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Quality of life
Better future
Entertainment/things to do
Infrastructure
Cost of living
Nightlife
QOL: Bako. It's in CA which provides better services than AZ is, and the climate is more termperate
Better Future: Bako. Tuscon is still pretty rough around the edges, and most people from big-city CA choose to move out to Phoenix (or Vegas or TX) instead, leaving it a bit in the dust. CA's bullet train is expected to stop in Bako when complete, providing an option for more easily commuting for the massive SoCal job market, while likely prompting a boom in development, especially higher income households.
Entertainment/things to do: Tie. Neither are what I'd call happening cities, but Bakersfield for its proximity to more interesting destinations (Sierras, Yosemite, central coast, LA) than Tuscon (Phoenix and that's pretty much it). In town, both are very mediocre for what they offer with chains the dominant form of retail. A slight edge to Bakersfield for non-college related activities, while Tuscon wins on college sports.
Infrastructure: CA. Tuscon has more rundown neighborhoods and most of AZ's infrastructure money benefits Phoenix.
COL: Tuscon. Bakersfield is cheap for CA, but still expensive for what it offers. Taxes/gas prices are lower in Tuscon, too.
Nightlife: Tuscon, due to U of A. Bakersfield is a bit too dominated by married couples with children, so "nightlife" tends to be more G/PG-rated and close up earlier. Both are lacking for the 30+ crowd though.
I'd choose Bakersfield. Its relatively conservative for CA, but I earn enough income to afford it and prefer its location closer to more interesting places, and dream of having HSL done in a decade to allow for a quick jaunt to LA. I'm more concerned about the current megadrought impacting the water supply issues, but Bakersfield would better benefit from a breakthrough in desalinization technology.
"Things to do" in Tucson (which has nothing to do with the Italian region of Tuscany) would include the outdoors and cultural events. Sabino Canyon in the Catalina foothills has a very interesting set of trails with among the largest concentration of saguaro cacti anywhere, for instance. The colorful sunsets in the area are truly a sight to behold. Having a large research university also provides many advantages that go far beyond college sports.
Bakersfield has some of the worst air quality in the US and not much of an economy beyond agriculture and oil, but I guess for some folks, just having that California address gives it instant credibility.
Grew up in Tucson. There's a handful of flaws Tucson has that I won't try to defend (NIMBYs, old and outdated infrastructure, no freeways in town) but that said, there are several appealing qualities like the pretty natural setting, excellent air quality, lots of historical preservation, unique cultural heritage, and the University of Arizona and its vibrant surrounding areas.
Bakersfield, I just don't see the appeal at all except for the fact that you can tell people you live in California. Not a fan of the natural setting, all the oil rigs that create an eye sore, the awful air quality, and just the overall dull vibe of the city itself.
Tucson blows away Bakersfield...It is not a close comparison despite I think fairly similar metro area sizes (Bakersfield metro is less Bakersfield itself though compared w/ Tucson). Best comparison for Tucson is probably Albuquerque, followed by El Paso.
I don't think Bakersfield is necessarily BAD but it's kinda blah and fairly boring; economy is decent in some regards but not diverse, and Tucson has pretty good quality nightlife (maybe not super in quantity but average quality is good; similar story for ABQ).
Tucson wins this one IMHO. You have a major Pac 12 university anchoring town, gorgeous mountain ranges flanking every side of the city. World class golf. Good food options for a city of its size.
Quality of life
Better future
Entertainment/things to do
Infrastructure
Cost of living
Nightlife
I personally do not like Tucson, but after being in both many times I would prefer Tucson.
Tucson has much warmer winters, less pollution issues, more vibrant and apartment selection is much better and rents are lower.
Quality of Life:
Bakersfield and Tucson city proper are both very violent cities with a tremendous amount of gang issues.
Tucson crime issues are much more concentrated than Bakersfield, but the most violent areas of Tucson are worse than the most violent areas Bakersfield.
Bakersfield has major pollution issues much of the year. Tucson air quality isn't much a factor
A few positives though on Bakersfield are that is has a much better infrastructure, much less traffic on the roads and the much of the city is fairly clean.
I don't know if this is relevant, but Bakersfield is actually economically a fairly well-off city even though Kern County has alot of poverty.
Bakersfield median household income is about $20,000 higher than Tucson.
Entertainment: Tucson has an excellent nightlife because it has a huge university. Bakersfield just seems very quiet in comparison in my opinion.
Things to do: Bakersfield and Tucson both have excellent hiking with-in 30 minutes of their cities.
Infrastructure:
Bakersfield generally has very smooth roads, the sidewalks are in good shape and excellent infrastructure
In my opinion, Tucson has about the worst infrastructure of any city of it's size. The traffic is terrible also.
Cost of Living:
Apartment rents seem to be much more affordable in Tucson because they have alot of apartments in the city itself and many of them are from 1950s and 1960s and are likely very small apartments.
Bakersfield is mainly single-family homes and there are not many apartments there in comparison. I have read that vacancy rates tend to be very low in Bakersfield also.
Generally speaking, Bakersfield houses are slightly more expensive than Tucson.
However, there are many smaller cities in Kern County about half an hour out that are extremely affordable compared to the city of Tucson.
I personally do not like Tucson, but after being in both many times I would prefer Tucson.
Tucson has much warmer winters, less pollution issues, more vibrant and apartment selection is much better and rents are lower.
Quality of Life:
Bakersfield and Tucson city proper are both very violent cities with a tremendous amount of gang issues.
Tucson crime issues are much more concentrated than Bakersfield, but the most violent areas of Tucson are worse than the most violent areas Bakersfield.
Bakersfield has major pollution issues much of the year. Tucson air quality isn't much a factor
A few positives though on Bakersfield are that is has a much better infrastructure, much less traffic on the roads and the much of the city is fairly clean.
I don't know if this is relevant, but Bakersfield is actually economically a fairly well-off city even though Kern County has alot of poverty.
Bakersfield median household income is about $20,000 higher than Tucson.
Entertainment: Tucson has an excellent nightlife because it has a huge university. Bakersfield just seems very quiet in comparison in my opinion.
Things to do: Bakersfield and Tucson both have excellent hiking with-in 30 minutes of their cities.
Infrastructure:
Bakersfield generally has very smooth roads, the sidewalks are in good shape and excellent infrastructure
In my opinion, Tucson has about the worst infrastructure of any city of it's size. The traffic is terrible also.
Cost of Living:
Apartment rents seem to be much more affordable in Tucson because they have alot of apartments in the city itself and many of them are from 1950s and 1960s and are likely very small apartments.
Bakersfield is mainly single-family homes and there are not many apartments there in comparison. I have read that vacancy rates tend to be very low in Bakersfield also.
Generally speaking, Bakersfield houses are slightly more expensive than Tucson.
However, there are many smaller cities in Kern County about half an hour out that are extremely affordable compared to the city of Tucson.
Tucson doesn't have much warmer winters than Bakersfield. A bit or slightly warmer, sure. I just don't see it as a big downgrade.
Tucson has a lot more college students than Bakersfield. I'm sure that hurts median income a bit.
Hsr is bakersfields ace up it's sleeve. If it's done right, it'll be a game changer. If hsr doesn't get completed, you'll keep having slow change in Bakersfield.
Last edited by dontbelievehim; 03-08-2022 at 11:51 PM..
Tucson wins this one IMHO. You have a major Pac 12 university anchoring town, gorgeous mountain ranges flanking every side of the city. World class golf. Good food options for a city of its size.
Yet, strangely enough, the Tucson metro since 2010 has grown slower than Bakersfield, 6.44% vs 8.29%. Bakersfield may end up being bigger in population than Tucson.
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