Quality of life in Tucson (Yuma, Oro Valley: apartment complex, school districts, to live)

[Subie]

Originally Posted by Mi_Mom

I've been trying to tell my friends and family that. I'm not sure they believe me though.

Yep, it's a biological fact:

Sweat is produced to cool off the body. If it's humid, the humidity's moisture is interfering with the evaporative cooling of sweat by adding constant moisture and not allowing the sweat to take away excessive heat.

[belami28]

Valley fever and ticks are a huge problem here. Some dogs, diggers, are very prone. And don't forget the frogs in the summer rains, can kill a dog if they lick or bite one. If your dogs are your children, Tucson may bring on some very hard to control problems.

[Marcy1210]

Well, I live outside of Colorado Springs, and we have a condo in Oro Valley, plus my daughter and son in law were stationed at McChord AFB in Tacoma, WA for four years, so I can speak for all these places.

I love Colorado Springs. It has 4 seasons, mild (almost warm) winters, snow that melts very quickly, lots of off leash parks, lots of hiking trails and lots of outdoor activities. The Olympic Training Center is here, the world's highest zoo (Cheyenne Mountan Zoo), several Air Force and Army bases, NorthCom, Norad, and The United States Air Force Academy. We also have the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, several other colleges, a fabulous library system, and an unparralled view of Pikes Peak, but, it's a very religious, Republican, conservative town. Also, you don't want to live on the South side. That's kind of the bad part of town, but the north area (anything north of Austin Bluffs) or west of I-25 is fine. Average housing is about $250K US for a 3BR, 2BA but can go past $1M US in the Broadmoor area. Also, you're very close to the mountains up Hwy 24 (where we live) where there is gorgeous scenery and tons of trails and camping areas, lakes and fishing. Colorado people are very outdoorsy people. The mountains get lots of snow, hence the skiing is fabulous with Vail, Aspen, Telluride and Steamboat Springs being packed during the winter. One ski area (Arapahoe Basin) also stays open until about 4th of July. In the Spring, however, the wildflowers bloom and it's colorful and gorgeous. The Rocky Mountains split the state and it's arid and deserty on the Western slope, fields and farms on the eastern plains, and cities along the front range (or eastern side) of the mountains. The average winter temp is between 35º-50º F (-1ºC) and the summer temps are in the 70's and 80's (30ºC). Spring arrives in April when the trees start leafing out and they loose their leaves in October. By Halloween (Oct. 30), the trees are bare, but by early May they are in bloom again. The elevation of Colo Spgs is 6600 ft, and the humidity is basically nil. In summer, there are almost daily thunderstorms that cool the air and raise the humidity. But, it's basically a very arid climate. It'll snow in winter, but it won't stick for long. The high altitude and abundant sunshine melt the snow almost as soon as it hits the ground. Colorado Springs does have wildlife, especially on the west side. Deer are called Urban Rodents as they're so plentiful (they eat everything!), and where there are deer, there are their natural predator, the mountain lion. And there are black bear that will look for food in people's trash cans, barbeques, bird feeders, etc., right after they come out of hibernation and before they go in to hibernation. I'm in Colorado right now, in a town about an hour west of the Springs, and our leaves are about 1/2 way through turning. We only have Aspen or pines, so it's just the Aspen.

Colorado Springs Travel Information :: Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak

In Tacoma, there are some good neighborhoods, but mostly it's city. I-5 goes through town, and unless you're near Lakewood or Pt. Defiance, you're going to have some older, less expensive housing. Like Colorado Springs, it's VERY military with both McChord AFB and Ft. Lewis. You're near the water, but not really close. The ocean is about an hour and a half away, and it's FREEZING year round! The climate is mild in the winter (not too rainy), it stays light in summer until about 11:00 p.m., and the summers are really pleasant. Lots and lots of green, it's very lush. Most of the roads are tree shaded with a lot of ferns, coleus, and other plants that provide year around green, unlike Colorado which has a very distinct (but not cold) winter. Winter temps are in the 40's and 50's, summers in the 70's and 80's. It does rain quite a bit, but it's not debilitating. The climate is somewhat humid, but it's not bad. It's also very pet friendly, and there isn't any wildlife that would hurt pets that I know of. It's a very outdoorsy type town, as well, and the mountains are to the east and close enough for day trips to hike or bike.

City of Tacoma - Home

Tucson, on the other hand, is in the desert. Colorado Springs gets the same "pests" as Tucson (tarantulas, rattlesnakes, cockroaches, etc.), but it's a little more humid and has more trees. Tucson has fabulous sunny days, and a few monsoons in the summer that fill the arroyos and rivers and streets. It does get hot in the summer, no denying it, but you'll have an air conditioned home, car, office, stores, etc. But, walking the dogs will be a problem unless it's early morning or very late evening (this is only in June-Aug). However, the winters are very mild. It's nice to not have to wear a coat in winter, and lots of people (young and tough!) will wear shorts in winter. However, since I'm neither of those, I wear jeans in winter. Because the climate is mild, some trees stay green year round, and some plants bloom year round, but April is when everything explodes. There isn't as much to do in Tucson as there is in the Springs, and the nearby mountains don't have the endless recreational activities that the mountains west of Colorado Springs have. But, in both places you can escape to the mountains to avoid the heat of summer. Tucson, because it's a desert, has unbelievably beautiful cactus and succulants, things you'll never see anywhere else in America, and the sunsets are gorgeous. Like Colo Springs, there are better areas of town than others. I think the south side is probably not a good choice, but like the Springs, the north, east and west sides have some really nice neighborhoods. Housing is a little less expensive in Tucson than it is in the Springs or Tacoma. (Tacoma, btw, is about an hour south of Seattle, the Springs an hour south of Denver, and Tucson is about an hour south of Phoenix--there's a theme there, somewhere).

I've probably rattled on too much, but I hope some of this information helps!

[Bexxer]

Wow, thanks for all that info! Looks like we will be heading to the Academy in Colorado so I'll be checking out Col Spgs and Manitou more closely. We (my hubby and I) are neither far left or right or religious or anti-religious so we are looking forward to wrestling with all the extremists whatever their views!

[Marcy1210]

Manitou Springs is a really nice, artsy town. Lots of jewelery makers, glass blowers, silversmiths, etc. It's pretty liberal compared to the Springs and the people there are really folksy and nice. The town has really good homes and areas, and it's in the foothills west of the Springs. There are also hot springs there that the Native Americans used for medicinal purposes. The area around the Academy is really pretty as the Academy is basically at the base of the foothills NW of the Springs. If you chose to live near the Academy, you'd have views of both the mountains and the city lights. It's gorgeous there! Our son in law graduated from the Academy in 1993 and is now stationed in Papa, Hungary. I think you'd really like Colorado. But, then again, I'm partial to it! This year our fall is really beautiful. No freezes or cold weather yet, and up here in the High Country, our aspen trees are brilliant red and gold. It's one of the nicest autumns in many years!

[rolo99]

If you don't like conservative areas, avoid Colorado Springs! It's full of jesus freakers. Stistically speaking, there's more evangelical christians there than anywhere else. It's the int'l HQ of "Focus on the Family" (google it).

I now live in Denver, Colorado after spending 6 mos (winter) in N. Tucson. I loved my time there, but the heat was too much for us. We spent the first 37 years of our lives in Michigan, so we're more used to the weather here than in Tucson.

I highly encourage a visit in the summer, if possible.

[Bexxer]

Tucson is back on the cards, if the job in Col Spgs doesnt come thru then its between Tucson and Spokane, did some research and wasnt impressed with Spokane. Just a case of how long it will take me and the dogs to get used to the searing heat. My husband is well up for the heat and desert life.

Can anyone comment on how house prices doing in the nice areas? Have budget of between 200 and 600 thousand dollars.

[Marcy1210]

I don't know anything about Spokane, but with your budget, you shouldn't have any trouble finding really nice houses in the Springs or Tucson. Especially in this market. Prices have dropped, and if you buy while the market is low, you'll get a lot for your money.

[Bexxer]

So where is good to concentrate my search on bearing in mind we are into outdoors, hiking, dog walking, good windy roads for motorcycling, nice property with a decent garden (for the dogs to run in), non-community (too many rules!). Not bothered about shops etc just want nice place to live, thinking east and north of Tucson central closer to the mountains/foothills. I have no idea what neighbour is good or bad, heard a bit about Catalina foothills on Realtor.com and hubby is looking at Vail. Are these good areas (not too cookie cutter)?

[WanttoleaveSD]

Originally Posted by AZWildcat

Hi Bexxer, I saw that you have posted this same question to both the Tucson and Anchorage forums, so since I am a native Tucsonan that happens to be currently living in Anchorage let me see if I can help you in comparing the two places.

Tucson - great if you love hiking, biking, walking the dogs (there are designated dog parks where they can run without a leash), sunny nearly 360 days a year. You can literally be outside year round. It can be a bit dusty and dry, but that doesn't mean that we don't have trees/bushes/flowers. Beautiful mountains completely surround Tucson since it is in a valley. You can go skiing on Mt. Lemmon during the winter (about 45 minutes to drive.) Housing, is reasonable and the prices of groceries a very cheap compared to other places around the U.S.

Anchorage - great for hiking, biking. There is a fantastic trail systems that goes through the entire town. Please be careful with your dogs. We have lots of big wildlife here in Alaska. Unfortunately black bears and moose do come into some of the neighborhoods, I am not trying to scare you away, but I just want you to be aware that it is an issue. If you like cloudy, rainy weather than Anchorage is the place for you. It is not as cold or snowy as interior Alaska since it is right on the water. But if you have active dogs remember that you will need to be walking them even when the weather is cold/snowy/muddy (which is basically about 7 months out of the year). Housing is very expensive here. For a 2bd/2ba townhouse with no yard you are looking at about $200,000 US. Groceries are also very high here, you have to remember that essentially everything has to be shipped in from the lower 48 so that does drive prices up. However, since you will have access to base you should be able to get things cheaper at the BX.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

TO ANYONE - PLEASE HELP. But since you have lived in both extremes I have a couple of questions if you don't mind. First I want to move somewhere warm because of all the metal in my body and other health issues. I am a retired 100% disabled veteran. First do they have a good base or VA near Oro Valley? Second, since you are a an outdoors person, how is the critter, bug and snake situation in Oro Valley? Third, Do you know anything about the schools?