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Old 05-19-2015, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Acworth, GA
93 posts, read 143,246 times
Reputation: 121

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Hi everyone, been a long time reader.

We currently live in Geneva, IL (40mi west of Chicago), and we hate every second of it.

I was able to find a new job in downtown Tucson, which I will start June 1st.

I'm coming over to do training, will use the spare time to drive around and start scouting.

We need to sell our house here, so it will take some time for us to actually move.

My office will be close to the E Broadway Blvd & S Craycroft Rd.

Here in IL it takes me ~35 minutes to drive 16 miles. Road 'construction' everywhere.

How would it compare to Tucson?

Our kids are 14, 5, and 0, which areas would you recommend we check out?

We're very excited to move to AZ, it would be our 'natural' environment (we're Israelis).

So far we lived in NC, TX, and IL, and we're looking forward to trying out AZ.

It would be probably wise to rent 1st, but we got so much crap, i think we're better off buying straight up. Our budget is around $350k.

How much of new construction is there?

Is being close to the airport going to be very noisy? Are there any railroad crossings to avoid?

How much mountains do you get to the west? Would be great to get some kind of mountain view.

Your input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Ma'Or
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Old 05-19-2015, 03:38 PM
 
15 posts, read 40,283 times
Reputation: 12
Lots of people on this forum will point you towards the suburbs like Marana or Vail, but there are some great central location that won't involve a commute for you.

Sam Hughes is a great neighborhood, very near your work, and with a lovely central location. 350K will get you in there, albeit not the largest or most updated home in the neighborhood. But it has an excellent elementary school within easy walking distance, and a large park with a pool and library right there. If you go a little east, like to Broadway and Alvernon or Swan, you'll still be close to work, but prices are cheaper. North, like Campbell and Grant is a great area too.

As for mountains, Tucson is surrounded by them! You can't find a house without a mountain view!
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Old 05-19-2015, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Acworth, GA
93 posts, read 143,246 times
Reputation: 121
Thanks Amos, appreciate the input! I'll look into your recommendations.
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Old 05-19-2015, 04:06 PM
 
15 posts, read 40,283 times
Reputation: 12
I've live here with young children for 14 years, so let me know if you have any questions.
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Old 05-19-2015, 04:11 PM
 
Location: Acworth, GA
93 posts, read 143,246 times
Reputation: 121
Sure thing, thanks!

I think Marana will be too far, Google shows ~30 miles, 40 minutes drive. How is I-10 during rush-hour?
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Old 05-19-2015, 05:13 PM
 
406 posts, read 621,039 times
Reputation: 289
Quote:
Originally Posted by shpitz View Post
Hi everyone, been a long time reader.

We currently live in Geneva, IL (40mi west of Chicago), and we hate every second of it.

I was able to find a new job in downtown Tucson, which I will start June 1st.

I'm coming over to do training, will use the spare time to drive around and start scouting.

We need to sell our house here, so it will take some time for us to actually move.

My office will be close to the E Broadway Blvd & S Craycroft Rd.

Here in IL it takes me ~35 minutes to drive 16 miles. Road 'construction' everywhere.

How would it compare to Tucson?

Our kids are 14, 5, and 0, which areas would you recommend we check out?

We're very excited to move to AZ, it would be our 'natural' environment (we're Israelis).

So far we lived in NC, TX, and IL, and we're looking forward to trying out AZ.

It would be probably wise to rent 1st, but we got so much crap, i think we're better off buying straight up. Our budget is around $350k.

How much of new construction is there?

Is being close to the airport going to be very noisy? Are there any railroad crossings to avoid?

How much mountains do you get to the west? Would be great to get some kind of mountain view.

Your input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Ma'Or

There are a couple of things that come to mind after reading your post. The first may seem rather insignificant, but I am curious if you have posted here under a pseudonym of "Sick if IL".

The location of your office I am not clear on. You stated that you found a job in downtown Tucson and in another line mentioned that your office was at Broadway and Craycroft, an intersection that is in the eastern portion of the city and not downtown. If I was able to know for sure where your office was, I could suggest some areas. Sam Hughes would be an easy commute for downtown and Broadway and Craycroft.

Being Isreali, you may be used to the heat. I have to say though, moving there June 1 will put you in for a good four months of relentless heat. Granted, it will give your kids time to adjust before the school year, but be prepared for hot weather and if possible plan a couple of trips to Mt Lemmon or maybe even northern Arizona to get a relief.

What sort of crap are you getting when you inquire about rental properties? Do you have pets also? The airport was not that busy when I lived there and cannot imagine it getting too busy in the years I left. Probably a safe bet that Tucson International is significantly less busy than both O'Hare and Midway. The main railroad for the most part is parallel to I-10. If you are worried about railroad noise, avoid a neighborhood close to I-10 which will be the southern and western portions of the city. Incidentally, the railroad and I-10 go very close to Marana, so maybe it is good that you eliminated that town as a potential place to live.

The Catalina Foothills would provide excellent mountain views of the Catalina mountains obviously as well as providing fantastic panoramic views of the Old Pueblo along with the other mountain ranges that surround Tucson. Craycroft goes into the foothills and I believe intersects with a road call Skyline. Heading south on Craycroft should be a relatively easy commute to Broadway; 350k should be able to buy you something in that area.
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Old 05-19-2015, 05:48 PM
 
Location: Acworth, GA
93 posts, read 143,246 times
Reputation: 121
I appreciate the input azmemories!

Nope, I'm not related to "Sick if IL" in any way... I'm sure that's a sentiment of lots of IL's. The corruption, weather, and high cost-of-living doesn't help the state.

I used downtown pretty broadly I guess... That to mean, my office will be in the town-center (approx.), and I am looking to live outside of town, in a suburb.

We lived in TX between 2010 and 2011, so I know what 110+ feels like, not afraid of it. As I tell people here in IL, I'll take 110 over -30 any day of the week!

Amos, I did a search for your suggestions, but as soon as I put my criteria, almost all houses for sale on the map were gone... lol

Those neighborhoods do look nice, but houses are too small for our taste. We're not that crazy about city living anyway. Especially when we have family coming to visit from overseas, we really need the room.

Quote:
What sort of crap are you getting when you inquire about rental properties? Do you have pets also?
What I meant was that we have a lot of crap, and renting will force us to either store some of it off-site, or we'll need a big house, so I much rather buy instead of rent.
And no, we don't have pets, 3 kids is enough for us

Thanks for the input!
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Old 05-19-2015, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Tucson
68 posts, read 125,585 times
Reputation: 144
Good luck house hunting.
Shalom.
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Old 05-20-2015, 08:33 AM
 
Location: Tucson, AZ
612 posts, read 1,017,716 times
Reputation: 1153
If I was working in that part of town (likely in "Williams Center," which is the large development at Broadway and Craycroft) and looking to live outside of town without a terrible commute I would be looking at one place only: the catalina foothills. Just follow Craycroft north and as soon as you get to River Road you are in the foothills. You shouldn't have trouble finding a good place in your price range there and you certainly won't have trouble finding mountain views. Give it a look when you're in town.
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Old 05-20-2015, 08:45 AM
 
720 posts, read 988,500 times
Reputation: 1019
We love the foothills. It is lovely and a bit out of the heavily trafficked areas yet not too far from everything. You should be able to find something as the many homes in the foothills are of a larger size. I have heard that the schools in the foothills are good as well although I have no experience in that since my kids are long gone out of the house!

I can suggest a great realtor who specializes in the foothills so if you are interested send me a message. She helped us find our place and we are very happy and looking forward to arriving in October.
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