Tucson -- Not a Good Place to Call Home (rent, credit)

[meredithbanks]

I moved to Tucson eleven years ago. I have faithfully paid my rent however, it seems the longer you stay the more you get punished. The only thing Tucson has going for it is the weather when it is sunny and warm. Other than the weather, the people are not too great. I have yet to meet one person with a good personality. They want to continually "get in your face" even when you are minding your own business. There is a good bit of drugging and drinking that goes on in this town, so unless you can keep your children well-protected and home-schooled I definitely would not recommend it for families. No one is helpful and there is considerable childishness. I do not believe I have spoken to one person I could consider as having the characteristics of a decent well-adjusted adult. My goal is to leave. Tucson is good for people who just want to drift along in life without trying too hard. I am being nice about it because what I just said would be a credit or an increase in adaptability for most of them. They are mean and they simply are not clean. For instance, they don't care if they make you sick. Their second-hand smoke and drug-smoke is out of control. Forget rehab. These people would never go to a treatment center. Their idea of having a sensational good time is to go downtown and get really loud. They have vagabonds all over the city which they think is charming. I am in a free access computer center at a hospital and the second hand smoke is so outrageous I am coughing like I have been smoking. I have been coughing up mucus--that is how bad.

I urge anyone considering Tucson or maybe Arizona in general to pick another state. This was such a mistake on my part to come here. Like I said the nature and sun is pretty but that is from God--not them. If a place is the people then Tucson is an awful place. It is a really awful place for traditional Christians. They will harrass you to no end. You will never get established and it is just filthy here. Please do not consider it even as a possibility--even if you think the sun and cactus are neat. I would be pleased to leave this awful city tomorrow and live in a less vacation oriented area. Also, I think most cities are a credit as far as cleanliness comparatively. They are greedy, rude and liars. Very non-cooperative. Some places I have been I could not say enough good things: this is one of those places I cannot say enough bad. Like I said anything supplied by God is Okay as far as nature. Anything else including the people is awful.

[garxhap]

Originally Posted by meredithbanks

I moved to Tucson eleven years ago. I have faithfully paid my rent however, it seems the longer you stay the more you get punished. The only thing Tucson has going for it is the weather when it is sunny and warm. Other than the weather, the people are not too great. I have yet to meet one person with a good personality. They want to continually "get in your face" even when you are minding your own business. There is a good bit of drugging and drinking that goes on in this town, so unless you can keep your children well-protected and home-schooled I definitely would not recommend it for families. No one is helpful and there is considerable childishness. I do not believe I have spoken to one person I could consider as having the characteristics of a decent well-adjusted adult. My goal is to leave. Tucson is good for people who just want to drift along in life without trying too hard. I am being nice about it because what I just said would be a credit or an increase in adaptability for most of them. They are mean and they simply are not clean. For instance, they don't care if they make you sick. Their second-hand smoke and drug-smoke is out of control. Forget rehab. These people would never go to a treatment center. Their idea of having a sensational good time is to go downtown and get really loud. They have vagabonds all over the city which they think is charming. I am in a free access computer center at a hospital and the second hand smoke is so outrageous I am coughing like I have been smoking. I have been coughing up mucus--that is how bad.

I urge anyone considering Tucson or maybe Arizona in general to pick another state. This was such a mistake on my part to come here. Like I said the nature and sun is pretty but that is from God--not them. If a place is the people then Tucson is an awful place. It is a really awful place for traditional Christians. They will harrass you to no end. You will never get established and it is just filthy here. Please do not consider it even as a possibility--even if you think the sun and cactus are neat. I would be pleased to leave this awful city tomorrow and live in a less vacation oriented area. Also, I think most cities are a credit as far as cleanliness comparatively. They are greedy, rude and liars. Very non-cooperative. Some places I have been I could not say enough good things: this is one of those places I cannot say enough bad. Like I said anything supplied by God is Okay as far as nature. Anything else including the people is awful.

I'm just guessing, but it sounds like you don't like Tucson very much.

[kathleenfromMT]

Wow.....I am blown away by the above post bashing poor ol' Tucson! I plan to move there late this year and can't wait. The comments refer to basically "everyone" ("they & "them") being all things bad. True, I have not lived there but I have lived in 5 different states in my lifetime and traveled quite a bit. I found people all around town to be friendly, welcoming and engaging. I totally don't understand the comment about being harassed, uncooperative, greedy......what does that even mean when you are referring to an entire population of people, men, women, old, young, Hispanic, caucasian, etc.
The city is lovely, with lots of trees, shrubs, flowers and sunshine. Even smaller homes in less well-off neighborhoods were pretty because of the flowers and trees........even in the downtown area there were lots of trees!
I am 72 and live in Helena, MT, the capital. It's cold as hell from October through May and a little into June. I must have shoveled tons of snow in the 8 years I have been here (to be near a family member). Going anywhere in those months requires the following: shoveling snow, pre-warming car, layering with scarf, gloves, maybe hat, or boots......when you get where you're going, you better watch your step or you'll be on your back because of ice. When you come out of the grocery store with snow in your face, dragging your cart through the snow/ice, it's really grand! Unless you are young and athletic, you don't get to interact with neighbors & friends over the long winter......there are litter bugs here too (which surprised me in such a pretty mountain city & capital), there are rude people here who do not want "outsiders' to move in........this is not restricted to ANY one city/town/state/country in the world!!!
Look for the good wherever you go and you will surely find it. I have made some really nice friends here, and the summers are awesome......period.
So Tucson looks pretty good.........and by the way, cost of living in Tucson is 14% lower than here in MT.
I want to make one last comment about those people bashing "old people". Remember that all of us old people were young at one time. We have paid our dues, rushed to & from work, seen some hard times and suffered sad losses, raised families, paid taxes, on & on. Why should we be treated with disgust because we have made it all through that and continue to live (sorry about that)......if you are lucky, you will grow old, you WILL have wrinkles, age spots, and parts of your body not quite as perky as they once were......you will look at photos of yourselves when you were 20, 30, 40 and marvel at how good you used to look (still not too bad even now). I sometimes think I should have a t-shirt printed with a photo of myself when I was young, with long blonde wavy hair, on the top of a ski slope or on the sailboat in a bikini looking pretty damned glamorous, and have the caption read "yes, this was me once......and inside, it still is. I had some pretty fab times, did a lot of wild and crazy things that I don't regret. If you're lucky, you will get to be old too."

[beTucsonan]

Originally Posted by kathleenfromMT

Look for the good wherever you go and you will surely find it.

This is the truth. You are as much a part of your environment and your experience as anything else.

[ohyes]

Need Help moving?

[azdr0710]

time for my semi-annual city-data reminder...

wherever you move, don't forget you have to take yourself with you

[Vision67]

"...we all see what we want to see and disregard the rest."

Paul Simon

[Packard fan]

Even tho I don't like Tucson very much; some of what the OP says is going way too far. Sheesh!

[Bummer]

SO SO SAD . . .

Some individuals will do anything in an attempt to BLAME OTHERS for their shortcomings / unhappiness rather than accepting even the slightest amount of personal responsibility.

Bottom line . . . it is RARELY, if ever, Someone Else's Fault.

[Serenity1944]

I first came to Tucson in 1979 (age 35), stayed only 2 years then remarried and we moved to various cities in the West for 10 years. I found it hard to make friends everywhere I went but was lucky to make a few. I moved back to Tucson in 2011, can't say I have any 'real' friends here. I miss the kind of friends I once had but I do have a few friendly neighbors here. From my observations, the way to make friends is at work or participating in various activities. In 1980 a really nice guy at work was commenting on how hard it is for some of us to make friends. He joined a walking club, loved it, and made a lot of friends, even found a wonderful woman whom he married a few years later.

If you can, try volunteer work part time, participate in activities that interest you. Tucson Medical Center and other hospitals have a large number of employees and volunteers, good opportunity to make new friends.

When I was young, I remember older folks talking about how times keep changing and not to their liking. Today, seems most people are very busy with their jobs and families and don't have much time for a social life-- texting/e-mailing is their social life. The Bible mentions our times, can't remember the verbage, but mention is made of our world becoming 'dog eat dog', that families turn on each other, so much crime, etc.

Relocate if you must and do try to get to places where you may make some friends.