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First off I want to say that this site helped me when I was first looking at poperties in Tucson.
Second, I want to say that my observations are only about Tucson not Catalina Foothills, Oro Valley obviously thats a whole different world. Anyone able to afford a 350k plus house should just hit the back button.
I am 30, a USAF officer and have a family of 3. I have lived in 2 homes in 2 years. I also know what areas are good/bad bassed on my troops experiences/problems.
First home was Golf Links and Pantano. 1900 sq foot ranch style for 225k
Second is a South side home in Rancho Valencia. 2200 sq foot ranch for 175k
Observations
1. Weather. The heat isn't as bad as initially thought it would be. Its rare to see 110+ here. June and July get pretty tiresome but as soon as the monsoons start it gets cool at night rains and we have has some awesome T-storms. Flooding is a minor concern depending on where you live. The winter is absolutely beautiful 70s and sunny, of course you do need a jacket at night and it can get really cold in Dec and Jan. You will actually need to have an ice scraper. Those couple mornings it gets really cold will sneak up on you and I am talking mid 20s is actually pretty common.
2. Living costs are almost always associated with time of year. TEP electric bill will be your nemisis. $200-250 in summer but only $40-100 in winter. Utilities (water, garbage) are cheap 25-50 depenent upon season again. Gas from SW gas (to heat) has never been expensive and is obviously the opposite of electric (to cool), the most expensive gas bill has been $50. Car gas is the cheapest in the nation. The food is cheap, FRYS and Bashas are my off base choices.
3. Safety.... This is my biggest problem with Tucson. Violent crime isn't the real concern for me, Its vandalisim and robbery. Graffiti and Car related crimes are pretty bad here as well although i have never personally had anything happen to my cars. Most robbers here are opportunistic. Cleaning services, installers and landscapers are the worst threats. NEVER let a landscaper/ furnishing installers or cleaning service do anything when you aren't there to watch them every second.
Some tips.
Spring extra money for a good house. In a better neighborhood. Always lock your car, and keep your car in the garage. So many times i see 3 car garages with a bunch of crap in them but the cars stay out on the street. If its on the street, its a target. Buy a newer house in a newer subdivision.
If you have to get an apartment look for a gated one and if your military don't be lured by cheap apartments that look nice. If you get that BAH use it! $700 will get you a nice apartment in the hills, gated and safe. Don't be fooled by the east side and the area around tucson mall. East side is terrible, unless you get out to east of pantano, I would say east of harrison actaully or north of the wash, rillito river or whatever it is.
This city is very iffy. One block can be clean and nice, the next can have defunct cars and over grown yards. Its one of the major quirks of tucson. the city is sporadically ghetto.
Get a gun. the only way to be sure you can defend your family is to have a gun in a safe place. If you dont want to live some where you need a gun you better figure out how to get a 6 figure income. Crime can even happen in Tanque Verde/Cat Footthills
The map is attached red=good blue=iffy green=good
4. Surroundings/Entertainment
I think this city is boring, overall it is older person oriented. You can go hiking, you can go to Desert Museum, you can go to the parks (saguaro, colassal Cave, kartcher ect.) but once is good enough. Old Tucson studios is a total waste unless you LOVE old west themes.
The only places that don't get old are Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon. Lake patagonia is nice as well but it is a long drive and its too little to be a serious recreation area.
If you have a family there is Breakers Waterpark in Marana that is pretty neat. Magic Carpet is pretty Good for older kids. Funtasticks near the mall is fun for young kids and Golf and Stuff is pretty much the same thing. There are movie theaters o' plenty and you could probably never eat at all the sit-down restaurants in this city. The zoo is pretty poor.
If your in your 20s and 30s. U of A is here and of course there is 4th street bars but you'll get bored quick at Malloneys. There are a few hot spots in Downtown that have an alternative theme and local rock shows. Most major concerts do come to tucson, AVA and Casino Del sol have major concerts as well as comedy and some ledgendary artists. If you want a club the only ones I recommend are Level and Pearl both are northside and upscale. They are pretty spendy but safe and fun. There is no shortage of shopping here either.
If your older. (this is based on my mother who is 64 preferences). There is a lot to do for the baby boomers. You can go to the Casinos we have 3, I recommend Desert Diamond because of how close it is. but Casino Del Sol is nicer. Downtown has several theaters where you can catch a live broadway quality play. There are lots of bars that are safe and have an exclusively older crowd. Golf... is everywhere. If you want to golf you will have no shortage of places to play. Personally I like Ventana Canyon because of its mountain setting. Very spendy though.
Lastly, Escape to Sedona/Flagstaff or Show Low. My personal preference is Show Low because its so Un-Arizona and very low key. Sunrise Ski resort is WAYYYYY better than Snowbowl, it almost feels like your in the rockies.
5. Traffic/Commute The streets here are empty after 9 PM and the traffic lights flash just like in a small town. The traffic can get pretty ridiculous between 3-5pm though. weekend traffic is pretty standard for a city of this size. Couple traffic issues here though.
1. People who risk turning on against traffic on green, I just don't get why they cant wait for the arrow or at least wait for a reasonable gap. Almost every wreck I have seen here is a T-Bone because of that very thing.
2. People who get out on the island or the refuge lane. they never just wait for a gap they always get in that left lane and then don't accelerate at a reasonable rate. Or they' stack up in the center lane then one car is left in the left lane of perpendicular traffic.
3. Turing the corner unreasonably slow.. but that happens everywhere, the light is green you don't have to stop to turn grandma.
4. People who think running in a NASCAR race is how you should drive. the speed is 40 but I have seen people treat it like its a 65 mph freeway because most roads are wide 3 lane roads with a refuge lane in the center. Then they switch lanes just to get stopped at the next stoplight. I just don't understand the red light grand prix. old men in big trucks are the worst offenders of this.
6. Critters. I have never seen a single dangerous critter here. Rabbits.. and fuzzy little rodents of various types. I have seen 0 snakes a few roaches 0 scorpions.
To be honest the most annoying critters are dogs that bark when ever a car passes. Another critter I strongly dislike are the Gray Doves, I don't understand how something so little is so loud. Oh, and Cicadias or something like that, they live in trees and they make this terrible constant drone that sounds like a high tention power line.
Tucson isn't my favorite place, I wont chose to retire here. There are worse places but there are a lot better places. If you like desert and heat and make 100k a year then you will love it here. If your younger you will probably find this city boring and crime ridden. The schools here are pretty bad. I hear Vail has the best schools and thats what has made Rita Ranch and Vail so popular.
Just my observations.
Last edited by AndyAMG; 08-06-2008 at 02:18 AM..
Reason: lots and lots of errors
Nice story.0 scorpions,lucky you.I've only been here 7 months and have already seen 3
I was born in Arizona and have lived here all my life, and have only seen three live ones - ever!
My very first one was at the Sonora Desert Museum when I was a kid; the second one was near Hanksville, Utah (still as a kid) during a summer trip to my sister's in 1962, and the last one was in our back yard in 1975 (it was a brand new subdivision then, and that's usually when you might see one, after the desert has been disturbed).
My guess is that people are seeing more of these now because of all the new subdivisions that are being put in - which again, disturbs the desert.
I was born in Tucson and I must say your observations are pretty spot on. I have noticed the graffiti problem has gotten pretty bad lately. "Sporadically ghetto" - perfect description! I have always thought that was weird about this area. It's nice to see my observations aren't just due to the "grass is greener" syndrome of having always lived here, and that someone fairly new to the area sees it as well.
I have to add that piercings and tatoos are very prevalent here also--at least compared to other areas I've lived. Lots of black clothing, Goth look, also. I'm amazed at the Mom's at school functions who have nose piercings. Nothing against them, just very common. I'm in Oro Valley, fyi.
I have to add that piercings and tatoos are very prevalent here also--at least compared to other areas I've lived. Lots of black clothing, Goth look, also. I'm amazed at the Mom's at school functions who have nose piercings. Nothing against them, just very common. I'm in Oro Valley, fyi.
I've lived here about a month and pretty much agree with everyone (from what I can tell in only a month). I'll add some thoughts, though some might overlap with, or comment on, what the others have already said.
1) First, if you're thinking of moving here to pursue your dream program at U of A but you've become terrified because you're reading all the scary city data posts: don't worry. Yes, you have to do some research on the better areas (Like Andy, this forum helped me do so), yes I do worry about my Accord (#1 stolen vehicle here), yes this city has a certain watch your a@@ factor (like any big city, though Tucson is a bit smaller, and nighttime is weird, which I'll address later). I don't own a gun. I'm not saying I'd never get one, I'm just saying that's where I am right now. If I had a yard to protect I'd consider it more seriously. But if you are thinking of coming I'd say live your life with confidence and adapt as necessary.
2) Nighttime: it's a bit eerie here. There isn't much lighting and maybe it's just me adapting but I tend to sense a little chill in the air, like everyone's rushing to get home. Maybe it's just me.
3)There was that thread about Tucson being the ugliest city in the west and I just have to say that is totally bogus. The city is indeed "sporadically ghetto" as Andy said and there are some run down looking strip malls and crappy powerlines, but I have to say that I find alot of this city really beautiful. The mountains are stunning, the desert is packed with interesting (even colorful) vegetation, the adobes are tucked into the landscape, the air is extremely clear and you can see for miles. Part of it could be my East Coast eyes adapting to Western distances/mountains, but I think it's pretty every time I get on the road. I also live on the NE side which is an attractive spot. Tucson is so different than even the other AZ towns I've been to, it's a totally unique area.
4) Westerners: just as few good-natured observations--the black wearing, tatooed hipsters that GALOVE mentioned are everwhere and I think it's cool. Maybe a West-coaster will correct me if I'm wrong, but I see alot of what I would consider West-coast skate kid style, you know, the big black cap with the straight brim worn crooked, the matching earings, the blond (natural or otherwise) hair. It hits me as regional, very different from the east. Also, people here are very chatty compared to what I'm used to (I grew up in upstate NY and then lived in NC for 12 years). It's sort of charming and funny and it takes a minute to realize, for instance, that a cashier isn't just going through the polite motions but really wants to talk. About anything. And your neighbor who does the stop-and-chat while you're walking the dog? They are not in a hurry. I'm used to more of the alone-in-public thing, but here you are much more likely to be engaged. Which is a good thing, I think.
5) Mount Lemmon: so much better than I could have intuited from websites and photographs. Really incredible and so close to town!! Unless you have absolutely zero feeling for nature, you WILL be impressed.
6) Traffic. Kind of annoying, but not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted I'm not commuting in and out of downtown every rush hour, but it strikes me as similar to any highly populated area, no better, no worse in terms of volume. I have however witnessed some minor anarchy at intersections which will make you snap to attention quick. And the left arrow AFTER the green light is great and sensible and I've never seen that before.
7) Last thought. If you're finding a place to live and thinking of commuting, I'll give my 2 cents, which is that things in this town are closer than they look on a map. It takes 20 minutes for my wife to get from the foothills to campus during rush hour, and most of that time is spent sitting at stop lights.
ANDYAMG:
"Tucson isn't my favorite place, I wont chose to retire here. There are worse places but there are a lot better places. If you like desert and heat and make 100k a year then you will love it here."
Spot-on. I agree--if you have a good income and can afford the foothills or nicer areas, Tucson is a paradise.
I was in the Air Force too, from 1991-1994 in Tucson @ DMAFB. I also stayed in Tucson after I got out of the AF and graduated from the University of Arizona. I loved my times in Tucson--I had a blast. I was 19 to 27 though, and single and having a great time. With a family, and living middle class there though, I don't know if I'd like it.
I'd consider retiring in the foothills there though. There are some GORGEOUS areas up there.
As for your comments about the animals, you probably don't live out in the desert far enough. I lived in Starr Pass for my last 2 years in Tucson, and I saw everything from scorpions in my kitchen drawers to javelinas, coyotes, rattlesnakes, and horny toads in my yard...it was amazing.
Location: West of the Catalinas East of the Tortolitas
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One of the things that will happen is that you'll get a new assignment to another base somewhere--maybe American, maybe overseas. You'll be at your new base for about two to four years and you'll post the good and bad about where your are. If you're overseas, you'll advance more quickly and will probably be very enthusiastic about your surrounds. If you're at a base that is less than fun (Malstrom, Vance, Altus, and others come to mind), you won't be so generous with your comments. I don't know what you do in the AF, but my son in law will be pinned Lt. Col. next month, and then is headed to the NATO base at Papa, Hungary. Currently, he's at Altus, AFB, OK. He's been at Shaw, Luke, McChord, Vance, Altus, Tyndall, Keesler, Randolph, Abilene, and Hickam plus he graduated from the Academy in CO. He and my daughter have 4 kids ages 3-8. So, they've been and seen quite a bit in their 15 years since his graduation. Still, when they retire in 2013 (his 20th anniversary), their choice is Tucson for retirement. They love the desert, the people, the scenery, and the recreation of Pima County. Yes, he's a C-17 pilot/trainer. He's going to Hungary as the chief C-17 pilot and squadron commander. It will be quite a four year ride for him and his family, but that's the AF and yet, he can't wait to come back to Tucson. And they don't mind the animals, as they've seen much worse during other assignments!
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I have always thought that was weird about this area. It's nice to see my observations aren't just due to the "grass is greener" syndrome of having always lived here, and that someone fairly new to the area sees it as well.
