Best Zip Codes for buying (Tucson, Oro Valley: how much, homes, neighborhood)

[TucsonBound?]

My wife and I will be househunting there in November and search by homes by using the zip code areas. We really like the 85742 and 85743 areas which are Cortaro/Marana/Oro Valley area. Are these the best places to buy in Tucson? My wife will be working at the airport and I will be working on the air base. I know Marana/Oro Valley are a little far out but will also now areas close to air bases tend to be pretty rough.
Thanks in advance!!

[RickTucsonHomes]

There are lots of nice homes and subdivisions in those zips. There is a wide selection off of Cortaro not too far from the freeway which would make for an easier commute to the airport area. The Oro Valley zips, 85704,85737 and 85755 are all very nice but are progressively further from the freeway and will make for a longer commute for you. Also, Oro Valley is in a different school district than the other zips you mentioned. If that is a factor you would want to check that out too.

Rick

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by TucsonBound?

My wife and I will be househunting there in November and search by homes by using the zip code areas. We really like the 85742 and 85743 areas which are Cortaro/Marana/Oro Valley area. Are these the best places to buy in Tucson? My wife will be working at the airport and I will be working on the air base. I know Marana/Oro Valley are a little far out but will also now areas close to air bases tend to be pretty rough.
Thanks in advance!!

Considering your places of employment, TucsonBound . . . you can do better.

Commuting in Tucson is tough at best and you'll be going from the Northwest corner all the way down to the Southeast corner.

Bottom line . . . the area you have chosen is great but your commute will be a booger.

Good Luck

[DawnW25]

I agree with Bummer. That will be a stressful commute. Check out the 85747 and 85641 zip codes in the SE part of town, in the Vail school district (if you have kids). The commute from where I'm at in 85747 to the airport is about 20 minutes. This is a nice part of town.

Dawn

[Jenmar1024]

My hubby and I currently live in 85743 zip and the hubby works near the airport. We love the school our daughter goes to, shopping is very convienent but as others have said the commute is horrible. It's definitly much better now since the construction through the downtown area is done.

I believe they are currently working on the addition to add an exit/ entrance to the 10 from Twin Peaks, that will help the commute greatly. His current commute is anywhere from 30 mins to 50 mins depending on the traffic.

Good Luck

[Dester]

I recommend the 85747 zip code which is a nice neighborhood and will save you time from long drives across town. People don't realize how much of their life they spend driving to and from work during a year... take a minute and calcute your yearly total. For example if you work 5 days a week and drive 30mins to work and 30mins home this averages to 5 hours a week for a yearly total of around 235hours which includes subtracting weeks when you're on vacation/PTO/sick. Now try and imagine how'd you would rather spend those 235hours instead of driving behind a wheel worrying about a disgruntled policeman, dangerous drivers, careless pedestrians, flat tires, etc., etc., .

I purchased my home because I thought Microsoft was going to be staying in Tucson thus only a 5 min drive to work... unfortunately Microsoft basically ditched Tucson once the tax breaks ended. Luckily I now work for a big software company where my position allows me to work from home so I only need to drive into work once a week.(22min drive to work and 22min drive back).

I hope this advice allows people to make decisions which give them more time in their life... heck cutting your driving time in half could mean an extra 5_days every year of your life the way you want to spend it.