Moving to the Desert

[observer53]

Originally Posted by iLucas

well the time has come, and we will be off to Tucson shortly (hopefully within the next 2 months), and i've only got a few questions left.

1. how pricey are the cabs in Tucson? i believe i will be selling my car before the move, and be with out one for up to a month.

2. i've done apartment searches on apartments.com, but i just cant get as specific as i'd like. we want an apartment in either Sahuarita, Vail, or Oro Valley. preferably Sahuarita or vail, because my fiance works for raytheon. any suggestions?

If you are going to be driving around much AT ALL, I'd get on Hotwire or Priceline for a rental for a month. I suspect cabs will be pricey in Tucson, they are in Phoenix, and both cities are spread out. You do NOT want to be taking a cab to Vail or Oro Valley or any other outlying area.

[NotALizard]

Tucson is a great city. I lived there for two years before being transferred just south of hell. Stay away from the southwest side unless you want to live in the barrio. Any where around the campus is neat and active and the NE side is more upscale especially near MT. Lemon. It is about a 30 minute drive from the valley to the top and you go from desert to pine forest and 110 degrees to low 80's during the day in the summer. Other real nice bigger "towns" are Sedona, Flagstaff and Kingman. the first two are a bit pricey though. The state is not in real good shape economically or leadership wise for the past few years. We have had a large influx of illegal immigrants and an exodus from California.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by NotALizard

Tucson is a great city. I lived there for two years before being transferred just south of hell. Stay away from the southwest side unless you want to live in the barrio. Any where around the campus is neat and active and the NE side is more upscale especially near MT. Lemon. It is about a 30 minute drive from the valley to the top and you go from desert to pine forest and 110 degrees to low 80's during the day in the summer. Other real nice bigger "towns" are Sedona, Flagstaff and Kingman. the first two are a bit pricey though. The state is not in real good shape economically or leadership wise for the past few years. We have had a large influx of illegal immigrants and an exodus from California.

1) Really? Only 30 min? I thought it was about an hour ride to the top?
And really? Pine trees? And a 30 degree cool off? Really?

2) California exodus? I know that inflates the home prices without a base employment, but in the long run...might be good for Tucson? And also, more people to build a better economy on...not sure what that economy is though.

[CH14]

[quote=MDCB;17775114]1) Really? Only 30 min? I thought it was about an hour ride to the top?
And really? Pine trees? And a 30 degree cool off? Really?

Its probably about 30 min to get to the bottom, and another 30 to reach to the top---thus an hour. And yes- it is significantly cooler. Great break during the summer and make sure to take a hoodie or jacket when visting in spring/fall/winter. You've mentioned skiing up there, so not sure why pine tress would be a surprise? AZ is a VERY diverse state.