Relocation advice for early 30's professional (Tucson, Catalina Foothills: transplants, apartment complexes, renter)

[missileguy]

I recently accepted a job at Raytheon with a January start time, and need some advice about housing arrangements, neighborhoods, etc. I've already flown to Tucson twice for job interviews and I really liked the place. Besides the east and south side of town, I spent some time driving around Oro Valley, Catalina Foothills, Sahuarita, and Sabino Canyon. Most of them seem like nice neighborhoods, but I'm not sure which ones are right for me.

Just to give you some background, I will be renting (not a homeowner) and I will be getting a pretty good salary ($90k annually plus bonuses). Raytheon is also giving me signing and relocation bonuses which will help with deposits, furnishings, etc. I'll be working at the facility on the south side of the airport.

I'm single and in my early 30's, so I don't want to be totally isolated from the social scene. On the other hand, I would like to avoid the hardcore college crowd if at all possible.

Random impressions and thoughts:

South Tucson - Definitely not the trendy side of town. Are there any decent rental options here? What about the Drexel Heights area? Some of the apartments look pretty good, but crime seems to be a consistent complaint.

East Tucson - Someone recommended the Condos at Williams Centre. Seems like a solid middle class area.

Downtown - Lately I've been considering a place like One North Fifth or Herbert Residential. The commute time is very good and you get the perks of living downtown. Still, the apartments are pretty small for the price. Not sure if college students are a big presence in this area. May be too hipsterish for my taste. Heard some good things about La Entrada and Redondo Towers.

Catalina Foothills - Really beautiful neighborhood. Lots of Raytheon people seem to live here.

Oro Valley - Another beautiful area, but I'm a little worried about the commute. The apartments in the area are well priced. Been looking at the Golf Villas of Oro Valley.

Sabino Canyon - I'm an outdoorsy kind of person, so being near the Sabino Canyon recreation area would be appealing. But again, I'm not sure about the commute. There doesn't appear to be a highway in this area.

Green Valley/Sahuarita - I could see myself buying a house here someday. There aren't many apartment options, and some of them get very mixed reviews. May be a little isolated from the main city. A fair number of homes are available for rent in the $1000-$1200 range. What would the utility bills look like for a ~1500 sq ft home?

Vail - Don't know anything about this area.

Marana - Some very nice neighborhoods (e.g. Dove Mountain), but the commute is probably excessive.

Any other thoughts/advice on living in Tucson?

[beTucsonan]

If you want to be in a nice place but not isolated then I'd recommend the following areas:

Star Pass/Gates Pass - Just west of downtown, easy commute for you, lots of apartment, condo and some home rentals available. 10 minute drive from downtown, but feels like you live out in the desert. Golf, mountain biking, hiking, running and road cycling, etc., all sorts of activities abound in the area.

Catalina Foothills - Closer to downtown than it seems, but far enough away that I've seen it discourage some people from going down there on weekends. Mature neighborhood, lots of great rental options, etc.. Pretty ideal if the commute is good for you.

Downtown - sure, you get a college crowd, but you can pick your spots carefully to avoid this. Hipster? That's going to happen anywhere young people are doing things. If I was 30 and single this is exactly where I would want to be, but it's a pretty personal decision. The prices are higher here, but - again - that's true of any downtown area in any city.

There is, of course, the vast swath of "mid-town" Tucson some which is great and definitely worth a look. The neighborhoods just to the East of the UA can be pretty good. Home rentals mostly, but also plenty of apartments to search for (you'll find a higher population of students in any apartments anywhere near the University, obviously). Williams Centre is also decent - I lived in the Condos at Williams Centre 15 years ago or so, when they were apartments, and it was a good enough spot back then. Easy to get to almost anywhere from there.

Anyway, hope it helps - good luck and welcome to Tucson!

[Bummer]

Impressive, MissileGuy . . . you have definitely done your homework.

As you have already implied, commuting in Tucson can be a real bear. Where exactly will you be working?

Lots of apartment complexes along River Road from La Cholla to Campbell. Also, plenty of Patio Homes / Condos which would give you more privacy plus a full two car garage for security and storage.

My Patio Home is very close to the Tucson Mall which is convenient to just about everything including the Rillito Biking / Walking Trail. When available, Two Bedroom / Two Bath plus Garage units in my area usually rent for about $850 to $950.

Welcome to Tucson and Good Luck.

[missileguy]

I'll be working at the Raytheon airport site on E Hermans Rd.

Re: renting a house. What would be a ballpark electric/water bill for a 1000 sq ft house in Tucson? I assume it gets pretty bad in summer?

I'll look into the area around the Tucson mall. BTW- I walked around the mall the last time I was there, and thought it was pretty nice. Most of the malls in my area (Dallas) are getting kind of trashy.

[Bummer]

Not certain where Hermans Road is but I am about 20 to 30 minutes from the Tucson Airport during peak commute times. Unfortunately, I would have a problem recommending any place in that immediate area plus anything North of River Road would only add to your commute.

In my complex (60 units) the only utility you would have is TEP (Tucson Electric Power). Mine averages out to about $75 a month.

[jlawrence01]

Since you mentioned Sahuarita and Green Valley, I will throw in some information.

Sahuarita is a 10-15 mile drive from Raytheon but it goes very quickly. Some people will tell you that there are three typed of people living in Sahuarita - seniors, Border Patrol, and military families. I am not sure that is accurate but it usually leads to Sahuarita being the safest community in Arizona.

Social life? Well, things are a lot more geared toward families with small children. If you want fun, you will be heading to Tucson all of the time.

Green Valley is about 90% deeded 55+ and over. HOWEVER, it is one of the few communities where women outnumber men 2 to 1. Move into the right community and you will be the MOST popular guy in the neighborhood. I suggest that you wait to move to Green Valley 25-30 years from now.

[Dos Cabezas]

The places you listed have very nice neighborhoods but they're also either "drive 'till you can afford better schools" neighborhoods or retirement communities. Lots of older transplants, lots of families, very sleepy. Being a young renter with no kids, you should get a feel for Tucson. After a year you can pick up and move if you feel those out-of-the-way places are the best for you.

The University puts out a lot more graduates than Tucson has job openings. A lot (most?) of the young professionals are Arizona grads so that part of town is popular with that crowd too. Besides hipsters, colleges provide culture and entertainment, museums and shows. And downtown's proximity to the barrios provides a lot of its own unique culture.

If you really don't want to be in the center of things, 'beTucsonan' is right, Star Pass is probably the best option. Good commute, close to nature, but you're still 5-10 minutes from downtown for dinner, drinks, other young people.

Second option might be Sam Hughs. It is a quieter/pricier place for families who want to be near to amenities of DT/Univ. You won't drive far for errands like you would in the outskirts, but close enough to I-10 to get out of town when you want to explore Arizona.

[The Bronx Bull]

I lived in Tucson back in 2012 and commuted to a similar location. Unfortunately the south end of town is not somewhere I would recommend living.

The Starr Pass area is where I chose, which is somewhat outside of the city (a good thing, in my case), and yet only a ~25 minute commute to the airport area. The area is quite nice, as its surrounded by a golf course and the Marriott at Starr Pass, and there are options for both apartments and condos. There are also a plethora of hiking/mountain biking trails nearby. You also have easy access to Gates Pass and other scenic areas, which is a plus.

The apartments I was in were called Starrview at Starr Pass.

[lml24]

My husband and I (late 20's / early 30's, no kids yet) recently moved to Tucson. He also works near the airport. We *love* the Sam Hughes neighborhood where we are renting. It's close to the University, but it's not like there are college students running around on our lawn ever. If you live east of Campbell I think the students mostly leave you alone. The location cannot be beat for getting out. We can easily bike to the bars and concert venues of 4th Ave and downtown, as well as the awesome Himmel Park. If you play frisbee, soccer, or have a dog, Himmel park is an amazing resource. There's an ultimate frisbee pick-up game at Himmel every Sunday before dusk, FYI.

The Tucson commutes are a tricky beast if you're used to living in a city that has an accessible freeway. From Sam Hughes to the airport is about 15-20 minutes. From northern suburbs it will take at least 30-45 minutes, and that's only if you live near the freeway.

Don't live in Oro Valley or the Foothills if you don't need good schools, i.e. you don't have kids yet. The realtor that we got as part of our relocation package was gunning for us to move there, but I'm SO glad we didn't. If you are hoping to get out and meet people you will be sad and lonely there, and it will always be too difficult to get into town on a Friday night. We've made some friends that live up there and it's such a hassle to get them to come out, or for us to go see them.
For $1500 + utils we rent a 1500 square foot house with a backyard, and it feels like a mansion to us (we came from a very cramped 2 bedroom in Boston that cost much more). Our utilities in the summer were $200/mo for electricity (we kept the house at around 80 all day) and $50 for water/sewage/trash. Now that it's cooled down we pay $60 for electricity and still $50 for water. Compare that to our >$400 heating bills in Boston winters.