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I have 2 job offers
One in Tucson AZ and one in a suburb of Pittsburgh,PA
Both have good and bad points.
Pay is appropriate for both areas.
Which has the better schools??
Less crime?
Better people?
Nicer men?
More choices of where to live?
Less "Get me out of here" factor?
Better schools? Id say Pittsburgh. AZ was rated as having the worst school system in the nation.
Less crime? Not up on stats, but Id probably say theyre about equal (??). Both cities have good and horrible areas.
Better people? Pittsburgh. Tucson is a mish-mash of folks from all over the country, you get the worst and best of everything. The folks in Pittsburgh were absolutely friendly and helpful to me.
Nicer men? I believe Pittsburgh was voted the most romantic city in the USA recently. Ill have to find you a link...
More choices of where to live? Pittsburgh. Tucson is isolated, hours from Phoenix. Pittsburgh is located in the heart of the populous eastern states.
Less "get me outta here" factor? Depends on what you like. Tucson has sunnier skies, warmer winter temps, newer suburbs. Pittsburgh has 4 seasons, a real downtown, great food, eclectic neighborhoods. Ive been to both, Pittsburgh stood out alot more than Tucson. Plus in Pittsburgh you have pro sports venues, if thats anything to you... It all comes down to personal tastes.
The Pittsburgh Cheerleaders will be on my case for sure after this one!
Better people? There is no city with "better people". Some of your experience depends on happenstance, who you happen to meet. Certainly, you can't say a whole city has "good" or "bad" people. I grew up in Pittsburgh. I can't say I thought people were "better" there than in any of the other places I have lived. Certainly no friendlier, though there are many who will dispute that.
I'm not sure about the places to live business. You have to live near the job. You can't go live in Philadelphia and work in Pittsburgh.
Less "get me out of here factor?" Well, disclaimer here, I've never been to Tucson. But Pittsburgh's population is shrinking, has been for about 40 yrs. The climate is gawd-awful. Dreary and gray in the winter, humid in the summer, varies from pleasantly warm to hot.
I have 2 job offers
One in Tucson AZ and one in a suburb of Pittsburgh,PA
Both have good and bad points.
Pay is appropriate for both areas.
Which has the better schools??
Less crime?
Better people?
Nicer men?
More choices of where to live?
Less "Get me out of here" factor?
I don't live in Tucson-- I live in Tempe, AZ which is about 2 hours away, but I've been there a bunch of times. I would say, if you have a great job opportunity in Tucson, grab it! Of all the major southwest desert cities, Tucson has the best climate. It is still very, very hot compared to rest of the country, but not as extreme as Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Palm Springs, and it cools down more at night. Tucson also gets more rain than Phoenix-- which is definitely a plus-- when you live in a desert, every drop counts. The natural scenery is spectular-- mountains all around, kick-@@@ sunsets, tons of desert hiking. A great location for roadtrips to explore SE Arizona. University of Arizona is there, plus the only medical school in Arizona. Awesome Mexican food, too.
The main problems with Tucson is the traffic flow is very bad, since there is only one freeway (I-10) that only goes through the western outskirts of town, not through the city itself. Some parts of Tucson have a lot of crime and are run down-- if you move there, you want to stick to the Catalina Foothills, the far east side, the NW side, or Oro Valley. Also, it is a smaller city, the metro area is around 1.0 million people, and it is somewhat overshadowed by Phoenix, the monster to the north, so a lot of people can't find the job they are looking for there. But if you have the opportunity, I would grab it!
Of all the major southwest desert cities, Tucson has the best climate.
That Id have to dispute. Albuquerque has the best southwest climate. Tucson is too hot for too long. Albuquerque can get hot, but nowhere near what Tucson experiences. Not only that, but if the OP wants 4 seasons, you wont get that in Tucson.
That Id have to dispute. Albuquerque has the best southwest climate. Tucson is too hot for too long. Albuquerque can get hot, but nowhere near what Tucson experiences. Not only that, but if the OP wants 4 seasons, you wont get that in Tucson.
In summer. Winter there sucks, and thats coming from a Chicagoan. Unless you like arctic air and alot of snow, Flagstaff would probably be a major turnoff. Good amounts of sunshine though! Just tooooo cold.
My fave thing about Flagstaff is driving along 17 in the morning, when the pines are wet with dew... best smell EVER! Sorry for getting off topic here, just had to share.
The climate is gawd-awful. Dreary and gray in the winter, humid in the summer, varies from pleasantly warm to hot.
At least you get a variety other than HOT ALL THE TIME. The OP really needs to evaluate just what kind of climate is the most suitable for personal taste. It is a definite change from the midwest's 4 seasons to hot and less hot found in the desert. Some people thrive in it, some can't handle it. I'm one that can't handle it. I have close friends that own a second home in Buckeye, so I get first hand information on the difference in lifestyle. You only have a lawn if you irrigate. There are no trees, there is no green beauty. But some of the landscape is breathtaking.
Another factor is the rising cost of living in the area and the dwindling availability of WATER. This may not be a huge problem at the moment, but with the onslaught of population migration, it will be come a huge problem and expense in the very near future. And I'm sure that the jobs in the area are not going to compensate according to the rapid increase in expense.
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Winter there sucks, and thats coming from a Chicagoan. 
