Can anyonone offer an overview for a possible renter? (Tucson: apartments, condo)

[dgoboy204]

Hi ~

Tucson is one of several places I am considering moving for the winter. I have been looking at Craigslist, etc. for rentals, but , since I will most likely have to move sight-unseen wherever I go, I would be grateful for some help understanding Tucson. Can anyone point me to a map, or give me a verbal idea of the "areas of Tucson": major neighborhoods/suburbs/surrounding towns, their location, and a little description ... for instance, college party area, family homes, etc.

I will be grateful for any help as I am finding lots to rent in my price range, but even though I can find each address on a map, I really know nothing about each area. Also, any recommendations for quiet, low traffic and low pollution with access to hikeable and bikeable areas?

Thank you for any and all advice. Best Wishes ...

[Ozark Nana]

What kind of "area" are you looking for in particular? What's your age? Are you married and do you have school aged children? We need a bit more to go on !!

O.Nana

[dgoboy204]

Hi O ~

Thanks! I'm not necessarily looking for any one type of area - I just want to understand Tucson better. For ex: craigs shows an apartment near Speedway/Columbus. I think this is on the east side, but is this an area of many large apartments, is this a commercial or industrial area, college party area, single family homes, safe or unsafe, etc.? BTW, I'm not asking anyone to stereotype the residents of an area, just trying to understand a little more.

My apologies for not giving you more to go on, but what you ask for doesn't really apply, so it wasn't mentioned ... no kids, no girlfriend, no need to commute for work, no schools needed. As above, I hope for low traffic, very low pollution, access to hiking and biking, and quiet/laid-back (preferably not big apartments & rent 600 +/-).

I guess I would also like to be able to ride my bike to a good health food store regularly, but there seem to be plenty of such stores, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks again O. Nana and others.

[LordBalfor]

I have suggestion -

Go to live.com (Microsoft Live), click on maps, type in address your want to see, then when the map shows the area you want, click on either Aerial or Birds Eye (better yet) to see up close what the area is like. There are great closeup views of Tucson streets that you can swivel around to see from either N, S, E or W.

The shots are close enough that you can really start to get a feel for the areas.

I think there may be an install involved but it's free.

Ken

PS - The alternative of course is to download Google Earth (also free).

[LordBalfor]

Here's a sample of the image quality available using Microsoft Live:

Ken

[BillyBaroo]

I wouldn't recommend Speedway and Columbus for an apartment. It's right in the middle of the city. You might like the foothills area in northern Tucson around the base of the Catalina Mountains. There's some real nice places around Sabino Canyon. Also look for apartments near Oro Valley and Catalina. They're northwest of Tucson.
Those areas will give you plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation and the best scenery. It's also very quiet with less traffic.

[dgoboy204]

Ken ~ Wow ... I feel kinda dumb, but I had no idea about these two - this will be a huge help in all of the areas I am looking at - makes sight-unseen renting more like sight-seen renting! Thanks!

Billy ~ perfect ... that's kinda what I was looking for ... Thank you ... I was thinking that NW might be best, but it helps to have the opinion of someone who's much more familiar ... thanks again and best wishes to you both

[odinloki1]

I lived in Harrison Park Apartments for 2 years near the back of the complex. Fairly quiet, and right in the price range of about 600 a month. It was 2 miles to a sunflower market and 3 to a trader joes. Access to the Catalina Highway which goes to Mt. Lemmon was only about a 10 minute drive or 6-7 miles.

I have heard that management has not been great though since I moved out. I'd look for some reviews. If you want some climbing for the bike, Mt Lemmon is the longest climb in all of AZ. I also went to Kitt Peak to ride a couple of times (its about 30 miles away from Harrison Park) and it was only 45 minutes with the right route.

I'd really consider going to the east side, no further west than Wilmot road and no further south than 22nd. This still gives somewhat close access to Mt. Lemmon highway getting you to some good cycling, and Sabino Canyon for hiking.

The northwest side is probably more money and less access to hiking in the mountains. Consider also Sahuarita (I think I butchered the spelling) and being near Mt Wrightston or near Fantasy Island (several square miles of trail riding) which is on Irvington and Harrison.

If you're a road cyclist, I'd really recommend getting a book on road cycling in Arizona (Summit Hut in town sells some) and find some good routes. I am not a fan of Arizona at all, but I do think that some of the rides in those books show you the best that Arizona has to offer without the annoyance of traffic in many cases.

Good luck and have a good winter.

[LordBalfor]

Dgoboy204 -

Yeah, those two tools are really amazing. I use them for trip planning ALL the time. In fact, the photo I posted up above was captured when I was planning our July/August trip to Tucson and was looking at the various VRBO.COM (Vacation Rental By Owner) listings trying to select an inexpensive place to stay. The condo we eventually chose - in the lower left-hand corner of the complex pictured - we ended up booking for $200/week (now raised to $250 for the same time next year (summer is LOW season in the SW) but winter rates are MUCH higher ($900/week) - still, even then it's cheaper than a hotel).

After studying areas for a while I've found that when I actually arrive, I am usually familiar enough with various landmarks that I can often navigate around without resorting to maps - simply by remembering what I'd seen online. In effect it's like I have already been there, even when I haven't.

I even used those tools when I was searching for retirement property down there. Obviously I don't recommend buying simply based on viewing the lot with those tools, but it can be a huge help in narrowing down your choices and selecting those properties that look promising versus those that are obviously dogs.

The really nice thing about Google Earth (in particular) is that there are high-resolution photos available of all kinds of places on earth. Here's a series of shots I captured of a bungalow we stayed in down on a remote tropical island (Aitutaki) in the South Pacific. Note how close up you can get (keep in mind that these photos were taken from a satellite):

Ken

[LordBalfor]

PS - Though I didn't state it outright, I think it's obvious that I recommend checking out VRBO.COM as a resource to finding a short-term winter rental. Lots, and lots and lots of choices available (with photos, prices, and sometimes links for websites with additional info). I would personally recommend looking at something north of the river as up there you can be pretty much assured that the area is going to be nice (as well as being close to the mountains).

Of course, that area is also more expensive.

Ken