10 Reasons Not To Move To Tucson (cost of living, floor, stats)

[xwideopenskyx]

Originally Posted by Timetravelor

Anyways - I am sure you will find pluses and minuses no matter where you go - Tucson has a 4.8% unemployment rate and if you come here without a job - it could be several years before you get one.

Well, I moved here without a job. Pre-planned financially to take a whole year off to get settled in and enjoy myself. When I was good and ready to get back to work, I started searching for a job last October and by December I had a few job offers to choose from.

National average for unemployment is 5.7%. If it takes several years to find a job in Tucson, therefore according to your logic it may take a decade to find a job in other parts of the country.

Even in the most economically depressed areas of the US it doesn't take years to find a job. Are you trying to scare people off?

[Timetravelor]

Hi Wideopen - No I don't normally scare people off - I was giving positive and negatives to the area. I said it "could" not that it WOULD be a few years (depends on the type of work you are applying for, or if your company moves you). If you are in health care or aerospace - you have a better chance - otherwise you are completing with hundreds of people for retail, hotel or a limited few professional positions). I can only go by my own (and a few others I know) experiences - all of whom moved to other cities when they got offers - they loved Tucson, but did not have the skill sets that were needed I guess. I moved back to Tucson in 2002 to assist my father with a caretaking position in my family. I sent out about 15 applications per month in my profession (analyst). I tried for part time jobs as well - I succeeded in a part time job in a place liquidating at the time - the person that hired me was from New York and while I spoke with him for an hour - he hired me on the spot - at the place I had previously had sent two applications in for, this led me into another part of the company there - That was my 20 hour job stocking retail. In the 3 years I sent out applications (and yes I applied for a 40 hour - fulltime whatever hour you need me job) I received a total of two interviews - I tried city, private and county job openings; I tried out of my career, retail anything really that did not require construction or outside work. In prospective - I applied on-line at 11:00 PM one evening for a job in Phoenix, the next day at 3:00 PM - I was called for an interview and immediately got a job - after being in Tucson for 3 years - so now I am living in Phoenix. (Come to think about it in the 1980's, the job I had in Tucson when I lived there previously was a San Diego Firm that moved me in before they went out of business there and I had to move to California when that job closed - so the message I meant to leave people with - was depends on your type of work as to whether you can get a job immediately or not - I just did not want people to think you could move and all this work was awaiting you)

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by sickofIL

I was also surprised at the number of Hispanics as compaired to the Chicago area. Here they are everywhere. I expected that there would be more in Tucson but there were noticeable less.

I also expected to see more Native Americans too.

...:::SIGH:::...

What ever happened to the good ol' days, sickofIL? Are they gone forever? Gone are the days when one could walk down the street a good mile or more and never see one person of different ethnicity...

[azhiker]

Originally Posted by ZonyPony

...:::SIGH:::...

What ever happened to the good ol' days, sickofIL? Are they gone forever? Gone are the days when one could walk down the street a good mile or more and never see one person of different ethnicity...

Well, what with our immigration (both legal and illegal) post '65, the government seems to endorse the gigantic sea change in demographics.

Still without making value judgements, different demographics definitely give a place a different feel. What makes a country a country but the people? It's what makes Mexico Mexico, and France France, Uganda Uganda. So, you bring in millions of people from one place, and wherever they are it's going to feel like wherever they came from.

Now, it's a matter of preference and comfort whether one likes those changes or not, but I don't think it can be debated that if you go from 85% of one group and 15% of another, and you reverse those numbers that the place will have a fundamentally different feel and ambiance to it. Look at Detroit, or any other city that has undergone such population changes. The Detroit of today would be virtually unrecognizable to the people who inhabited it 75 years ago. Some may think that's a good change, others, not so much. Personally, I'd look at comparative crime statistics, how the kids achieve in schools, gang activity, SAT scores, general civility and just a host of things that make a place livable and functional, and safe to make that call for myself.

Those are all factors that I look at when deciding where to live, and for me, the less of that sort of dysfunction that I have around my life, the better. I guess that's more cultural stuff, and if it came to a point when there were too many objectionable things (according to my value system) occurring in a place, I'd have to move.

After all that hot air.... I still like Tucson a lot, but with all the increased graffiti and gang activity, it's not as likable as it was 10 years ago.

[sickofIL]

What ever happened to the good ol' days, sickofIL? Are they gone forever? Gone are the days when one could walk down the street a good mile or more and never see one person of different ethnicity...

Well I grew up in a town that had a large amount of Itallians and other Europeans. But there were no Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, basically no others. The one thing my kids have that I didn't is diversity. When I graduated High School I was kind of afraid of other ethnic groups. Most of the adults around me as I grew up were very prejudiced (racist to be politically correct) against other ethnic groups. It was very difficult for me to get away from that.

My wife is Latino (Brazilian) and I have friends that are Black, Hispanic, Asain, etc. I have no problem with any ethnic people in general, just the specific people that cause trouble. Yes, there are some groups that seem to do it more than others. I went to school with a few kids of white families that I wouldn't associate with or trust then or now.

Anyway, I do miss the time when you could keep your doors unlocked and your car unlocked and you could walk almost anywhere without feer of being attacked. Actually you didn't even think about it. Now it is always on my mind and I am always aware of what is around me. I also remember that when I was in 1st grade I walked to school alone. My kids are beginning 3rd grade in a week and I will not let them walk to school alone yet and we live in a relatively safe neighborhood. So many things are much different now.

But the idea of always feeling safe is virtually gone from most everywhere.

[LordBalfor]

SickofIL -

You've touched upon one of my pet peeves - the fact that so many folks feel unsafe all the time so needlessly. It's no surprise that most Americans think crime is soaring in America when it fact compared to historical levels crime is very low (though the prison population is admittedly VERY high) - certainly much lower than it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

The reason so many folks think otherwise is really the fault of the media - who continue to sensationalize crime at every turn. I mean, think about it - a girl is kidnapped in Florida and it makes the NATIONAL news - when in all honesty if you live on the West Coast (or New England or the Midwest or the Middle Atlantic States etc) what the heck does that have to do with YOU? Why is that even national news? It's no relevance whatsoever to the vast majority of national viewers and yet by airing it nationally it makes folks feel threatened that the purp could be in their very neighborhood - even if they live 3,000 miles away. Local news is no better, and every evenings' newcast seems to start off a some story of a shooting, rape or murder giving the impression that crime is everywhere all the time - when in fact crime rates in most American cities are pretty low.

The media has instilled needless fear into everyone - and it's sooooooooo stupid.

Think of what's happened to Holloween. Everyone is afraid of razor blades in the candy etc so the holiday has been nearly destroyed - when in fact the risk is TINY. Folks have FAR more reason to be concerned about their kids being hit by a car than of them eated tainted candy. There is certainly a risk of it, but the fear of it FAR outweighs the reality.

I just find the whole thing to be pathetic. The media has turned America into a nation of cowards.

Ken

[azhiker]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

SickofIL -

You've touched upon one of my pet peeves - the fact that so many folks feel unsafe all the time so needlessly. It's no surprise that most Americans think crime is soaring in America when it fact compared to historical levels crime is very low (though the prison population is admittedly VERY high) - certainly much lower than it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

...

The reason so many folks think otherwise is really the fault of the media - ...
I just find the whole thing to be pathetic. The media has turned America into a nation of cowards.

Ken

Maybe I'll look it up later, but just going on memory (a shaky proposition in my case), it seems to me that there is FAR more crime, particularly of the violent variety now compared to say pre-1965.

I suppose anyone can look these things up, and perhaps I will, but if you have some stats that show that crime (violent) is lower now than say, anything in the 50s to say, 65 (per capita), I'd love to see that data, because it seems counter-intuitive to what I perceive as happening in society.

And additionally, as pertains to Tucson, I'd like to see crime rates of say, 1995 vs now. My guess is, that they are far worse now. I'll try to find some data later to present here.

[LordBalfor]

Here's one such statistic (national homicide rate):

Homicide Rate (per 100,000), 1950–2006 — Infoplease.com

It was certainly lower in the 1950s and early 1960's but we are lower now in any time since then (ie in 40 years).

Not speaking specifically about Tuscon (or even Arizona) just about the country in general.

Ken

[sickofIL]

Well, I have to say yes and no to that. I feel unsafe because of the things that have happened in my neighborhood in recent years.

Last summer there was a kid that stabbed his mother to death and was hiding out around the neighborhood homes. (I live in an unincorporated area and the lots are large and there is lots of vegitation--good places to hide) He was sited by a few people a few of which he ran at to attack. It took two weeks to find him.

There was a gang of burglars in the neighborhood last summer and the beginning of this summer that had attacked a few people that were unluckally home at the time of break in. They were caught about 6 weeks ago.

There have been some instances where some young kids were approached by adult men looking to give rides, or lure then with candy.

There have been instances of people street racing in our residential area.

I live in an upscale neighborhood (contrary to what someone here says) Wheaton IL. I've lived here 4 years and the last 2 have been like this. The first two years i felt like we could go out any time without any fear. Now we need to always watch. Even if there wasn't any more violent crime there still is the drag racing crowd that drive carelessly on the streets. We do not have sidewalks in most areas so you walk on the street.

I'm not saying that we are in constant fear of attack but you need to constantly be aware of what is around you. I consider it just as bad to be hit by a careless driver as being attacked by someone with a gun or knife. Maybe I am not useing the right term.

I agree that the media goes way overboard with publicing violent crime too. When we viited Tucson we didn't feel afraid to do anything.

[LordBalfor]

SickofIL -

Your specific neighborhood may indeed be worse off - as may specific cities. I was referring to national trends.

Ken