Neighborhood(s) with Young Families? (Tucson, St. Michaels: apartments, to rent, house)

[Carolina2Tucson]

So we're relocating to Tucson and will be house hunting over the next few weeks there.
Any suggestions for neighborhoods with young families? Realtors can't tell you these things, but we want to make sure we don't end up in a retirement area. We want to stay in the NW/NE areas, and here are some that we're considering looking at:
Tangerine Crossing
Rancho Vistoso
Rivers Edge
LaPaloma Ridge

We're looking at St.Marks, St. Michaels, and Immaculate Heart School for the kids.

[galove]

We just moved here from GA and focused our search on the same neighborhoods you mentioned. From what I've seen in the couple of months we've been here, it's very mixed. Our neighbors are very diverse in all aspects. There are lots of kids in Vistoso, but you may not necessarily have all young families living in the same area/section. I know that's not a lot of help with your question. I stressed for months trying to find a neighborhood similar to what we had in the South to no avail. Many advised us to rent before purchasing, but I didn't want to move twice. Now that I'm here I would highly suggest that option, as much of a hassle as it is.
On another note, we love living in this area and are glad to have chosen this particular part of town! Good luck!

[shellyval]

My neighborhood, Silverado Hills, is nice and full of families and children. It's on the far eastside, just past Houghton between 22nd and Broadway.

Forgive me if I'm suggesting something way far from where you're looking. I don't know where any of the places you mentioned are.

[Spot]

There really aren't any neighborhoods with mostly young families in Tucson. Tucson is a really poor city and the vast majority of the people with children live in apartments. Most of the "nicer" neighborhoods have a large retired population living there. There aren't many jobs in Tucson for young professionals, so most of the college graduates move when they finish school.

My suggestion would be to look in a few of the "track home" communities on the NW side. For the relatively few young families that can afford to purchase a home, you will find them living in one of those lower cost developments. The downside of those "neighborhoods" is their total lack of character AND being able to touch your neighbors house from your kitchen window.

As for the schools you mentioned... they are okay. Definitely avoid the public schools. Arizona is 49th in the United States for per-capita spending on education, so the schools are truly awful. Some people who have lived here awhile are under the impression that Tucson has some good schools, but in truth they pretty much stink across the board. You will find the privates schools to be almost comparable to an average public school back East.

Tucson is not the best place to raise children though. There is a huge Meth problem in the schools (one of the worst in the US) and as I mentioned a second ago the schools are bad. Also, there is almost nothing for young kids to do in this town. Tucson has the least number of parks of any city of its size in the US (statistical fact) and what few parks there are really aren't very good at all. The city is so poor that it really can't afford to maintain them. If you can delay your move until your kids are finished with school it's probably a good idea.

My wife and I have a daughter who is 2. We are planning to leave Tucson next summer after I finish grad school, in large part because we want better for our kids than Tucson has to offer.

Think about a different city if you can.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by Spot

Tucson is a really poor city and the vast majority of the people with children live in apartments.

Hmm not sure where you came up with this one..

Originally Posted by Spot

My suggestion would be to look in a few of the "track home" communities on the NW side.

I guess you mean "tract" homes?

Considering the OP already noted that they were moving here in a few weeks and looking for a home (and not just thinking about a move to Tucson) maybe you should have posted over in the '10 reasons not to move to Tucson' thread.

[Spot]

Well, I came up with the "Tucson is poor" comment because it is. It's not just poor, it's really poor. I mentioned that the "vast majority of young families live apartments" because they do. Why do people in Tucson have such a hard time accepting how poor and dirty their city is? Do you think that denying the truth will somehow change it? Wouldn't it make more sense to realize that Tucson needs to seriously clean up its act and work on it's economy?

You are right. I did mean "tract" homes. My bad.

As for why I posted here, I was just explaining to the OP that if they can avoid moving to Tucson, it's better for their children's future. Even if they have to make a last minute change, it's for the better. If they want to raise their kids in a city that has lousy schools, a bad economy and almost no chance that their kids will stick around after college, then they are welcome to move to Tucson. Good luck!

My family is out of here as soon as I finish grad school. And I mean literally the next day.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by Spot

Well, I came up with the "Tucson is poor" comment because it is. It's not just poor, it's really poor. I mentioned that the "vast majority of young families live apartments" because they do. Why do people in Tucson have such a hard time accepting how poor and dirty their city is? Do you think that denying the truth will somehow change it? Wouldn't it make more sense to realize that Tucson needs to seriously clean up its act and work on it's economy?

You are right. I did mean "tract" homes. My bad.

As for why I posted here, I was just explaining to the OP that if they can avoid moving to Tucson, it's better for their children's future. Even if they have to make a last minute change, it's for the better. If they want to raise their kids in a city that has lousy schools, a bad economy and almost no chance that their kids will stick around after college, then they are welcome to move to Tucson. Good luck!

My family is out of here as soon as I finish grad school. And I mean literally the next day.

I'm not a gung-ho pro-Tucson advocate by any means but I was just reacting to your blanket statement regarding families with kids living in apartments. Yes Tucson lags in per capita income (old data, but gives an idea. According to this projected per capita it's getting better). Is it poor? I wouldn't say so, but it's no L.A. or NYC.

How do you know the vast majority of families with children live in apartments? Any formal statistics would be helpful. I'd say there is a mixture just like in most cities.

As far as jobs for young professionals I think Tucson does have some options, but we're not that big of a city.. what do you expect? I know plenty of people who went to UofA and stuck around after college, just as I know plenty of people who left.

I do agree with you on the schools though, they leave a lot to be desired.

[Carolina2Tucson]

We did a house hunting trip last week and found several very nice areas and schools for the kids. We walked many neighborhoods talking to the folks living there and it worked out well.

We are very excited about moving there, based on the job, neighborhood, and school and the things to do in Southern AZ.

Thanks for the comments and the PM's.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by Carolina2Tucson

We did a house hunting trip last week and found several very nice areas and schools for the kids. We walked many neighborhoods talking to the folks living there and it worked out well.

We are very excited about moving there, based on the job, neighborhood, and school and the things to do in Southern AZ.

Thanks for the comments and the PM's.

Glad to hear it!