Tanque Verde, Sabino or Catalina foothills (Phoenix, Tucson: houses, neighborhoods, school district)

[mandh]

Hello,
As out family is considering a potential move to Tucson with middle school and high school aged kids, we are seeking advise on the best areas to live. We would like peaceful, quite and safe places with access to playgrounds (tennis, soccer, basketball..) and not too far from good grocery stores (10-15 minutes most) and other basis amenities. We are hoping for the kids to get into University high school or Basis Tucson north schools. So not too far from these as well.

We are comparing Catalina foot hill vs some other areas. Most of the advise we got was to be in the foothill area due to schools. It seems that for UHS and Basis schools, they can apply from any of these areas.

So how do you compare these other areas in terms of safety, vibe, natural beauty, more larger trees, flash flooding, community activities or get togethers. Areas near Sabino appears to be similar distance from UHS as it is from the foothills.

Would love to hear more if someone has lived in at least two of these areas. The other area we noticed was around Casas Adobes. There seemed to be more interesting looking houses in Tanque Verde and Sabino. Why are these areas not as popular as Catalina foothills? It is just the school district?

[grmi66]

One thing to remember is that there is Tucson and then there is the huge unincorporated area of Pima County with a Tucson mailing address. Many people are moving out of the city of Tucson into the county because the Sheriff's Department generally does a much better job of patrolling and keeping the area safe.

My children graduated from Basis Phoenix, so I'm well acquainted with the academics. It's a tough environment, but my son's graduating class of 50-ish had three people going to actual Ivy League colleges. Another 15 or so got into the next tier of schools (Stanford, U of Chicago, etc...), one got an appointment to a military service academy and everyone else stuck around Arizona and got into the separate Honors College that our state schools have.

I'll put my vote in for the Casas Adobes area. I live in the no-man's land in-between Oro Valley and Marana. Within 10 minutes of Basis, two Targets, two Home Depots, five grocery stores, Costco, Trader Joe's, Sprouts and any place else you'd want to shop. My biggest complaint is the lack of locally owned places to eat or go have an adult beverage. Sitting around Applebee's or Chili's after work doesn't do it for me.

If your children are active in sports, you'll be driving to Phoenix quite a bit. From our house we can be in downtown Phoenix in 100 minutes. Used to live with my parents in the Tanque Verde area and you can add 45 minutes to that drive. Not an easy way to get to the freeway from the NE side of Tucson.

[mandh]

Hello grmi66,
Thank you for your note. We will definitely check out Casas Adobes. In looking at Zillow, we see that homes zoned to Catalina foothills sell faster. I don't see too many homes listed in Cases with 4bedrooms.

If there is anyone who lived in TV or Sabino areas, we would love to hear from them as well. Tanque verde seems more greener at least in pictures.

[recycled]

I live just south of Tanque Verde valley, on the east side of Tucson near Speedway & Pantano. One of my early morning bicycle routes takes me on a 34 mile loop all around the back roads of Tanque Verde valley. I left home yesterday at 4:15 am to ride the route. I see things you don't notice driving in a car. It is very scenic, and once you leave the main streets (Tanque Verde Rd, Houghton Ave and Catalina Hwy), most of the streets in the area are very quiet with minimal traffic. There is no other "through traffic" going to other places, because the valley is surrounded on three sides by mountains and wilderness areas with no other neighboring towns.

Most of the terrain is gently rolling, less steep than most of the Catalina foothills. The homes are generally on large parcels, more spread out, almost rural in many places. Some neighborhoods, like Bel Air Ranch estates and La Cebadilla Estates, are equestrian oriented. These are stunningly beautiful areas that most people that live in Tucson have never been to. There are very few "cookie cutter" looking tracts, most homes seem to be of a unique or distinct style. Forty Niner Country Club Estates has a beautiful golf course and country club surrounded by a mesquite forest and very heavy vegetation, almost like an oasis. The homes in Forty Niner Estates are in a beautiful setting. There are also homes at the base of the Agua Caliente Mountains that are stunning.

Tanque Verde valley is great if you like quiet places, don't want a neighbor right next to your house, and don't need to live close to every possible shopping destination. If you are good with a big Safeway at Tanque Verde and Catalina Hwy for day to day stuff, you are fine. If you need to shop at a dozen different big box stores, and like them all within 5-10 minutes of home, this is not the place to look. It probably takes 20 minutes to reach all the big box stores on the east side of Tucson by car from many parts of TV valley. If you need to go to downtown Tucson frequently, better to look elsewhere. Same thing applies if you need to drive to Phoenix more than a couple of times per year.

[grmi66]

I lived with my folks in the Tanque Verde area 30 years ago, sounds pretty much the same. If you like peace & quiet, don't need to hit Costco, Target or Home Depot in less than 15 minutes, it's perfect.

Driving to Phoenix is a bear from that part of town. So again if you only need to go to Phoenix twice a year, not bad. But zigzagging all over the foothills via Tanque Verde, Sabino Canyon and Sunrise to get to Ina and then hit the interstate for sometimes an hour gets old fast.