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coming from NYC i find there aint squat to do in tucson. one of the hottest places in the US and there's only one small outdated water park!! there are no amusement parks..... probably a wise business decision since most of tucson is retirement folks.
tucson has lots of banks, law offices, and bars. downtown tucson is a joke, the place is a ghost town by 6pm.
i do the occassional "broadway" play downtown. i've seen all the boring museum stuff, and hiking got old. i guess if you hang with the UoA crowd their might be some more kid stuff to do.....
poster Spot already said this, but again, downtown tucson needs development badly, but the "scenic" and "historic" activists seem to have a coronary whenever anyone talks about building downtown. i think some of the buildings downtown are originals. tucson needs more Vegas, tear down and build new/bigger things, this keeps the economy rolling.....
if i'm missing something to do please post it so i can check it out.
oh, and somone mentioned Raytheon. they too are cutting back employees here is tucson. a guy across the street from me (used to live here) works for Raytheon. Raytheon moved hom from texas to across the street from me. the guy sold his house in tx and bought a new home here in tucson. after he got here Raytheon had him flying to tx so often that he had Raytheon buy out his home here so he could move back to tx !!! he just moved back to tx about 4 months ago.
Don't move to Tucson from Chicago. There is very little to do here after college. There is a reason that most of the people graduating from the UofA leave immediately after finishing school.
There is a very small professional class of young,educated people in this city. Most of the people in their 20's are either in college or poor. The only decent size company in this entire region is Raytheon. And that just means that there aren't many opportunities for people that don't work in Defense.
Also, the city is horribly managed. There is literally almost no infrastructure development. I honestly can't think of a city of almost 1 million people that has invested in their infrastructure less than Tucson has. It's not progressing at all. Rio Nuevo has turned out to be a complete joke. They haven't been able to make any real progress in 10 years!
I am out of here as soon as I finish grad school, along with almost all of my peers.
This is a town you move to when you are ready to die. So if that's not you, do yourself a favor and stay in Chicago.
But you don't want to do anything to change the future of tucson. That's the problem. Well it's not really the problem but you're not helping any. I keep forgetting that most people are just chugging along at their 9 to 5 and don't really care to try to change anything. The problem is that everyone says that they don't see change and aren't willing to start change. If you're a young person (which i would consider 20 or 22 in this case) do you really remember what downtown was like 10 years ago?
Oh and to Spot. Nothing I say is a personal attack. I respect you as a person but I don't agree with your ideas. I didn't mean to be blunt but I didn't know how to say it any other way. You're in grad school and that's awesome. Hopefully whatever field you work in you will excel at : )
But you don't want to do anything to change the future of tucson. That's the problem. Well it's not really the problem but you're not helping any. I keep forgetting that most people are just chugging along at their 9 to 5 and don't really care to try to change anything. The problem is that everyone says that they don't see change and aren't willing to start change. If you're a young person (which i would consider 20 or 22 in this case) do you really remember what downtown was like 10 years ago?
Oh and to Spot. Nothing I say is a personal attack. I respect you as a person but I don't agree with your ideas. I didn't mean to be blunt but I didn't know how to say it any other way. You're in grad school and that's awesome. Hopefully whatever field you work in you will excel at : )
Everyone have a good and safe labor day : )
No problem Stock. Lot's of people disagree with me on many, many issues all the time on this forum. You have the right to express your views regarding anything I write anytime. I've read several of your posts on here and you seem to have a mission to make a difference. That's awesome.
I did finish grad school and I left Tucson a few months ago. I seriously considered staying there and working to make positive changes to the community, but in the end I decided to move someplace that already had the ammenities and lifestyle that I thought would be best for my family and myself. After almost 5 months in my new city, I have to say that I am very happy with my decision to relocate.
That being said, I wish you all the luck in the world making the changes that you want to make. For the sake of all the people who have decided to make Tucson their home, I sincerely hope you are successful in your efforts.
coming from NYC i find there aint squat to do in tucson. one of the hottest places in the US and there's only one small outdated water park!! there are no amusement parks..... probably a wise business decision since most of tucson is retirement folks.
tucson has lots of banks, law offices, and bars. downtown tucson is a joke, the place is a ghost town by 6pm.
i do the occassional "broadway" play downtown. i've seen all the boring museum stuff, and hiking got old. i guess if you hang with the UoA crowd their might be some more kid stuff to do.....
poster Spot already said this, but again, downtown tucson needs development badly, but the "scenic" and "historic" activists seem to have a coronary whenever anyone talks about building downtown. i think some of the buildings downtown are originals. tucson needs more Vegas, tear down and build new/bigger things, this keeps the economy rolling.....
if i'm missing something to do please post it so i can check it out.
oh, and somone mentioned Raytheon. they too are cutting back employees here is tucson. a guy across the street from me (used to live here) works for Raytheon. Raytheon moved hom from texas to across the street from me. the guy sold his house in tx and bought a new home here in tucson. after he got here Raytheon had him flying to tx so often that he had Raytheon buy out his home here so he could move back to tx !!! he just moved back to tx about 4 months ago.
This post just reeks of ignorance.
The median age of Tucsonans is 32. Phoenix is 31 (Phoenix is considered one of the youngest large cities).
What occasional Broadway play downtown?
I have many friends who work for Raytheon. Raytheon has always had people flying back and forth from Tucson to Dallas. What makes you think that has anything to do with job cuts and nothing to do with his specific job?
The median age of Tucsonans is 32. Phoenix is 31 (Phoenix is considered one of the youngest large cities).
What occasional Broadway play downtown?
I have many friends who work for Raytheon. Raytheon has always had people flying back and forth from Tucson to Dallas. What makes you think that has anything to do with job cuts and nothing to do with his specific job?
whats your source for avg age?
i am going to Spam-A-Lot on 9/22.
as for Raytheon. i am using my neighbor as one example, and another example is when i apply to postings on RayJobs i get answers like, "sorry, that position was cancelled." as for my neighbor, Raytheon moved the guy to Tucson.... then later had to buy his house back so he could move back to Texas. i dont think Raytheon likes to move people and then buy their house back and move them back, its not really smart business practices.
28-yr-old Saskatchewan woman loves idea of Tucson.
Hey, everyone. I've been reading this thread, and it inspired me to register with the site!
Just wanted to share that I come from a city in SK about the size of Tucson, and with a lot of musical culture. So many of the things that my bestfriend, (who's lived in Tucson now since the early 2000s), tells me about the city make it sound like the place I would not just want to go to "to die", (as someone else put it). It's the place I would go to really live!
I like the idea of a city with a thriving GLBTQ population. I want to live where the people have options of venues geared toward this culture, and not just one spot for "clubbers" (dancing to Electronica and Disco), and another for "the older generation" (which the patrons self-describe as 40+). I also really appreciate the idea of various other social networking groups both for socialising, self-educating, interpersonal support, and societal progress.
I am excited about the idea of Tucson's music scene! I've been told that if one is into Indie/Unsigned music, or other music that "rides the fringes of subculture", then this is a great place to be. The music, people, fashion, atmosphere, and food all combine to form a potential for some excellent experiences -- in terms of nightlife or daytime. Just depends on one's speed, so to speak.
I am in love with the photos that I have seen, taken with my friend's camera. He's no professional photographer, it's just a simple digital camera. Sunsets, saguaro cacti, the mountains, mountain-level photo of the city(!), venues he's enjoyed with friends, and moments that they share... all there in Tucson.
I know that there are parts of Tucson that are wealthier, and parts that are not as much. It's that way in every city. It's that way in mine.
I've heard rumours of low investment in infrastructure. Lemme tell ya: in my city, the seasons are Fall, Winter, and Construction. It's so danged cold here, we are force to spend that much because the extreme arctic temperatures in Winter create awful cracks and potholes in the roads, and without fail, there are always going to be water main breaks. It takes forever-and-a-day to drive slowly through snow and ice -- probably about as long as it takes to get across Tucson if caught in rush hour traffic. Well, I take public transport anyhow, and my city's has never been great. I either wouldn't experience a change that way, or it would actually be improved upon due to the street cars. I love street cars!~
And the wildlife of Tucson, surrounding area, and AZ in general: is stunning. All the creatures I love best -- most of which we don't have here in SK. I mean, we have cacti, but they're these tiny, tiny little things. We have coyotes, crows, groundhogs, elk, deer, bears, bats, and even bobcats here in the province -- but our spiders are so different! At least in my city, it would be highly unlikely to ever find a poisonous spider, and there are no poisonous snakes in SK. The kind of snake one finds here is a common garter snake.
I want to drive past a rattlesnake, out on the desert highway. I want to still see for miles and miles when I'm out there, but I want to see endless sand -- and (if I'm lucky), even some cracked earth. Our desert area in SK is so small... I want to see hummingbirds randomly -- not just a few times in my life. I want to see tropically-coloured flowers, ringtails, salamanders, eagles, antelope, and scorpions.
And I miss raccoons!! We had coons in Toronto, where I was born and used to return to twice a year for family visits... Their glowing eyes, mischievious natures, curiousity, intelligence, and sense of family bond is energetically drawing... Plus, they are some of the funniest creatures I have ever had the pleasure to observe. And you guys have them, too.
With all of that, there's more: I've been told that, in Arizona, every regional area of Mexican cuisine is represented, if one enjoys adobe-style housing it's all over -- and adobe churches are absolutely present. There is a definite value for people of the medical profession at any level (provided they can attain or prove possession of American standards of knowledge and practise), and if a person loves A/C, they will certainly find it because it is valued so much (no doubt).
There are resorts to work at, and impressive universities in AZ -- at least one being the University of Arizona, located right there in Tucson. I've seen so many photos across the Internet taken at year-round vintage auto shows, there is such a vivid Visual Arts community, and there is also a place to feel welcome as a person of Indigenous ancestry (even if Canadian-based); I guess respect and sharing really is a common value across North American Aboriginal cultures. Plus I'm sure smiling is a pretty old form of instant greeting and self-introduction! *chuckle*
Gosh, what am I leaving out? Cool desert landscaping around people's homes, outdoor pools, keeping the same timezone as back in SK(!), and Az lakes, camping, mesas, and The Grand Canyon.
Oh, and a cool Hungarian subculture down there. I'm part Magyar myself, proud of it, and could never live without some presence of it. After all, I was a folkdancer, and I'm a musician! Huj-juj-a!
So who could not want to move to Tucson, I ask. Your city is wonderful, powerful, alive, and inspiring.
**Final word: I know that the job market has been slow in some regards. Well, it is here too, despite all the fancy reports of fabulous statistics. It's about the quality of job one gets, the kind of pay they can bargain their way into, and what kind of housing standard they can afford that is reasonable. That's what's important to remember: finding a balance. Life is a series of trade-offs anyhow, so why not choose to live in a fun, beautiful setting?
Sincere Regards,
WhiteCrow
(Tucson Fan-girl and Resident-Waiting-To-Happen)
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28-yr-old Saskatchewan woman loves idea of Tucson.
Plus I'm sure smiling is a pretty old form of instant greeting and self-introduction! *chuckle*
Your city is wonderful, powerful, alive, and inspiring.
