Can a Floridian be happy in living Arizona? (Phoenix, Tucson: safe neighborhoods, to buy)

[sobe gal]

Hi,

I'm thinking of move with my mom to Arizona.
I live in Miami Beach,fl
It's walkalble and I would like to find something a little similar.
I'm single in my mid thirties and me and my mom would like a change.

I've heard that Pie allen, Dunbar Spring, Armory Park , El Montevideo are walkalble neighborhoods.

I would like to move a small or medium city in Arizona

Criteria
Safe neighborhood
Decent bus transportation
House price range not so expensive like price range between 100- 180K
Walkalblity
nightlife(restaruants, shops,)
Warm weather year around
living in Urban area
If you know any cities that have some of these criteria let me know.

Thanks Rachel

[Kimballette]

Are you interested in Tucson, or the rest of Arizona? You posted this in the Tucson forum...

[coatimundi]

"Walkable" is not a word I would use to describe Tucson or, really, any of those neighborhoods. Tucson is bike-friendly, but not so pedestrian-friendly, partially because of the heat and because it's so spread out. This goes for most of the Southwest as well, unfortunately. Our cities are built around the car.

[vjsoto]

Safe neighborhood? - There are many safe neighborhoods, and many that are not so safe, just like any other mid-size to large city.

Decent bus transportation? - Shrug... Tucson seems pretty average compared to other cities I've lived in.

House price range not so expensive like price range between 100- 180K? - Now is a good time to buy.
There is plenty to pick from in that range.

Walkalblity? - Tucson is a commuter city. As mentioned by coatimundi, Tucson is better than average regarding dedicated bike lanes. It doesn't fare so well with pedestrian sidewalks.

nightlife(restaruants, shops,)? - I've never considered a restaurant or shop part of a nightlife, but that's just me. There are plenty of restaurants and shops open into the evening.

Warm weather year around? - It's relatively warm here, but nothing like it is in Florida. It does get cold in the winter, and hard freezes typically occur a handful of times each winter. The mountains get a yearly coat of white and on rare occasions it will even snows in the valley.

living in Urban area? - Yea... plenty of that here.

If you know any cities that have some of these criteria let me know. Phoenix, Tucson... Most Other AZ towns are too small to be considered "urban".

[cacto]

I'm not sure what "walkablilty" means, but I know that most people in the General US forum say AZ cities aren't "walkable". However, I see people walking here all the time and some of them do it very well.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by cacto

I'm not sure what "walkablilty" means, but I know that most people in the General US forum say AZ cities aren't "walkable". However, I see people walking here all the time and some of them do it very well.

It is one of the biggest reasons I didn't move to Tucson. I visited and there are not many neighborhoods in Tucson that are "walkable."

Cacto probably sees those who are too poor to take a car to work? In other places like Cleveland, Columbus, Louisville, Portland, etc. there are neighborhoods that one can walk to and do all their grocery shopping. Then they can walk back with their hippie organic goods in hippie bags. I like that about a lot of the midwest cities.
I just don't think a lot of people are able to go grocery shopping and walk back to their neighborhood.
I agree with the above poster that it is probably a product of the extreme heat and spread out infrastructure. Unfortunate.

[azdr0710]

"Cacto probably sees those who are too poor to take a car to work"


I'm not poor and I have two cars....and I walk to work and walk all over Tucson...

admittedly, many areas of Tucson are not practical if you like to walk to the corner store for some milk....as with many Western cities (Portland, OR not included), there has just been plenty of land to build on and so the cities spread out rather than up (cheaper that way)....

however, the West University neighborhood, in addition to the ones the OP mentions, are very walkable and pleasant...they are all much older areas and not utterly wealthy, so you may see some couch-on-the-front-porch stuff....the WU area has a lot of students on bikes, too, and lots of student-oriented business....4th Ave is very popular in a hippy sort of way, but also a great place to walk to and fro.....it may be several blocks to get to a business, but they are great areas.....

keep in mind that Tucson may not have the 24/7 party, happenin' vibe that Miami seems to have...if that's even a concern....

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

"Cacto probably sees those who are too poor to take a car to work"


I'm not poor and I have two cars....and I walk to work and walk all over Tucson...

admittedly, many areas of Tucson are not practical if you like to walk to the corner store for some milk....as with many Western cities (Portland, OR not included), there has just been plenty of land to build on and so the cities spread out rather than up (cheaper that way)....

however, the West University neighborhood, in addition to the ones the OP mentions, are very walkable and pleasant...they are all much older areas and not utterly wealthy, so you may see some couch-on-the-front-porch stuff....the WU area has a lot of students on bikes, too, and lots of student-oriented business....4th Ave is very popular in a hippy sort of way, but also a great place to walk to and fro.....it may be several blocks to get to a business, but they are great areas.....

keep in mind that Tucson may not have the 24/7 party, happenin' vibe that Miami seems to have...if that's even a concern....

The o/p has never lived in Tucson, only visited. I wouldn't put too much stock in the comments.

[cacto]

Originally Posted by MDCB

It is one of the biggest reasons I didn't move to Tucson. I visited and there are not many neighborhoods in Tucson that are "walkable."

Cacto probably sees those who are too poor to take a car to work? In other places like Cleveland, Columbus, Louisville, Portland, etc. there are neighborhoods that one can walk to and do all their grocery shopping. Then they can walk back with their hippie organic goods in hippie bags. I like that about a lot of the midwest cities.
I just don't think a lot of people are able to go grocery shopping and walk back to their neighborhood.
I agree with the above poster that it is probably a product of the extreme heat and spread out infrastructure. Unfortunate.

Well, I was making a joke about the word "Walkability" because I think it's nonsense, but since that was lost on you, let put it this way. In Phoenix and Tucson you can walk anywhere you like, and it's not hard. I understand some denser back east cities have everything packed in one spot. We don't. We have space, our cities in AZ don't have that claustrophobic quality you find in the East. We can see the horizon, the mountains , and the sunset from anywhere in the city and we can walk anywhere too, and it's a better way to live.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by cacto

Well, I was making a joke about the word "Walkability" because I think it's nonsense, but since that was lost on you, let put it this way. In Phoenix and Tucson you can walk anywhere you like, and it's not hard. I understand some denser back east cities have everything packed in one spot. We don't. We have space, our cities in AZ don't have that claustrophobic quality you find in the East. We can see the horizon, the mountains , and the sunset from anywhere in the city and we can walk anywhere too, and it's a better way to live.

My fault cacto. I do see what you are saying about "walkability." Yes it is possible to walk in Tucson, but you will be walking further distances on average. This discourages people to walk...they are "able" but not "willing" to walk in Tucson.

In the "back east" cities, as I mentioned, it is easy to go grab a beer with friends, then go grocery shopping, walk by the dry cleaner and get home...with a reasonable walk. This doesn't seem too possible in Tucson. Correct me if I am wrong.

But I think Tucson sets itself up to being an incredible biking town. I would definitely plan on getting a bike if I moved there. But I am planning on getting a bike in Portland also. I was able to all of the above mentioned tasks and walked a total of 1.4 miles in PDX. Is this possible in Tucson? I am not being a troll/bashing, just giving other forum readers another perspective.