Sam Hughes Area (Tucson, Bisbee: 2013, foreclosure, rentals)

[dothetwist]

Lived in Bisbee 2003-2013 and made monthly treks to Tucson (Trader Joes, Costco, TUS, doctors, museums, eateries, golf, etc.).

Currently considering buying a home in Tucson, and we looking for an area walkable to restaurants.

Sam Hughes seems to be one choice; though we wonder if its proximity to the University makes it an area of too many student rentals. Is it noisy with weekend college parties when school is in session?

Any other comments on the neighborhood as far as crime, livability, etc?

We had to move to East Coast to help an elderly family member who recently passed away, and we are wanting to move back to the southwest US.

Thanks.

[cjseliga]

There's an article in today's Daliy Wildcat about red tags and which areas see the most.

Where's the party at? Just follow the red tags

Sam Hughes has had some, but nowhere near as many as areas directly south of campus, north and northwest of campus.

I have cousin who has lived in Sam Hughes with her husband and two children since 2001 on 9th just west of Tucson Blvd. They seem to like it and do have a house directly across the street that students rent. San Hughes has a mix of students, retired, young families and young professionals. As for walkability, I guess you can easily walk to restaurants on Speedway or Broadway or Campbell, they tend to ride their bikes.

Crimewise, you can use the city of Tucson crime mapping website:

Tucson Crime Mapping

Sam Hughes is probably one of the "safer" neighborhoods in Tucson, no place is ever free of any crime.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by dothetwist

Sam Hughes seems to be one choice; though we wonder if its proximity to the University makes it an area of too many student rentals.

Compared to the other three sides of the University, Sam Hughes is like Beverly Hills. There aren't student rentals in there because the property values are so high and the neighborhood is so desirable. In the core of Tucson there are only a handful of other places that are as nice or nicer than Sam Hughes.

[WilmaWildcat]

I get the Sam Hughes neighborhood association email newsletter, because I used to live there and want to live there again; and they have to be constantly vigilant about issues in the neighborhood. A couple weeks ago there was a thread about someone who saw contractors remodeling into suspected student rooms so fast and under the city's radar that only vigilance and luck brought it to their attention. After some investigation, the plan was apparently to get rooms with baths built out and then get permits retroactively after they were reported. If this doesn't make sense to you, it doesn't make sense to me either, how they can get away with it. But vigilance is a constant responsibility there. I never saw a followup on how that shook out.

As far as crime, when I moved there 30 years ago and today it's good to remember that Tucson has a western suburban feel even when in fact it is as urban as cities in the east, complete with the crime issues. There again the neighborhood has to be vigilant and share what is going on. Issues that come to light most seem to involve perpetrators cruising the alleys and looking for opportunities to break in through gates and steal things. So, property crime. Groups of perpetrators sometimes work together, as well. In order to be midtown and take advantage of the great central location for all kinds of services, it's necessary to be mindful all the time of what is going on.

There are many nice things associated with Sam Hughes, but people usually are interested in the things that are going to give them problems. So I mention these two.

[dothetwist]

Thanks for the responses!

While we are getting older, we prefer to live in central locations among people of all ages and backgrounds, not in a gated 55+ sanitized community. We understand property crimes of opportunity (plenty of sticky fingers in Bisbee, as we used to say); obviously we avoid any areas which may attract crimes against a person (physical).

Sam Hughes sounds like it could work for us; it's a bit pricey but sounds like its worth it.

[WilmaWildcat]

dothetwist, we were there about a year ago and noticed that the houses in the neighborhood closer to Broadway were more affordable than the ones near Sam Hughes Elementary (a desirable school, btw; good for resale value -- check and make sure you are in the school's area). There is more commercial over there by Broadway, but the streets still seemed pretty quiet and doable. Some really cute designs, too; not all the same. Broadway is being widened, so you might want to check how that impacts your plans. I hope you succeed and enjoy it!

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by dothetwist

Sam Hughes sounds like it could work for us; it's a bit pricey but sounds like its worth it.

That's one thing about Sam Hughes, it's not cheap, there was actually a house across from my cousin's that was in foreclosure for awhile, but if got bought up early this spring.

[Finper]

I spent the day in Bisbee and got the weirdest vibe there... Felt like I was being watched all day and we walked by theis guy that had a dog park and was bat sh** crazy!! Everybody there seemed a little off. Loved the hotel though. Did u like living there?

[dothetwist]

Originally Posted by Finper

I spent the day in Bisbee and got the weirdest vibe there... Felt like I was being watched all day and we walked by theis guy that had a dog park and was bat sh** crazy!! Everybody there seemed a little off. Loved the hotel though. Did u like living there?

Yeah, it was fun....weird, for sure...that's the attraction! And it gets a bit claustrophobic after awhile.

At this stage of our lives we want to be within 30 minutes of an airport. But still have a walking or biking neighborhood with non-chain eateries nearby. We will look at other similar neighborhoods in Tucson.

[Jukesgrrl]

What Eddie said above: the cost of living in Sam Hughes is what keeps the students out. It's largely a neighborhood of home owners, not home renters. I think some people lease guest houses behind their homes to students, but those tend to be the grad student variety, who are more likely to be studying than partying. Lots of professors and professional types like lawyers and doctors in Sam Hughes.

They don't call it Barrio Volvo for nothing.