OV population questions... (Phoenix, Tucson, Sierra Vista: apartment, new home, subdivisions)

[Grizz1]

I have a couple questions regarding population in Oro Valley..

So, as stated by Wikipedia, as of 2018, the population is 45,395. Now.. my question is.. is that TOTAL population? Or does that NOT include snowbirds? Are snowbirds included in that number, or is it 45,395 PLUS snowbirds?

Also, I found some previous posts on here claiming that OV seems very congested on certain roads, Oracle rd being one of the worst. We aren't huge fans of congested towns. Nothing wrong with it, just not our cup of tea. Are these statements about bad traffic true? Would OV be considered bad as far as traffic goes?

[beckerd2]

Check out this link for traffic conditions (especially during rush hours) of OV....

https://www.localconditions.com/weat...44/traffic.php

It sucks....especially during snowbird season.


Oro Valley has lots of people....its not a small town. Those population counts usually don't include the snowbirds. Snowbirds are usually only counted if they live in the area for more than half of the year.

If you're looking for a small town and not mind having to drive to stores, then check out Oracle, Catalina, or San Manuel. If you're wanting a place that has stores and not crazy traffic, then check out Sierra Vista.

More info about Oro Valley can be found on this site (even though a lot of it is tourists asking about stuff)....

https://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchFo...zona__2E__html

[Marcy1210]

People who come here from larger cities don't seem to think the traffic is an issue. Those of us who have lived here before all the developers were allowed to tear up the landscape and build 500-1000 (or more~~it hasn't stopped) new homes think the traffic is bad. In all honesty, it's not the longer drives that are a problem, it's the stop and go, in town intersections that are congested, but it's only a few. I can still get from my home in Rancho Vistoso to the Tucson Mall, my son's apartment and my veterinarian within 15 minutes. They're all in the Oracle Rd/River Rd area. Where it's congested is along Oracle because that's where all the retail is. But it's not awful, by any means. Irritating, but not awful. In the summer, and after 6:00 p.m. year round, the streets are much less congested. OV rolls up its sidewalks around 7:30, maybe a little later in summer, so traffic is light. Also in summer, the 10K + snowbirds are back in Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, etc. Typical snowbird "season" is late Nov-late Apr. It clears out between Thanksgiving and picks up again in January. Lots of snowbirds go "home" for the holidays. If you have Google Earth, you can check out the most congested intersections are Oracle Rd/First Avenue; Oracle Rd/Magee; Oracle Rd/Suffolk and Oracle Rd/Ina (that technically not Oro Valley). North of First and Oracle, it's not an issue. Not even by the OV Marketplace. Another possible trouble spot could be Tangerine and Innovation Park by Wal-Mart, or First Ave/Tangerine. Go down to ground level and "drive" the roads. You'll see how the traffic flow is.

I work for the Oro Valley police department, and we have a program called Dark House. People who will be out of town for a week or more may register their homes with our volunteer patrol unit, who will then check each house once a week for issues like sprinklers not turning off, packages left on the front porch, stagnant backyard swimming pools, neighbors who water plants leaving doors unlocked, etc. Right now we have 14 houses a week registered that we're checking. In the summer, when the snowbirds leave, we will typically have over 1000 houses a week we check. That tells you a lot about the population shifts, and therefore the traffic impact.

[grmi66]

I live a stone's throw outside of Oro Valley and rarely deal with the traffic on Oracle. To get to Target it's a 10 minute drive down Lambert, to Home Depot I detour around over to First Ave and it's still about 10 minutes away.

Going to Sprouts or the other stores further down, head east on Magee and am on Oracle for maybe a block or two. Again, maybe a 10 minute drive.

Our family will use Shannon, La Cholla or La Canada as our north/south driving route and then head east over to Oracle and pop out generally right at the store we need to go to. Compared to living in Phoenix, this car congestion is pretty easy to deal with. My big concern is that so much of the area around us is unincorporated Pima County and neither Oro Valley or Marana seem to have any interest in annexing us. Lot's of new subdivisions being built with a two lane pot hole filled road for all the new residents to drive on.

[trailtramp]

Have had similar thoughts as OP regarding population and congestion. Friends near OV have mentioned that traffic from November to April increases tremendously. Have enlarged our search area to include areas outside of Sedona and the town of Oak Creek, where its nice to see that property taxes are considerably less too. Still have many things to consider before 2022.

[motormaker]

Originally Posted by trailtramp

Have had similar thoughts as OP regarding population and congestion. Friends near OV have mentioned that traffic from November to April increases tremendously. Have enlarged our search area to include areas outside of Sedona and the town of Oak Creek, where its nice to see that property taxes are considerably less too. Still have many things to consider before 2022.

Sad to say traffic is horrendous in Sedona/Village of OakCreek especially on weekends and holidays. Sold my property and moved on.