Tucson and Rio Rico (Nogales, Tubac: live in, shops, safest)

[Greenvalleyfan]

Originally Posted by Caladan

I would agree w/grmi66. I would definitely look elsewhere.

Sahuarita is growing quite quickly it seems. Lots of new houses in the area, not sure about availability of older homes. The area is right next to GV, and Tucson is just a very short drive up the road. In fact, Tucson is so close that I would be worried about Sahuarita getting swallowed up in ten years. Right now, there is a gap between Sahuarita and Tucson, but I would worry that the gap will disappear in the coming years. For right now though, it seems to be a nice area, and I haven't heard of any great issues w/crime.

Tucson is about 20 miles from Sahuarita. That's a big gap to fill, even in 10 yrs.

[steiconi]

Originally Posted by jasieltego

What do you think of this are in Tucson?
W Brackenbury Ct, Tucson, AZ 85746

That's my zip code, I am pretty certain that address is a few blocks outside city limits, in Pima county; it's South of Valencia, I'm almost directly North of it on the other side of Valencia.

Drexel Heights is a mix of old semi-rural residential (2-10 acre or larger lots), open land with old saguaros , and densely packed new subdivisions which seem to be a mix of seniors and young families. Lots of groceries, restaurants, and chain-type shopping on Valencia, while Ajo is a fast highway to I-19.

We've been here 3 years without issues. We're retired, as are most of our neighbors, so it's not easy to rob the neighborhood while everybody is at work. A couple of times, we've left the house empty for 6-8 weeks at a time, but we've never had any trouble.

[Caladan]

Originally Posted by Greenvalleyfan

Tucson is about 20 miles from Sahuarita. That's a big gap to fill, even in 10 yrs.

For the pedantics reading this thread: my post was not meant to make a *specific* number determination as to how many years it will take for the Tucson metro area to grow up to the edge of Sahuarita. It was meant to illustrate that there isn't a great distance between Tucson and Sahuarita, and that distance will grow smaller as the years go by.

At any rate, the southern edge of Tucson International Airport, which is part of the Tucson metropolitan area, is about 6.1 miles from the northern edge of Sahuarita. If there weren't so many cacti and fences in the way, one could easily walk from the Tucson metropolitan area to the Sahuarita city limits. Well... maybe not in the summer.......

[Greenvalleyfan]

Originally Posted by Caladan

For the pedantics reading this thread: my post was not meant to make a *specific* number determination as to how many years it will take for the Tucson metro area to grow up to the edge of Sahuarita. It was meant to illustrate that there isn't a great distance between Tucson and Sahuarita, and that distance will grow smaller as the years go by.

At any rate, the southern edge of Tucson International Airport, which is part of the Tucson metropolitan area, is about 6.1 miles from the northern edge of Sahuarita. If there weren't so many cacti and fences in the way, one could easily walk from the Tucson metropolitan area to the Sahuarita city limits. Well... maybe not in the summer.......

Pedantic, really? 6.1 miles? Did you get out your protractor and slide? Hypersensitive are we? If you are in a helicopter the airport is 6.1 miles. If you use normal transportation the airport is about 15 miles. Lol Have a very pedantic day!

[pwrightt]

Originally Posted by Caladan

Rio Rico (RR) doesn't have much in the way of amenities, but remember that you are just a few miles from Nogales, which has a large Walmart, a Home Depot, and enough regular and fast-food restaurants to keep you busy. And as pointed out above, you can get to Tucson quite easily for your major shopping. Really - it's just a straight shot up I-19, and there's never a lot of traffic (as compared to a big city). There is no health food store in RR or the immediate area.

RR does have a small and crummy grocery store, a few restaurants that are pretty decent, and one really bad Chinese restaurant. The one Chinese restaurant that I know of in Nogales isn't all that much better, so if you want Chinese, plan on going to Green Valley. Speaking of Green Valley, it is also close enough to RR to make it feasible for daily needs. GV has some very nice neighborhoods, so you should at least drive through it a bit when you finally check out RR. You pretty much have to go through GV to get to RR anyway. Just be aware that many neighborhoods in GV are age-restricted.

I have lived in the area since last year, and I have not seen anything in the way of major crime in RR or Tubac. Major crime in Tucson is a near daily occurrence. Still though, I don't consider Tucson to be a high crime area.

There isn't much in the way of healthcare in Nogales or Tubac or RR, so plan on going to GV or Tucson for major things. Many here go across the border for some healthcare/dental work, so that might be useful to you. I cannot tell you much about that, as we just stay in the US for that sort of thing.

Contrary to popular belief (and the post above), there are lots of things to do in the general RR area. Well - if you don't mind outdoor things. Patagonia State Park is close by, as is Madera Canyon and Pena Blanca Lake. Lots of places to go hiking and camping, and people come from around the world to go birding in the area. Bisbee, Tombstone, Patagonia, and several other state parks are all easily accessible. And of course there is Tucson, which isn't all that far away at all.

Besides RR and GV, also consider investigating the small town of Tubac, located between RR and GV. Very quiet place, although anyone looking for "affordable" housing might find the home prices to be above their level. Tubac is an "art & history town", so lots of fun shops/restaurants to explore. RR, Nogales, and GV are just a short jaunt up or down the interstate, with downtown Tucson about a 44 minute drive away. Houses rarely go up for sale in Tubac, but check it out anyway. Since Tubac also sits right on the interstate, you have to go through it to get to RR anyway (just like GV).

One thing I can't say anything about is the school systems. Since you will have school-age children in the near future, going to Tucson might make more sense if you can be in the more northern neighborhoods.

Good luck!

Remember. Green Valley is mainly a 55 and over community. The average age is probably closer to 70.May not be the best place for kids. Try Sahuarita. It's between Tucson and Green Valley. Very family oriented.

[WilmaWildcat]

There was an article on the front page of the Arizona Daily Star yesterday that might make a difference to some people; it's about several new large-scale rental property developments around Tucson. They are talking hundreds of homes, so it could be of interest also to people who are not looking to buy but live nearby or commute through.

There's a pay wall for https://tucson.com/news/local/busine...pular-homepage but here are the developments mentioned:

Las Vegas developer Randy Bury, president of Moderne Communities, has a rental community of 225 homes under construction at Rocking K Ranch, off of Old Spanish Trail...It would be the biggest such project in Pima County to date, with others having between 200 and 300 homes.

American Homes 4 Rent recently bought 155 acres on Linda Vista Boulevard, near Twin Peaks Road, for a 441 single-family rental community next to Tucson Premium Outlets...

[Caladan]

Originally Posted by chattycathy9

I thought there was a whole lot of housing development going on in Rio Rico? With all that new housing, is there not an increase in grocery stores, restaurants, etc?

No, there really isn't a "whole lot of housing development going on in Rio Rico". Most of the new stuff is just north of there in Tubac, or just the occasional single home going up in the more rural areas of RR. Therefore, no real increase in grocery stores, restaurants, etc.. No real increase in Nogales either, other than a new Dunkin' Donuts.

Even though RR isn't seeing much in the way of new growth, it remains quite close it Nogales, so if you don't like the grocery store or the few restaurants, it is just a short drive on the interstate to the main commercial road of Nogales (Mariposa).

New housing can be found in Tubac, which is just a few miles north of RR. There are new townhomes being built right now in the Barrio de Tubac, and new (and expensive) homes going up in the area next to the golf course.

[aries63]

Of all the towns mentioned south of Tucson, are there any that are especially bike-friendly? Meaning a good bike infrastructure with separate paved trails, rather than sharing the road with cars and trucks? Not interested in mountain biking.

[Caladan]

Originally Posted by aries63

Of all the towns mentioned south of Tucson, are there any that are especially bike-friendly? Meaning a good bike infrastructure with separate paved trails, rather than sharing the road with cars and trucks? Not interested in mountain biking.

Sorry - no. There is one bike trail that I know of, but as a whole, there isn't a good bike infrastructure at all. Nonetheless, there are a fair number of cyclists on the roads in the Rio Rico/Tubac area, and in Green Valley.

[aries63]

Originally Posted by Caladan

Sorry - no. There is one bike trail that I know of, but as a whole, there isn't a good bike infrastructure at all. Nonetheless, there are a fair number of cyclists on the roads in the Rio Rico/Tubac area, and in Green Valley.

OK, good to know. I think Tucson has a decent bike system but I wondered about areas south. Thanks.