Miffed in the Midwest (Tucson, Vail: sales, real estate market, schools)

[ZonyPony]

Dear Mr Tucson: Personally I'm getting sick and tired of people saying that Tucson is such a great place to live! Everybody says the weather is great, the mountains are great, the desert is great. Great, great great! That's all we ever hear out here in the midwest. Everybody who goes over there from here gets so ga-ga about your grandiose Arizona. Well, guess what? I've heard enough! Your area is actually nothing but continuous urban sprawl, mountain-to-mountain annexation, rampant taxation and revenue, lackadaisical maintenance, and a place crawling with indignant, overprotective locals who care nothing about out-of-towners! You people call us "snowbirds", like we're all lepers or something. We strengthen your economy, buddy! We feed your coffures! We fill your community chests! We line your pockets! We send your kids to college! You better remember that, buster!
- Miffed in the Midwest

Dear Miffed: You know, I've seriously never understood why its called the midWEST? When we westerners travel in an easterly direction, you guys are actually the midEAST to us!

Signed, Mr Tucson

[polo708]

Snowbirds sending us to college? lol... That made me laugh.

Strengthening our economy? Maybe a bit, but if you decided to not come back we'd still be here without you. Any tourism helps any city but Tucson doesnt need you.

The only real downside to Tucson that I see over any other comparable place is that car theft is higher. But its understandable since we are near the border of Mexico.

We have an AF base, Large Airport, Raytheon, and a great College in teh UofA, not to mention one of the greatest cities when it comes to medicine. Medical schools and colleges everywhere. We will do just fine without you. But you are right, 10's or thousands of YOU come down to Tucson year after year because your state is sooo great too.

[fofinger]

two things Tucson doesn't need....anymore snowbirds and anymore pigeons.....

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by fofinger

two things Tucson doesn't need....anymore snowbirds and anymore pigeons.....

Me thinks Tucson has more than enough ponies, too.

[Marcy1210]

Well, as a snowbird, I guess I'll sell my house, sell the season Rockies tickets I own for Hi Corbett, give back the caddy I bought at Don Mackey, make my kid drop out of Pima CC, and stop bringing my relatives in to eat, drink and be merry, and while I'm at it, I'll give up my ASDM membership. I'll stop shopping here, and take my money back to Colorado for the 9 months out of the year I'm here paying property taxes, sales taxes, entertainment taxes and tell my friends and relatives to stay out of Arizona, as they're not welcome here. Keep their money in Colorado. Wow.

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Me thinks Tucson has more than enough ponies, too.

Yeah... those ponies sure run around causing trouble, don't they?

[oklahomaboy405]

is this really the attitude towards out-of-towners? smh

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

Well, as a snowbird, I guess I'll sell my house, sell the season Rockies tickets I own for Hi Corbett, give back the caddy I bought at Don Mackey, make my kid drop out of Pima CC, and stop bringing my relatives in to eat, drink and be merry, and while I'm at it, I'll give up my ASDM membership. I'll stop shopping here, and take my money back to Colorado for the 9 months out of the year I'm here paying property taxes, sales taxes, entertainment taxes and tell my friends and relatives to stay out of Arizona, as they're not welcome here. Keep their money in Colorado. Wow.

Well, most of us are a bit annoyed by the increased traffic in winter (not that it's snowbirds' fault the city has no adequate streets for its size) as well as many drivers doing 25 mph, but that's about it. I don't believe the self-proclaimed Mr. Tucson speaks for the whole city.

I also think the showbirds are the reason Tucson's RE market has been more stable throughout the years in comparison to other places even in times of crisis.

[fofinger]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

Well, as a snowbird, I guess I'll sell my house, sell the season Rockies tickets I own for Hi Corbett, give back the caddy I bought at Don Mackey, make my kid drop out of Pima CC, and stop bringing my relatives in to eat, drink and be merry, and while I'm at it, I'll give up my ASDM membership. I'll stop shopping here, and take my money back to Colorado for the 9 months out of the year I'm here paying property taxes, sales taxes, entertainment taxes and tell my friends and relatives to stay out of Arizona, as they're not welcome here. Keep their money in Colorado. Wow.

Dress warm.....

[Marcy1210]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Well, most of us are a bit annoyed by the increased traffic in winter (not that it's snowbirds' fault the city has no adequate streets for its size) as well as many drivers doing 25 mph, but that's about it. I don't believe the self-proclaimed Mr. Tucson speaks for the whole city.

I also think the showbirds are the reason Tucson's RE market has been more stable throughout the years in comparison to other places even in times of crisis.

Should the U of A students vacate the campus and move to another university in another state since I'm sure they drive cars, too, and clog up highways. They spend their money eating and drinking the way snowbirds do, but they don't invest in the real estate market, thereby adding to the tax base. It would seem to me that the snowbirds are more lucrative to Tucson's coffers than the college students. Should Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Snomass, Steamboat, Tahoe, Stowe, SF, NYC, all the cities in Florida, and along the gulf coast, and all the other towns that depend on a visitor population to boost their tax base all reject outsiders? What would that do to their economies? No matter where you live, tourists usually are a boon to the economy, like it or not, and by making them feel unwelcome, you give yourself a black eye and lose money for your city. That's pretty narrow minded and selfish, in my opinion. Maybe it's the anti-tourist people who ought to leave and find some pristine, never been found by oustiders, place to live.