10 Reasons Not To Move To Tucson (Phoenix, South Tucson: food, rich, architecture)

[haaamean]

Originally Posted by bellringer

What part don't you understand?

So what's wrong with showing two points of view? AND what's wrong with showing there are more people on this board that like Tucson than don't?
There have been plenty of valid criticisms. Calling people who like to hike "old farts" is ridiculous though, and that's just one example of many in her rant.

[sickofIL]

The title of this thread is 10 Reasons Not To Move To Tucson. Not=negative. So, why does everyone on this thread have a problem with the negative comments about Tucson? Why don't all of you Tucson-lovers stay off of this thread if it bothers you so much? Quit haranguing SwissMiss, everything she said is true! This place is a junction. . . somewhere to stop on your way to some where better. Like California, or Texas! Go Cowboys, Go Longhorns, Go Rockets, Go Chargers, Go Trojans!

I thought this was "10 reasons not to move to Tucson," not "bash Tucson." It's not about negative comments, it's about good reasons.

Reasons not to move is just that. All I have seen here related to this has just been bashing. I haven't seen one reason or one reason that can be supported with any solid data or any reason that was not just an opinion.

Something like the problems that Marana is faced with from FEMA about flood zones would be a good "reason" to not move there.

Tucson is boring isn't a reason, it is an opinion. Tucson is hot is also an opinion. I would think that anyone that is thinking about moving to Tucson already knows that it is hot there.

If anyone does have any good reasons, I would also want others to challange it. How else can anyone use this information to help them make any decisions.

Most of the good things written about Tucson have been contributions from people that live, have lived, or have visited there. They have also been defending Tucson from bashing. If you just want to bash Tucson, why not start a thread called "Tucson Bashing" or something.

Yes I will be moving to Tucson. I started watching this thread to learn about things that could possibly change my mind about moving. But there has been nothing other than opinions of why you shouldn't move there.

What would serve this thread would be things such as areas that constantly flood, or how the home prices ate too high. (would need comparison to other areas) If someone thinks there is no nightlife, explain why you think that and what you think it should be, I. E. "every bar or club closes before 7 PM on weekends," or in the case of a car enthusiast like myself, "there are no car clubs and no drag strip." (which in this case would be untrue) If you want to talk about crime, use something that can be verified. "My neighbor was robbed," or "cars get stolen every day." Insidently, cars get stolen every day practically anyywhere in the US.

I challange anyone to post some real reasons, not just opinions, why someone shouldn't move.

[twojulybabies]

Originally Posted by sickofIL

I thought this was "10 reasons not to move to Tucson," not "bash Tucson." It's not about negative comments, it's about good reasons.

Reasons not to move is just that. All I have seen here related to this has just been bashing. I haven't seen one reason or one reason that can be supported with any solid data or any reason that was not just an opinion.

Something like the problems that Marana is faced with from FEMA about flood zones would be a good "reason" to not move there.

Tucson is boring isn't a reason, it is an opinion. Tucson is hot is also an opinion. I would think that anyone that is thinking about moving to Tucson already knows that it is hot there.

If anyone does have any good reasons, I would also want others to challange it. How else can anyone use this information to help them make any decisions.

Most of the good things written about Tucson have been contributions from people that live, have lived, or have visited there. They have also been defending Tucson from bashing. If you just want to bash Tucson, why not start a thread called "Tucson Bashing" or something.

Yes I will be moving to Tucson. I started watching this thread to learn about things that could possibly change my mind about moving. But there has been nothing other than opinions of why you shouldn't move there.

What would serve this thread would be things such as areas that constantly flood, or how the home prices ate too high. (would need comparison to other areas) If someone thinks there is no nightlife, explain why you think that and what you think it should be, I. E. "every bar or club closes before 7 PM on weekends," or in the case of a car enthusiast like myself, "there are no car clubs and no drag strip." (which in this case would be untrue) If you want to talk about crime, use something that can be verified. "My neighbor was robbed," or "cars get stolen every day." Insidently, cars get stolen every day practically anyywhere in the US.

I challange anyone to post some real reasons, not just opinions, why someone shouldn't move.

Wow! Awesome post. I think that sums it up perfectly.

[borborygmi]

Originally Posted by swiss_miss

What normal person wants to drive one hour to get to an international airport? Not me, thanks! FYI, real cities have airports!

I just had to laugh at this. Good luck in L.A. trying to get to any of the 3 major airports (by that I mean LAX, John Wayne, or Ontario) from anywhere in that city in less than an hour, if you're more than a few miles away. The traffic there is obscene. All.The.Time. You've never seen anything like it. If you haven't driven in it, I won't try to explain; it's something you'll have to experience for yourself.

I can tell you from experience that it takes over an hour to get from Santa Monica or West Hollywood to LAX during weekday traffic, and it's less than 10 miles in distance!! So yeah, have fun with that.

[mdtoaz]

Originally Posted by swiss_miss

and I'm not a teen. Thank you very much. I hate Tucson. Always have, always will. You like it here? good for you. Everyone has different tastes

Wow... you represent yourself well.

[ohnonothimagain]

Hello-I lived in Tucson for over 10 years-and if my wife was willing I'd move back there in a heartbeat. Is it a perfect place to live? Nope, most anywhere you move you'll find both good and bad things about any town in general. There's crime issues the same as anywhere else-you stay out of particularily bad areas of town at night you shouldn't have a problem. I lived in mid-town around Alvernon/Grant area-never felt unsafe even going to the Fry's @ 1am. A writer said once that wages are paid in sunshine in Tucson-it does have lower wages on average than other cities-but the cost of living isn't as high as other places. There's a lot of jobs that are filled by those willing to work for $5.00/hr so that lowers the overall salary structure in Tucson.Yes-there's areas with million dollar or more homes-but there's also nice subdivisions with $200,000 homes. Nowhere is perfect-I loved and miss Tucson, the almost 300 days a year of sunshine, the fantastic sunsets, the people are friendly, the things to do and see. So I'd suggest for those who live in Tucson and hate it-LEAVE. For those of you who might like to live there-go visit. Do it in the middle of summer so you won't be unprepared for HOTHOTHOTHOT dry summers. This is my humble opinion, and of course not everyone will agree with me. I guess it's what you like-some people hate the beaches-some people hate big cities-some people aren't happy regardless of where they're at.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by ohnonothimagain

Hello-I lived in Tucson for over 10 years-and if my wife was willing I'd move back there in a heartbeat.

Now it'd be a good time to say why she isn't willing...

I lived in mid-town around Alvernon/Grant area-never felt unsafe even going to the Fry's @ 1am.

And just how long ago was THAT? This has to be one of the most notorious intersections in town and I hate going to this particular Fry's even during the day! No, it's not dangerous per se... it's just uncomfortable...

So I'd suggest for those who live in Tucson and hate it-LEAVE.

And I'd suggest those who don't refrain from giving advice to those who do!

[xwideopenskyx]

Originally Posted by swiss_miss

and I'm not a teen. Thank you very much. I hate Tucson. Always have, always will. You like it here? good for you. Everyone has different tastes

If you're not a teen then you have the freedom to pack your belongings and move to a better place. I was in the same predicament once, but instead of spending my valuable time venting online, I was making plans and setting goals and researching new places.

Life is too short not to enjoy it to the fullest. So go forth, find your great new place and be happy.

[sorajet]

While I know the initial aim of this thread was to offer up potential dissuasions for living in Tucson, I'm going to pitch in here with my own take on how much I enjoy & appreciate it. I moved to Tucson around 16 years ago & have never been more pleased by a city in my life so I'm happy to share some of the reasons why.

1. Fantastic weather & geography. I'm a big lover of heat, the sun, the monsoons... all of it. Best of all the Sonoran desert is by far my favorite landscape to live in & look at. The cacti, the desert animals, the colors of the scenery; all of it pleases me to no end. And hey, the sunsets are gorgeous too.

2. Outstanding people. I've met some of the best people of my life here, in both the arts & business communities. The friendliness & helpfulness of many of these folks have made me feel welcome from day one & happily there's also a high amount of open mindedness & intelligent tolerance here that's refreshing.

3. My favorite food in the whole world. Despite the fact that I (& my palate) grew up in the Midwest, Mexican food has always topped my list of favorite cuisines; the spicier the better! I'm pretty sure I could happily subsist on a daily diet of salad, burritos, chips, salsa (& maybe a few bottles of Dos Equis) for the rest of my life in fact. To that end Tucson's Mexican food is second to none, and the list of restaurants that I love here would take me hours to write out.

4. Great music. Tucson's music scene has produced some really fantastic bands (in particular the Punk Rock & Punk inspired bands from Tucson are easily the best you'll find in the state) & the more traditional Mexican influenced sounds here (Mariachi, etc) amazed & delighted me upon my first discovery of them. Just great stuff.

5. The Mexican influence. I really really love the embracement in Tucson as regards to Mexican customs, culture (ranging from things as disparate as the amazing "Dia De Los Muertos" parade to the cool colors you'll see all around), architecture & style. I can't think of a single downside to this personally, and I love love love hearing Spanish spoken all around me. It's a really pretty sounding language on the ears.

6. Sense of history. Tucson has a cool & rich past that hasn't been swept under the rug or forgotten. There's all sorts of neat places to check out from all eras of the past too, ranging from the San Xavier del Bac Mission to South Tucson's cool old business signage dating to the 1950's, '60's & later.

...there are many many more reason that factor in for me of course (I've found excellent work here for example, and have found the local arts scene to be full of inventive & dedicated people who seem to want to make certain I never find myself lacking entertainment), but I've quickly touched upon some of the biggest reasons I love it here, and ones that would influence any decision I'd make about where to live.

Your milage may vary of course (& from the looks of this thread it really has for a lot of people), but I personally couldn't have made a smarter decision at 22 than to move here.

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by sorajet

While I know the initial aim of this thread was to offer up potential dissuasions for living in Tucson, I'm going to pitch in here with my own take on how much I enjoy & appreciate it. I moved to Tucson around 16 years ago & have never been more pleased by a city in my life so I'm happy to share some of the reasons why.

1. Fantastic weather & geography. I'm a big lover of heat, the sun, the monsoons... all of it. Best of all the Sonoran desert is by far my favorite landscape to live in & look at. The cacti, the desert animals, the colors of the scenery; all of it pleases me to no end. And hey, the sunsets are gorgeous too.

2. Outstanding people. I've met some of the best people of my life here, in both the arts & business communities. The friendliness & helpfulness of many of these folks have made me feel welcome from day one & happily there's also a high amount of open mindedness & intelligent tolerance here that's refreshing.

3. My favorite food in the whole world. Despite the fact that I (& my palate) grew up in the Midwest, Mexican food has always topped my list of favorite cuisines; the spicier the better! I'm pretty sure I could happily subsist on a daily diet of salad, burritos, chips, salsa (& maybe a few bottles of Dos Equis) for the rest of my life in fact. To that end Tucson's Mexican food is second to none, and the list of restaurants that I love here would take me hours to write out.

4. Great music. Tucson's music scene has produced some really fantastic bands (in particular the Punk Rock & Punk inspired bands from Tucson are easily the best you'll find in the state) & the more traditional Mexican influenced sounds here (Mariachi, etc) amazed & delighted me upon my first discovery of them. Just great stuff.

5. The Mexican influence. I really really love the embracement in Tucson as regards to Mexican customs, culture (ranging from things as disparate as the amazing "Dia De Los Muertos" parade to the cool colors you'll see all around), architecture & style. I can't think of a single downside to this personally, and I love love love hearing Spanish spoken all around me. It's a really pretty sounding language on the ears.

6. Sense of history. Tucson has a cool & rich past that hasn't been swept under the rug or forgotten. There's all sorts of neat places to check out from all eras of the past too, ranging from the San Xavier del Bac Mission to South Tucson's cool old business signage dating to the 1950's, '60's & later.

...there are many many more reason that factor in for me of course (I've found excellent work here for example, and have found the local arts scene to be full of inventive & dedicated people who seem to want to make certain I never find myself lacking entertainment), but I've quickly touched upon some of the biggest reasons I love it here, and ones that would influence any decision I'd make about where to live.

Your milage may vary of course (& from the looks of this thread it really has for a lot of people), but I personally couldn't have made a smarter decision at 22 than to move here.

Thank you, sorajet! Wonderfully written... and a most inspiring and positive a post as I have seen in a while! My goodness, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Allow me to echo your sentiments in your weather and geography paragraph. Plus, if I may add, after one of our monsoonal visits, when all of its moisturizing glory has poured down from the heavens, aren't you mesmerized by the wonderful fragrances and aromas which emanate from the recently wet desert fauna and flora?

There are those here that think I'm some kind of crazy dreamer, and I may be, but there is no other way to describe what wafts in from the great and green Sonoran Desert after a rain!