Good neighborhoods near Raytheon (Tucson, Oro Valley: short sales, foreclosures, house)

[trz412]

Hi Folks! I have gotten a couple of job offers (one at Raytheon Tucson and the other in Albuquerque) and I'm trying to decide which one to take. I really want to keep my commute time down to 10-15 mins, but have read on previous posts not to live in South Tucson. Are there any good neighborhoods that are a short commute to Raytheon?

[mir86]

Rita Ranch is a very nice, family oriented area and I believe its about a 20 minute or so drive. Traffic can get hectic in the morning but you'll have to leave about 10-15 minutes earlier during "rush hour". If you want to live more in Tucson, the east side is a doable commute and is safe too. Basically, just stay away from south, southwest, west, and some central areas too. they're to far anyways, but definitely not safe areas.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by trz412

Hi Folks! I have gotten a couple of job offers (one at Raytheon Tucson and the other in Albuquerque) and I'm trying to decide which one to take. I really want to keep my commute time down to 10-15 mins, but have read on previous posts not to live in South Tucson. Are there any good neighborhoods that are a short commute to Raytheon?

Raytheon has facilities at different locations. That's the reason you're not getting responses.

[trz412]

Thanks for the tip Sierra! It appears the location would be down on the southeast of town.

[sierraAZ]

Then you pretty much have to stick to 85747 zip code and possibly 85730 and perhaps Vail. Of course, you can get into 85748 as well. It's still a good commute. Everything alongside Houghton North of I-10 is decent (there is also nice new housing around Houghton South of I-10 and the homes there have big lots, if this is important to you, but the commute gets longer; it might not be... I just don't go there) - Rita Ranch, Mesquite Ranch, Sierra Morado, Civano and whatever the names are North of it. It's all good.

However, I'd be careful with buying in Rita Ranch. Even though it's a perfectly OK neighborhood and there are steals right now (foreclosure city), IMO the property values may suffer even at the best of times because many of the residents work for the air force base and I believe (not sure) the military covers their losses when they have to sell and they don't really care what they get for their homes. Perhaps RE agents can chime in on this one.

[Memphis Mom of three]

You should look in Sahuarita as well. There are many many Raytheon employees that live in the area. I live in Rancho and really like it. It's a little bit of a commute, but very worth it.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

However, I'd be careful with buying in Rita Ranch. Even though it's a perfectly OK neighborhood and there are steals right now (foreclosure city), IMO the property values may suffer even at the best of times because many of the residents work for the air force base and I believe (not sure) the military covers their losses when they have to sell and they don't really care what they get for their homes. Perhaps RE agents can chime in on this one.

I bet military members wish this was the case! Unfortunately they have to deal with property value loss the same as the rest of us, even if they are sent to another base, are deployed, or retire.

OP, Sierra mentioned the main subdivisions around the Rita Road location of Raytheon. In Vail the biggie is Rancho del Lago.. if they ever get around to building the Safeway that has been in the works forever that place would become more popular.

And just for reference, Rita Ranch is a hop-skip away from Raytheon, Rancho del Lago under 10 minutes, and the other ones just a bit longer.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

I bet military members wish this was the case! Unfortunately they have to deal with property value loss the same as the rest of us, even if they are sent to another base, are deployed, or retire.

I could swear I heard this from somebody... Might be an urban legend.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

I could swear I heard this from somebody... Might be an urban legend.

Yep the most urbanist legend ever! It's unfortunate when you talk to low-ranking enlisted kids who squeezed into a house and now are faced with short sales or foreclosures..

[beowulf77]

Raytheon has 3 main plant sites so depending on where you work you might want to live in different places. All 3 are on the south side so it is hard to go wrong with Rita Ranch. There are dumpy parts of RR though so make sure you drive around it a bit. Most likely you'd end up at the Airport site and a lot of folks live in Oro Valley and make that commute,... brutal if you ask me.

We opted for Vail. Bigger lots, but virtually no infrastructure (we just got our first stop light a few months ago... woohoo). The airport site is about 35 minutes away, and the Rita road site is about 15-20 minutes from here. The 3rd site is about 30 minutes from here.