What doesn't Tucson have? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: houses, theater, tile) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

knrstz · 03-20-2010, 08:46 PM

I've been reading the board for a while and my wife and I eventually would like to relocate to the area in the next year or so. I like Tuscon over Phoenix for a variety of reasons. It's nice to be in a metro area that has most everything but be close to a larger one that is within driving distance if there are a few things your local town doesn't have. So, I start this thread to find out what are some of the popular things Tucson doens't have? What do you have to drive to Phoenix for that you can't get in Tucson? What stores doesn't Tucson have that you wish it had?

azdr0710 · 03-20-2010, 09:05 PM

some would wish Tucson was on an ocean for recreation and to moderate temperatures....others might wish it was greener....some might hope for more big-name culture and greater sophistication....still others would wish for more direct and/or nonstop commercial flights to more cities....some would certainly wish for higher-paying jobs and less government jobs and more private-sector employment....some would wish for a more conservative rep, others not....

stores: that's a bit subjective...we have most of the major chains...there're still a few hometown places hanging on and I try to patronize them...REI is going to open its first Tucson place in a couple months....I suppose some would wish IKEA was here, but that's not going to happen soon....if you demand upscale department stores, Phx is your place...

many of us are glad we don't look like Phoenix....

knrstz · 03-20-2010, 09:11 PM

No I don't want Phoenix. But there are some big city amenities that are nice but the traffic isn't worth living there so I can go to ikea several times a year. I see you have whole foods and trader joes. Those are big positives. I was just trying to get a feel if locals feel Tucson suites their needs. I grew up in a town of 75,000 so I don't want the cities with millions of people.

RickTucsonHomes · 03-20-2010, 09:11 PM

Lived in Phoenix for many years, now in Tucson. The only thing I go to Phoenix for is the professional sports and Frys Electronics. Everything else that I like I can do here. Sometimes will need to use the Phoenix airport instead of Tucson, depending on flight schedules etc. Most major concerts that hit Phoenix won't be in Tucson. But to me it's a fairly easy drive for those occastional outing.

miamiman · 03-20-2010, 09:59 PM

You don't have many upscale chains. Bloomingdales, Nordstrom (will likely come here when the economy starts to recover), Neiman Marcus, and higher end stores aren't in Tucson. There also aren't some of the chain stores that Phoenix has. IKEA, Fry's Electronics and Marketplace, and Fresh and Easy are some of the major chains missing. Also, Tucson doesn't have local freeways, and we will no longer have Spring Training for baseball. Additionally I have noticed the some movies are shown in Phoenix quite a while before they're shown in Tucson.

While many big name musicians/artists will perform in Phoenix and not Tucson, every now and then you will be surprised with a big name artist performing here in Tucson.

For Tucson's size I feel like the city has TREMENDOUS amount to offer. Tucson has chains that other similar sized nearby cities (Albuquerque and El Paso) don't have. We have Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and a Cheesecake Factory that those cities, for the most part, don't have. Tucson is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes from IKEA in Phoenix and about 1 hour and 40 minutes from all the upscale shopping you could want in east Phoenix and Scottsdale.

LordBalfor · 03-20-2010, 10:38 PM

On a totally different track - as someone who doesn't really care that much about shopping, the main thing I think is lacking in Tucson is open water and green lawns. It has the river of course, but there's rarely water in it and there's not parks with any lake that I'm aware of. Though Phoenix is drier and hotter, it clearly is far more free in it's use of water. Now don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Phoenix is WISE in it's use of water, but that more widespread use of it DOES lend a definitely element of beauty that Tucson just doesn't share.

Ken

Bummer · 03-20-2010, 11:04 PM

Simple answer, Knrstz . . .

Tucson does NOT have the mega-crowds and horrific traffic, THANKFULLY.

In addition to Whole Foods and Trader Joes . . . we have Sprouts which is even better as far as I'm concerned.

brianag221 · 03-21-2010, 12:01 AM

I noticed many things that Tucson is lacking. Restaurants with patio seating and large strip malls with variety's of different stores, restaurants and entertainment are the things I wish Tucson had. Its great to go to a large shopping plaza and be able to shop, eat and find something fun to do all in one stop.. While I wish Tucson had more of these things, I would never move because they didn't have these things!

Marcy1210 · 03-21-2010, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

On a totally different track - as someone who doesn't really care that much about shopping, the main thing I think is lacking in Tucson is open water and green lawns. It has the river of course, but there's rarely water in it and there's not parks with any lake that I'm aware of. Though Phoenix is drier and hotter, it clearly is far more free in it's use of water. Now don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Phoenix is WISE in it's use of water, but that more widespread use of it DOES lend a definitely element of beauty that Tucson just doesn't share.

Ken

Phoenix has a whole different source of water than Tucson. They have the Salt River running through town, and they've managed to build dams along it to harnass the water supply and build reservoirs for water storage and recreation. We don't have that kind of a water source. That's why we don't have green lawns and open water. Ours is finite because it's an underground aquafier which doesn't get replenished easily, only depleted. We have to be stingy in our use of water. Our limited amount of rainfall isn't enough to keep up with our daily use of water, so we have a water source of diminishing returns.

Marcy1210 · 03-21-2010, 01:11 AM

Tucson doesn't have any major sports venues. Phoenix has The Arizona Cardinals football, The Diamondback's baseball, The NHL's Coyote's Ice Hockey and the NBA's Phoenix Sun's basketball. Tucson doesn't have Spring Training anymore or AAA Baseball. In order to have AAA Baseball, we'd need a domed, climate controlled stadium, and the city couldn't even authorize minor improvements to existing stadiums to keep Spring Training, so building a brand new state of the Art stadium is out of the question. (Tucson is probably the worst run city government in the nation, but don't get me started).

I'm not much on shopping, but as far as IKEA, Nordstrums, Bloomingdale's, Neiman-Marcus, etc., I would use the internet rather than drive to Phoenix. I'm good with Macy's, Target, Penney's and so forth. I'm also not much for concerts, but I'd like to see more theater in Tucson that would have touring casts of Broadway productions such as Chicago, and other long running productions. In the scheme of things, these are very small inconveniences at best. To my way of thinking, not having all the plusses of Phoenix is worth it if I don't have to look out on miles and miles of red tile roofs and cookie cutter houses, that produce the greatest amount of urban blight and sprawl yet. Give me quirky Tucson with it's shopping, concert, and cultural limitations anyday so that I can enjoy smaller town feel and a sense of community.