close to a pool.
What I use as a guide when looking for a place is to say I have allergies (people relate to that more so than chemical sensitivities), say no recent renovations or pesticide spraying inside, non-smoking, no fragrance candles, etc. I look for a place that has been empty at least a few months to allow it to air out/offgas.
If you have rental references you should bring that with you. If you find a place of interest on the net you should call or e-mail to tell them your income and circumstances because some places prefer to rent to locals. Disability-- you should try again, best you get a lawyer, get copies of your medical records for whatever years you have been ill. If asperger syndrome affects your behavior sometimes and feeling disabled frequently, stress it. Also apply for food stamps if you have not already. A friend who lived in Tucson for 2 yrs left, moved to the LA area, said Tucson benefits were not as good as CA. She got approved for disability last year - only has $828 to live on after they deduct for ? Medicare, etc. She is 58 yo, pays $550 a month for a room and bath in someone's home.
Seems a lot of newcomers here on disability are renting a room and bath in someone's home, with kitchen and laundry privileges. Human nature being what it is, they move frequently. There is a lady here that rents her furnished studio for $600 mo. It is NW Tucson/ foothills, you would need a vehicle, your own cable, net service, phone.
Jobs - hard to get when new in town and health issues. Not a lot of them and Low salaries. If you don't have a vehicle, you need to rent near public transportation (if you can tolerate the buses).
I lived in Tucson for 4 years until I left last April. I am seriously considering going back next month. I have asperger's as well. Tucson has wonderful adults with aspergers support groups; one is for men and women, the other is a women's group. Check out the Autism society of Greater Tucson. (Autism Society Greater Tucson). Tucson has a good support network for people on the spectrum.
Most of the affordable rentals have evaporative coolers and wall unit air conditioners rather than central air. Coolers work well until the humidity goes up in July and August due to the monsoon season but a lot of people do just fine with that. If you have sensory processing issues, even relatively minor, the drone of the coolers and wall units can wear on your nerves.
BajaAZ is correct. There are many 4-12 unit places. Some are decent but some are real dumps. There are larger complexes I have lived that are decent for the price as well. Check out everything regardless of where you end up living. Are the amenities available when you would want to use them? If there are laundry facilities check the price. Read the lease thoroughly. The owner of one complex that I loved living at doubled the cost of laundry literally overnight without warning from $1 per wash and $1 per dry to $2 for each. He owns about 5 properties in Tucson and I would expect he did the same thing at those as well.
Tucson has its problems. It's often ranked as very bike friendly but it is dangerous riding on the city streets. You will see white "ghost" bicycles around town where cyclists have died after being hit by the driver of a car. Generally speaking traffic is fast and furious with little regard to pedestrian cross walks. Last year there were over 20 pedestrian/cyclist deaths. There is also a serious feral cat problem. The city has no laws regarding cats but pretty stringent ones for dogs.
The nice things about Tucson are that you can escape to cooler temps or go hiking in the mountains easily; if you are quirky no one cares and you can probably find people who have your interests there.
You can live here on a limited income. Obviously your choices will be limited somewhat, but decent studios and small 1 bedrooms can be found for under $500. Beyond just the standard apartment complexes there are also options including guest houses rented out by homeowners, and small rental units (4-12 unit places, usually slump block with concrete floors and very basic amenities, but inexpensive and sometimes in good locations for the rental price). Craigslist is a decent starting point for finding these things.
Definitely look into income requirements as many places require that you can show an income that is a certain percentage above your rent.
Good luck!
Thank you, the stuff you say is helpful. I have looked on craigslist and I have seen the types of places you speak of but I tended to shy away if they were being run by a standard property management company. It's been my experience (around here anyway) that the only way to get a place on such low income is to get it through a private owner who is not as likely to have any restrictions in place. I'm assuming a lot here, Tucson may be different. I'll admit to not having followed through, I just need to call and talk to someone. I might have some money coming in soon for a potential trip down there so I might look again.
Will your aunt be moving with you? If by yourself it would be best to try to get a small apt or guest house with no lease or a short one. There are a lot of cheap apts but I think mostly in the university area. Your sensitivity to pesticides, etc - me too! I have MCS (multichemical sensitivity), having a hard time finding a place to live long term or a townhouse to buy.
Apartments are sprayed monthly in most places. Roundup is the 'flavor of the month' outside or pre-emergent, sprays for termites or scorpions. I sometimes can smell chemicals but more so I can taste them as soon as I enter the apt/house. In addition to pesticides, some use air fresheners when they show a place. With frequent turnovers there is almost always fresh paint, new flooring, cleaners stinking up the place. Laminate is very harmful to our health, the glue when they put down vinyl flooring is worse than the vinyl. There are a lot of pools, so possibly the chlorine would bother you, best not to be too close to a pool.
What I use as a guide when looking for a place is to say I have allergies (people relate to that more so than chemical sensitivities), say no recent renovations or pesticide spraying inside, non-smoking, no fragrance candles, etc. I look for a place that has been empty at least a few months to allow it to air out/offgas.
If you have rental references you should bring that with you. If you find a place of interest on the net you should call or e-mail to tell them your income and circumstances because some places prefer to rent to locals. Disability-- you should try again, best you get a lawyer, get copies of your medical records for whatever years you have been ill. If asperger syndrome affects your behavior sometimes and feeling disabled frequently, stress it. Also apply for food stamps if you have not already. A friend who lived in Tucson for 2 yrs left, moved to the LA area, said Tucson benefits were not as good as CA. She got approved for disability last year - only has $828 to live on after they deduct for ? Medicare, etc. She is 58 yo, pays $550 a month for a room and bath in someone's home.
Seems a lot of newcomers here on disability are renting a room and bath in someone's home, with kitchen and laundry privileges. Human nature being what it is, they move frequently. There is a lady here that rents her furnished studio for $600 mo. It is NW Tucson/ foothills, you would need a vehicle, your own cable, net service, phone.
Jobs - hard to get when new in town and health issues. Not a lot of them and Low salaries. If you don't have a vehicle, you need to rent near public transportation (if you can tolerate the buses).
Yes Serenity, my aunt will be moving with me. She is 80 years old and arthritic and I hear that Arizona's hot and dry weather is good for arthritis so that's another plus. I've never been tested for pesticide sensitivity but discovered during my research that some aspies are sensitive and given my sharp decline upon moving here, it makes total sense. The offending residue comes from agriculture, the pesticides seep into the drinking water and end up killing off the beneficial bacteria that causes an intestinal fungal infection that can lead to autistic spectrum symptoms. (our drinking water tastes like rubber hoses) Traditional treatment is only medication and they have not been effective over a 15 year span.
I'm not sure if I'm sensitive to spraying, though I might be and it's true, you can taste the stuff after a fresh spray.
As I mentioned before, I have not really inquired (my fault) I did get around to emailing a place on craigslist but stopped after getting no response, I guess I'm afraid of getting a negative response, I tend to get discouraged easily so I just give up, I need to work on that. Money is also an issue, getting to and from to check out the place costs money that we dont have currently. I might be getting some soon though so I'll keep an eye open. I might just have to get it sight unseen. Thanks for mentioning the food stamps, I was a bit leery about asking because Arizona is very conservative and (I assume) anti government program, food stamps would totally help. Someone told me that Arizona only pays out around $600 a month social security so that might pose a big problem. I dont mind buses, I take them everywhere out here.
I lived in Tucson for 4 years until I left last April. I am seriously considering going back next month. I have asperger's as well. Tucson has wonderful adults with aspergers support groups; one is for men and women, the other is a women's group. Check out the Autism society of Greater Tucson. (Autism Society Greater Tucson). Tucson has a good support network for people on the spectrum.
Most of the affordable rentals have evaporative coolers and wall unit air conditioners rather than central air. Coolers work well until the humidity goes up in July and August due to the monsoon season but a lot of people do just fine with that. If you have sensory processing issues, even relatively minor, the drone of the coolers and wall units can wear on your nerves.
BajaAZ is correct. There are many 4-12 unit places. Some are decent but some are real dumps. There are larger complexes I have lived that are decent for the price as well. Check out everything regardless of where you end up living. Are the amenities available when you would want to use them? If there are laundry facilities check the price. Read the lease thoroughly. The owner of one complex that I loved living at doubled the cost of laundry literally overnight without warning from $1 per wash and $1 per dry to $2 for each. He owns about 5 properties in Tucson and I would expect he did the same thing at those as well.
Tucson has its problems. It's often ranked as very bike friendly but it is dangerous riding on the city streets. You will see white "ghost" bicycles around town where cyclists have died after being hit by the driver of a car. Generally speaking traffic is fast and furious with little regard to pedestrian cross walks. Last year there were over 20 pedestrian/cyclist deaths. There is also a serious feral cat problem. The city has no laws regarding cats but pretty stringent ones for dogs.
The nice things about Tucson are that you can escape to cooler temps or go hiking in the mountains easily; if you are quirky no one cares and you can probably find people who have your interests there.
Thank you OldManDax. I am pleased that there is a fellow Aspie on here and happy that there are support groups. I want to go back to work and not have to rely on disability but it's difficult doing so in a town with little to no resources to help me transition, it sounds like Tucson may be perfect for me in that regard. I do need to get into checking these places the you an Baja speak of, it sounds like I have a real chance. I dont mind if the laundry is expensive as long as the general cost of living is nominal. California is expensive to rent and live in. Most of the places I've seen on craigslist are in central Tucson which (according to neighborhood scout.com) are places to avoid. Oh yeah, a constantly humming cooler would probably drive me crazy at first but I think I could get used to it. I dont ride a bike, I tend to take buses and walk everywhere
Thank you OldManDax. I am pleased that there is a fellow Aspie on here and happy that there are support groups. I want to go back to work and not have to rely on disability but it's difficult doing so in a town with little to no resources to help me transition, it sounds like Tucson may be perfect for me in that regard. I do need to get into checking these places the you an Baja speak of, it sounds like I have a real chance. I dont mind if the laundry is expensive as long as the general cost of living is nominal. California is expensive to rent and live in. Most of the places I've seen on craigslist are in central Tucson which (according to neighborhood scout.com) are places to avoid. Oh yeah, a constantly humming cooler would probably drive me crazy at first but I think I could get used to it. I dont ride a bike, I tend to take buses and walk everywhere
I took a 6 month lease when I moved here in August. The rent seemed very reasonable, dispite all the other fees I must pay water, sewer trash $40 a month for my little apt. The lease expires the end of next month. If I decided not to renew I had to give a 2 month notice. I gave my notice last month, that I would not renew. The rent increase was outrageous. Unless I agreed to a 12 month lease my rent, would go up $128 a month for a bare bones studio apt. Even with a 12 month renewal it went up $45 a month. I would never sign a 12 month lease in a city that is new to me. I feel big rent increases are very common in this town. I don't feel it is a place that cares if one comes or goes, that someone else will show up to rent the property. That to me is unwelcoming and unappealing. It turned me off so much since I was new in Tucson, that I have had to make other plans in life.
So my point is. Tucson might look like a low cost of living location, especially for those of us from very high COL locations. Please don't let the low COL reputation Tucson has fool you. A lot depends on your situation in life. Buying here I think is still a good bet, renting here is not something I would recommend. I don't know if its because Tucson has a large student population. I don't know if its just a greedy, transient big town that feels it can get away with it. I do know Tucson doesn't have the income levels, or employers that pay enough to warrant charging such high rents here. I just know to be very careful renting here, many areas are not a place you should go for a lower rent. Even then you don't know how long the rent will stay low.
So plan carefully and make real sure you know what your getting into. Still then even with caution, it can be very difficult when moving to a new location.
I took a 6 month lease when I moved here in August. The rent seemed very reasonable, dispite all the other fees I must pay water, sewer trash $40 a month for my little apt. The lease expires the end of next month. If I decided not to renew I had to give a 2 month notice. I gave my notice last month, that I would not renew. The rent increase was outrageous. Unless I agreed to a 12 month lease my rent, would go up $128 a month for a bare bones studio apt. Even with a 12 month renewal it went up $45 a month. I would never sign a 12 month lease in a city that is new to me. I feel big rent increases are very common in this town. I don't feel it is a place that cares if one comes or goes, that someone else will show up to rent the property. That to me is unwelcoming and unappealing. It turned me off so much since I was new in Tucson, that I have had to make other plans in life.
So my point is. Tucson might look like a low cost of living location, especially for those of us from very high COL locations. Please don't let the low COL reputation Tucson has fool you. A lot depends on your situation in life. Buying here I think is still a good bet, renting here is not something I would recommend. I don't know if its because Tucson has a large student population. I don't know if its just a greedy, transient big town that feels it can get away with it. I do know Tucson doesn't have the income levels, or employers that pay enough to warrant charging such high rents here. I just know to be very careful renting here, many areas are not a place you should go for a lower rent. Even then you don't know how long the rent will stay low.
So plan carefully and make real sure you know what your getting into. Still then even with caution, it can be very difficult when moving to a new location.
Thanks for the info Jimrob1. Leases are not something we have much of here in California so I havent dealt with it much. Now that you mention it, I did notice a bunch of leases mentioned in the craigslist ads I looked at, good to know. Personally, I dont like to move, so once I get somewhere I'll probably stay a while unless the neighborhood is dangerous. I've known about Tucson being a low wage city for a while now, I dont mind it so much as long as I can get a job, unemployment where I live currently has been as high as 19%, I think it's around 11% to 12% right now but I'm not sure.
A part of me just wants to hop on a train the next chance I get and figure it out once I get there.
I took a 6 month lease when I moved here in August. The rent seemed very reasonable, dispite all the other fees I must pay water, sewer trash $40 a month for my little apt. The lease expires the end of next month. If I decided not to renew I had to give a 2 month notice. I gave my notice last month, that I would not renew. The rent increase was outrageous. Unless I agreed to a 12 month lease my rent, would go up $128 a month for a bare bones studio apt. Even with a 12 month renewal it went up $45 a month. I would never sign a 12 month lease in a city that is new to me. I feel big rent increases are very common in this town. I don't feel it is a place that cares if one comes or goes, that someone else will show up to rent the property. That to me is unwelcoming and unappealing. It turned me off so much since I was new in Tucson, that I have had to make other plans in life.
So my point is. Tucson might look like a low cost of living location, especially for those of us from very high COL locations. Please don't let the low COL reputation Tucson has fool you. A lot depends on your situation in life. Buying here I think is still a good bet, renting here is not something I would recommend. I don't know if its because Tucson has a large student population. I don't know if its just a greedy, transient big town that feels it can get away with it. I do know Tucson doesn't have the income levels, or employers that pay enough to warrant charging such high rents here. I just know to be very careful renting here, many areas are not a place you should go for a lower rent. Even then you don't know how long the rent will stay low.
So plan carefully and make real sure you know what your getting into. Still then even with caution, it can be very difficult when moving to a new location.
Agreed. During my 4 years there I only did a full year at the first place. After that it was 6 months at a time. The 2 complexes I lived at were adequate, but nothing at all fancy. The second one (the last 3 years I was there) tried to raise my rent as much as $40 each renewal. I talked them down to $10. Still ended up being a lot for 317 sf.
Tucson is a very transient city for many reasons. The crazy rent increases at many places, the general harshness of the climate (it is a desert after all), people tend to interact as little as possible unless there is a specific purpose (like checking out at the store) due to the huge number of panhandlers. No eye contact means fewer approaches. Having said that there are some really nice, helpful people there, but you have to be careful. There are many who take advantage of newbies.
Although I left last April thinking I'd never return, I am returning in a week with a 6 month lease. I made the best friends I've ever had there as well as the support for Aspergers. The dry air can reek havoc with sinuses, eyes, skin, but running a humidifier every night helps a lot.
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