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And did you know, speaking of localized crime, that South Tucson has more murders than Camden, NJ?
As of 2006 Camden had a population of 79,318. As of 2006 Tucson had a population of 518,956 (946,362 if you count the metropolitan area). I'm sure you could take many one-square mile parts of towns and find them to be lower in crime rate.
Camden has a much higher murder rate than Tucson. A short excerpt from above:
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"Based on statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Camden was the third-most dangerous city in the United States during 2002, and has been ranked the nation's most dangerous city in 2004 and 2005.[citation needed] "Most dangerous city" is based on crime statistics in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary,deactivating towers and auto theft.
However, in 2005, homicides in Camden dropped sharply, to 34 — fifteen fewer murders than were reported in 2004.[13] Though Camden's murder rate is still much higher than the national average, the reduction in 2005 was a drop of over thirty percent."
As of 2006 Camden had a population of 79,318. As of 2006 Tucson had a population of 518,956 (946,362 if you count the metropolitan area). I'm sure you could take many one-square mile parts of towns and find them to be lower in crime rate.
Camden has a much higher murder rate than Tucson. A short excerpt from above:
My point was not Tucson as a whole, but South Tucson, which is only 1 sq mile.
Tucson as a whole has higher crime levels even than a much bigger city like San Fran.
See here:
Tucson is number 15 on the bottom list as most dangerous, which I find disturbing. I am from the much larger metro area of Seattle, which is one of the safer large cities and like SF, did not even make this list. Seattle and Tucson's in city population are both in the 500,000's (Seattle's in city pop is a about 60 thousand people larger- with a metro area of over 3 mill and growing daily, whereas Tucson's metro area is just shy of 1 million) and compare Seattle's 2005 murder number of 25, to Tucson's count of 55. Now you tell me that is not a lot of crime compared to where I am from!
Another thing is that Tucson's economy is drastic change from where I live. There are decent jobs down here but you would never know it by the shabby houses and streets. Most side streets don't even have sidewalks- you have to walk on the side of the road. Even the nicer homes in the foot hills are not as cute as the regular homes in Seattle. And the houses in the city itself- wow! The homes are much more ghetto looking than the large manicured grass lawns and shingled roofs of the NW. There are also trailer parks in the city which I find to be slummy. There are some decent mobile home parks for seniors, but for the most part I see the ghetto looking ones, especially in certain areas of the city. The pay is much lower, and the groceries, bills and rent is not much lower than where I am from. I mean, you can find a 2 bedroom house for 800-1200 here, but the quality will suck, imo. My boyfriend makes less here as an office manger than I do working retail in Seattle. And my place in Seattle is brand new in a great area with all amenities included- for only 200 bucks more than my boyfriend's old and TINY place here- and the backyard sucks! Weeds, weeds, and dirt. And cactus. Dogs barking all night long. He lives in a so called decent area in North Tucson, near Glenn Street. The bills are sky high because of the non stop AC that has to run- not to mention awful allergies, and dried out nose and skin. I never needed to use lotion until I came out here, my skin is dry upon waking up. In Seattle I don't even know anyone who has an AC system, but here they are imperative. I just don't like it, it is like one has to live in a neverended stream of air conditioned rooms. You leave your AC'd home to your AC'd vehicle to get into an AC'd strip mall- argh, the strip malls are another thing I dislike. They are EVERYWHERE! I guess a lot of land locked places are like this- my boyfriend tells me Ohio and Michigan also have a lot of strip malls and WalMarts. In Seattle the only 2 WalMart's are a 15 minute drive (or more, depending on which one) to the suburbs- thank God! I hate WalMart! Ick! There are everywhere out here, along with the strip malls.
I am here visiting my boyfriend as he is finishing up school here, then we are getting out. However, all of this (other than the insane crime and underfunded schools) is subjective- like other posters have said, some people really find the scenery beautiful and they actually like the heat. So if you like hot hot weather, go for it! If there was water within even an half hour away (which is too far, imo) to go swimming in, I would not dislike it so much. I personally enjoy the 85-90 degree summers and refreshing lakes of Seattle. I live on the shores of a small lake (Bitter Lake) and within 10 minutes of the Puget Sound (Carkeek Park, or Golden Gardens if I want to go swimming there) and Lake Washington (Matthew's Beach or five minutes down the road to Magnuson, which features an off leash dog beach for the pups, and swimming/boating for the owners!) I love the water and REAL mountains that have snow year round. The SW mountains are beautiful in their own right, and I love taking trips up to Mt. Lemmon- however I like the Tucson Mountains Range better- looks awesome at night. The Saguaro State Park is neat to spend time in, but only in the Spring/Winter when the heat is not so bad! 85 degrees to me is hot- 95 is scorching! Tucson can be cool to visit though, or else I would make my boyfriend spend his breaks alone! The desert does have his beauty in its unique plants and landscape, and thousands of people really love the everyday sun and heat, and sunny Christmas'! Christmas in the desert is something else, I tell ya! To each her/his own!
Last edited by lijohy; 04-07-2008 at 01:57 PM..
Reason: edit
Well, if you don't need a/c in Seatle it's just about the only place in this country that doesn't. Here in the Chicago area you cannot survive without it. I just gets too humid. 90's with 80+% humidity is hell. Worse than 105 in Tucson. Wher you also get 70 degree days that are impossible because you need a/c to remove the humidity but it's really too cool for it. It's difficult for me to breath.
Like I said before, you can live anywhere but you will only like it if you choose to. Everywhere has good and bad things. It just depends on what you want to tollerate. Here it is just too expensive to live comfortably. You can never get ahead. Taxes are continuing to skyrocket more than anything else except maybe gas. And salaries are not increasing like they used to. 12-14 years ago it was common to get 6-8% each year. Now you are really lucky if you can get 3%. Usually it is more like 1.5-2%, it doesn't even keep up with the cost of living. So each year you make a little less than the year before.
Well, if you don't need a/c in Seatle it's just about the only place in this country that doesn't. Here in the Chicago area you cannot survive without it. I just gets too humid. 90's with 80+% humidity is hell. Worse than 105 in Tucson. Wher you also get 70 degree days that are impossible because you need a/c to remove the humidity but it's really too cool for it. It's difficult for me to breath.
Like I said before, you can live anywhere but you will only like it if you choose to. Everywhere has good and bad things. It just depends on what you want to tollerate. Here it is just too expensive to live comfortably. You can never get ahead. Taxes are continuing to skyrocket more than anything else except maybe gas. And salaries are not increasing like they used to. 12-14 years ago it was common to get 6-8% each year. Now you are really lucky if you can get 3%. Usually it is more like 1.5-2%, it doesn't even keep up with the cost of living. So each year you make a little less than the year before.
You pretty much don't need a/c in the entire Pacific NW from SF on up. There are plenty of places in the US where one can survive and even get comfortable without a/c. People did it for hundreds of years.
You can easily survive without a/c in Chicago - I did for over a decade growing up in the north burbs. My dad thought it was unhealthy and a waste of money. Go to the Gulf states and you'll see what real humidity is. You take a shower after work in the early evening, step outside for 10 seconds, and it feels like you haven't showered in weeks. I do agree that Chicago taxes are high, but that's why everything works unlike many large cities in the US.
You pretty much don't need a/c in the entire Pacific NW from SF on up. There are plenty of places in the US where one can survive and even get comfortable without a/c. People did it for hundreds of years.
You can easily survive without a/c in Chicago - I did for over a decade growing up in the north burbs. My dad thought it was unhealthy and a waste of money. Go to the Gulf states and you'll see what real humidity is. You take a shower after work in the early evening, step outside for 10 seconds, and it feels like you haven't showered in weeks. I do agree that Chicago taxes are high, but that's why everything works unlike many large cities in the US.
You can survive quite well, in fact, in many areas of the mountain West without a/c. I doubt anyone in Flagstaff, or anywhere in northern AZ, for example, needs a/c. Ditto for northern New Mexico, northern Utah, or pretty much anywhere in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Colorado or the Dakotas. I lived for a time in Denver without a/c and never felt like I needed it. It may get hot at times during the daytime there in summer, but it's a dry heat, almost never cracks the low 90's & it always cools down at night.
Here in southwest CO where I now live, I don't have a/c and don't know anyone who does. I also only have needed to turn on the heat here for about 3 months out of the year, and only at night. Never have had a heating or electric bill here over $45. The most perfect climate in the world is right here, IMO.
You can easily survive without a/c in Chicago - I did for over a decade growing up in the north burbs. My dad thought it was unhealthy and a waste of money. Go to the Gulf states and you'll see what real humidity is. You take a shower after work in the early evening, step outside for 10 seconds, and it feels like you haven't showered in weeks.
No matter what you say here there is always someone that will come back and contridict you. Yes, people survived without a/c everywhere before it was available. But most everybody has it here in Chicago along with most cars. And, no one has a/c in the Pacific Northwest?
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I do agree that Chicago taxes are high, but that's why everything works unlike many large cities in the US.
Everything works in Chicago? I highly doubt it. It's in one of the most corrupt cities and it is in one of the most corrupt ststes in the country. How many of our governors ended up n jail? Want to buy a drivers license? Which Secretary of State had $800,000 in shoe boxex in his house? (just a few examples) It may work as long as you're tied in with the politicians but if you are anyone else it far from works. The only thing that works is the system that they have found to rase taxes without the approval on any of the people. That's why taxes are high.
As is plainly clear from your opinions and username, you need to get out of Chicago and move to Shangri La or Eldorado. Good luck finding it, as I'm sure you'll be "sickofAZ" on here before long. Despite its imperfections, Chicago does work - go visit Detroit, Philadelphia, DC, etc. Last time I checked, Philadelphia, DC, and even Phoenix weren't a finalist for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Overall, Chicago is one of the most underrated alpha cities in the world (though paradoxically almost overrated in the Midwest). You have the tier 1 alpha cities - London, NYC, Paris, and Tokyo. Tier 2 is Singapore, Milan, LA, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, and Chicago. Chicago sticks out as the least known or renowned of the alpha cities.
As is plainly clear from your opinions and username, you need to get out of Chicago and move to Shangri La or Eldorado. Good luck finding it, as I'm sure you'll be "sickofAZ" on here before long. Despite its imperfections, Chicago does work - go visit Detroit, Philadelphia, DC, etc. Last time I checked, Philadelphia, DC, and even Phoenix weren't a finalist for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Overall, Chicago is one of the most underrated alpha cities in the world (though paradoxically almost overrated in the Midwest). You have the tier 1 alpha cities - London, NYC, Paris, and Tokyo. Tier 2 is Singapore, Milan, LA, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, and Chicago. Chicago sticks out as the least known or renowned of the alpha cities.
Well, being that you don't live here you can't really know much about living here. What studies say, or what ever "Alpha Cities" are, it doesn't correlate to anything realistic. I know about the Chicago area because I live here and the Chicago area stinks. Yes, I will be moving somewhere that is actually habitable and afordable. People in the Midwwest are too self centered and self important to tollerate here. Even my own family. In fact, my father just basically told me that I probably won't be able to find a job anywhere else. So I guess Chicago is the only city that has employment for engineers.
It continues to amaze me how many people are closed minded and completely unimformed about anything outside of their own area. And some people on this forum have negative things to say about Tucson and they haven't even been there!
If it wasn't for this housing thing that is going on we would be moving this summer. But right now we don't know when we will be able to sell our house.
Thanks to the peeps who gave me reps for my last post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sickofIL
Well, being that you don't live here you can't really know much about living here. What studies say, or what ever "Alpha Cities" are, it doesn't correlate to anything realistic. I know about the Chicago area because I live here and the Chicago area stinks. Yes, I will be moving somewhere that is actually habitable and afordable. People in the Midwwest are too self centered and self important to tollerate here. Even my own family. In fact, my father just basically told me that I probably won't be able to find a job anywhere else. So I guess Chicago is the only city that has employment for engineers.
It continues to amaze me how many people are closed minded and completely unimformed about anything outside of their own area. And some people on this forum have negative things to say about Tucson and they haven't even been there!
If it wasn't for this housing thing that is going on we would be moving this summer. But right now we don't know when we will be able to sell our house.
Now getting back to this nonsense, I grew up in the Chicago area, almost all my relatives and friends still live there, and I visit at least once a month. How long have you lived there? 2 years? I have over a decade on you. Close minded? I've lived all over the country, both coasts and in between, and the world - Europe, Africa, Asia. I recognize the good and bad in all areas. I have personal preferences, but I don't let my own misery consume me to the point that all I see is the green on the other side of the fence. If you hate Chicago so much, leave and quit biting the hand that is feeding you. Millions of people will disagree with your OPINIONS about the quality of life in Chicago. I venture to guess that over half the young adults who grew up in the Midwest, and a large number from around the country and the world would give anything to live in a CHEAP alpha city. Yes, Chicago is the cheapest alpha city - compare it with other cities on the list I gave you, not that it matters as you probably haven't visited any other alpha city. For the record, I've spent considerable time in all of them. Now go live a little, grow up, and maybe you'll have more perspective in several years.
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Subjectiveness:
There are everywhere out here, along with the strip malls. 
The desert does have his beauty in its unique plants and landscape, and thousands of people really love the everyday sun and heat, and sunny Christmas'! Christmas in the desert is something else, I tell ya! To each her/his own!
