Tuscon AZ vs. Santa Fe NM (living, state, better, compared)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I what to know what are the differences between two places. what its like living in AZ and NM and which is better for someone who is in their late 30's .
I what to know what are the differences between two places. what its like living in AZ and NM and which is better for someone who is in their late 30's .
Santa Fe is a much more prosperous, urbane place than Tucson. The architecture and city layout is beautiful and unique and it has a very strong arts scene with a lot of culture. Tucson is surrounded by a beautiful natural setting, but (outside of a very small urban core) the city itself is primarily six-lane roads and strip malls. It's a much poorer city and has a much more generic feel, albeit 4th Ave and parts of Downtown do have a kind of a funky, artsy feel. But really it's no comparison.
Tucson has the huge University of Arizona influence and student population, as well as the Air Force Base with Davis Monthan, and the nearby Army bases in southern Arizona (Fort Huachuca, etc).
Tucson has a great cultural scene and is growing well. Jobs are much more competitive to land though in general, since its economy is much smaller than, for example, Phoenix.
Santa Fe is stunning architecturally and also has terrific culture. But it's just much smaller than Tucson, overall.
Santa Fe has roughly 88,000 in the city (metro of 155k), whereas Tucson has 540,000 or so (and a metro of 1 million).
Climate wise, Santa Fe will be world away from Tucson. It is situated at 7,000 feet of elevation. It is definitely a four-season place but without extremes of heat or cold. Tucson will be much more desert-like and hotter. Santa Fe dates to 1610 and has a lot of history and tradition. It might have a higher COL than Tucson. Santa Fe is smaller but adjoins the Albuquerque metro area of about 1 million people. A commuter train connects the two cities. Santa Fe has a huge tourist draw and it is also the state capital so that keeps the economy fairly stable.
Santa Fe is a much more prosperous, urbane place than Tucson. The architecture and city layout is beautiful and unique and it has a very strong arts scene with a lot of culture. Tucson is surrounded by a beautiful natural setting, but (outside of a very small urban core) the city itself is primarily six-lane roads and strip malls. It's a much poorer city and has a much more generic feel, albeit 4th Ave and parts of Downtown do have a kind of a funky, artsy feel. But really it's no comparison.
The idea that Santa Fe is more "prosperous" than Tucson is deceiving because while the city of Tucson is pretty poor, the suburban part of Tucson is wealthier than the whole of Santa Fe by a large margin. In fact, the Catalina foothills by themselves would be the third or fourth richest community in Arizona if it were in fact a community. Tucson has miles and miles of upscale neighborhoods in the county (Pima) and relatively few in the city itself.
The really nice parts of Tucson are like Santa Fe in many ways. The difference being that to access the typical city things to do, if you live in the nice parts of Tucson your are way further from the city center than you are in Santa Fe.
Actually, contrary to a prior poster's claim, Tucson's suburbs constitute way more wealth than that of Santa Fe. And that's a byproduct of more jobs and a much larger retirement community in adjoining suburbs outside of Tucson (Oro Valley, Marana, etc). And yes, zoning is going to be way, way more single usage in Tucson than in Santa Fe. Also, Santa Fe will have a way more stringent planning and zoning as well as architecural review committees in their orbit than will Tucson.
Santa Fe has a greater abundance of greenery than Tucson, which makes the natural environment of Santa Fe appear less dry and desolate by comparison. Also, the infrastructure of Santa Fe is less neglected than that of Tucson, which may have the worst infrastructure of any large city in the United States. Lastly, Santa Fe is a bit closer to the “rest of the country,” given that it is further north and east than Tucson, which is close to nowhere, IMO.
Santa Fe has a greater abundance of greenery than Tucson, which makes the natural environment of Santa Fe appear less dry and desolate by comparison. Also, the infrastructure of Santa Fe is less neglected than that of Tucson, which may have the worst infrastructure of any large city in the United States. Lastly, Santa Fe is a bit closer to the “rest of the country,” given that it is further north and east than Tucson, which is close to nowhere, IMO.
Disagree on that statement. Santa Fe's nearest truly big city, Denver, is six hours up I-25, about as far from Santa Fe as San Diego is from Tucson. Heading east, OKC is a good 7-8 hours down I-40, with midsized Amarillo midway along the way. Meanwhile, one of the outermost Tucson suburbs (Marana) is just an hour away from an outer Phoenix burb (Sun Lakes). Someone who has a WFH job based in Phoenix could easily commute up I-10 for the occasions needed, as traffic along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson is pretty light. NM has the weaker economic growth compared to AZ. I'm just surprised that AZ doesn't have something similar to NM's Roadrunner rail, since it could prove very effective for Tucson supercommuters heading to the Phoenix area. Overall, I'd pick suburban Tucson to live, but Santa Fe to visit.
Disagree on that statement. Santa Fe's nearest truly big city, Denver, is six hours up I-25, about as far from Santa Fe as San Diego is from Tucson. Heading east, OKC is a good 7-8 hours down I-40, with midsized Amarillo midway along the way. Meanwhile, one of the outermost Tucson suburbs (Marana) is just an hour away from an outer Phoenix burb (Sun Lakes). Someone who has a WFH job based in Phoenix could easily commute up I-10 for the occasions needed, as traffic along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson is pretty light. NM has the weaker economic growth compared to AZ. I'm just surprised that AZ doesn't have something similar to NM's Roadrunner rail, since it could prove very effective for Tucson supercommuters heading to the Phoenix area. Overall, I'd pick suburban Tucson to live, but Santa Fe to visit.
You nailed it, complete 100% agreement, though i will say Albuquerque is a big city in its own right.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
