10 Reasons Not To Move To Tucson (Phoenix, Sedona: school, tornadoes, living)

[nolaV]

I am so pleased to be a participant along with all of you that truly appreciate Tucson as a hub for the surrounding 5 counties, most within just a few miles beyond the city limits.
It is a hop skip and a jump from one great place to another.
Tucson Is Great. No matter how far you may drive home at night. It is a pleasant and wonderful experience, I drive over an hour each morning and evening. Driving into the sunset beyond the mountain peaks to finish up my day and then next morning into the budding future downtown the times are fun here.

[janelandbob]

I am a transplant from Southern California. I lived in So Cal for 28 years, then visited Oro Valley, where my parents moved to after Dad retired. I fell in love immediatley. On my next visit, I brought along a resume and found a job in law enforcement (what I was doing in Calif). One month later, I moved to Oro Valley.

One big plus for me, about Tucson; it was the place I met my (now) husband! He is a Tucson Native and says he would not live anywhere else. Having lived in Michigan, California and now Arizona, I am 100% with him on that point!

I read through all the posts before writing my piece. My comments are mostly personal, because everyone else has touched on the basics.. pros and cons.

I don't like the EXTREME heat, (like these past few weeks), and I liked it even less when our air conditioner broke July 4th. It was fixed but has broken down again, just yesterday. Still... the other 9 months out of the year of nice weather are what make June-August bearable for me.

My husband and I had been renting an apt in OV from 1993 til Jan 2007, when we finally moved into our FIRST HOUSE! What someone else said is true- in So Cal I would have never been able to find a house like the one we live in now, for the same price. We still live in the NW.. in the Oldfather and Magee area (for those who know.. nice neighborhoods there) and since I work in OV, I don't have to drive any freeways or major roads to get to work, if I don't want to.

I am making Tucson/Oro Valley work for me. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, I am accentuating the positives. It may have taken us 15 years to finally get a house, but we have one now. It may be hot now, but in a few months it will be so nice! There may be bad traffic on the freeways, but I have learned a lot of side street "short cuts" to make my travel less stressful. There may be critters around, but if they are in my yard or in my house, I will call the Fire Department to come and get them and relocate them.

I love it in Tucson/Oro Valley. I can't see myself living anywhere else.

[exxon_valdez]

I think the crime in Phoenix and Tucson are a little misunderstood.
I'm a California transplant who moved to the Baltimore-Washington DC
metro area 5 yrs ago (go figure). I live in a beautiful neighborhood in
Columbia, MD, halfway between Baltimore and Washington DC. Although
Baltimore and Washington DC have art and culture to offer the world,
they are almost always in the top 5 most violent cities in the annual
FBI stats. That's a fact. Go to Federal Bureau of Investigation - Home Page and see for yourself.
If you want to see crime, watch the evening news from Baltimore and
Washington DC. I guarantee, you haven't seen violence like this
in Tucson/Phoenix. However, you wouldn't notice this violence living in my
neighborhood. It may not stay that way, but for now, Howard County, MD
is one of the most safest counties in MD.

That said, stealing a car, tagging a wall is not fatal. However, shooting
someone over a cell phone in broad daylight in Takoma Park, Washington DC,
is alot different. BTW, the new deputy mayor of Washington DC was mugged
in broad daylight in Takoma Park and had his government ID, cell phone, his
briefcase, etc. all stolen by some punk ass thugs in DC.

[twixcookie]

Ohio Tim
I am wresting with the same issues. Schools are a biggy for me. We have good schools in the area I live in Indiana. Very good schools. Rated well nationally, and the kids feel safe.
The money I am being offered for a position is lower than what I am making in Indiana. Indiana is one of the lower paying states in my profession. Indiana is cheap to live in. Tucson is more expensive, but wants to pay me less. Go figure. What is all that about?

[twixcookie]

It sounds like sunshine doesn't make up for a lot of things. People knock cities like Cleveland, but Cleveland has a lot to offer. Cleveland is a town of suburbs. But it has everything you could want. If I could find a job there, I'd go back, but the midwest economy has had the life sucked out of it.
California has the best weather, and is beautiful, but I would rather live somewhere else, than make a decent wage, but be scraping to get by there.

[Subie]

Originally Posted by hateit

If you want to live in a civilized part of the world U GOT THE ABSOLUTE WRONG PLACE!!! BTW I AM NEW HERE AND MAY HAVE MISPLACED MY FIRST POST - HOPE THIS IS THE RITE PLACE.
1) Corrupt Govt - 2 gov's impeached in last 20 odd years.
2) Law enforcement is a joke - doubt me LOOK AT THE STATS!!!!
3) traffic horrible to get more then 2 miles.
4) pollution climbing VERY RAPIDLY!
5) Violence same- Police only fight people they know have little or no ability to defend themselves.
5) Homeless rate OUTRAGEOUS
6) MAJOR DRUG TRAFFICKING CENTER
6) I ACTUALLY MISS THE SNOW IN THE NE!!!!!!
7) Cultural DESERT
8) Native born includes WAY to many idiot inbreds.
9) NOTHING WORTH DOING UNLESS YOU LUV LOOKING AT PITIFUL EXCUSSES FOR TREES, UGLY MTS, WILDLIFE IS DECENT IF U LIKE BUGS AND SNAKES AND OK - BIRDS. JUST DO NOT BRING DOGS - THE FROGS HERE KILL THEM IN SECONDS IF THE DOGS EAT THEM - NOT KIDDING!!!!!!!!!
10) DUSTBOWL- H***HOLE, ROACH INFESTED PATHETIC SEWER!
11) EXTRA - ITS STILL THE WILD WEST HERE - FIND YOURSELF A BETTER, SAFER, MORE CULTURED PLACE LIKE IRAQ!!!!!
PS I HAVE LIVED IN NJ, FL, AND NEW ORLEANS - THIS PLACE THEM LOOK LIKE HEAVEN ON EARTH! HOPE U CHOOSE ANY IF THE OTHER CITIES U MENTIONED - I HAVE FREINDS IN ALL OF THEM AND THEY WILL NOT EVEN VIVIT HERE.

Wow, you seem really unhappy here. Time for a new place to live perhaps?

....And people are astounded by the amount of hate in the Tucson subforum on here; easy to see when you give the haters their very own thread to bash it!

It's also pretty obvious by your post that you must not have ever been to Iraq if you're going to suggest it's safer and better. Why don't you go over there right now and tell them that; I'm sure you'd have an entire country laughing at you.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Subie

Wow, you seem really unhappy here. Time for a new place to live perhaps?

....And people are astounded by the amount of hate in the Tucson subforum on here; easy to see when you give the haters their very own thread to bash it!

It's also pretty obvious by your post that you must not have ever been to Iraq if you're going to suggest it's safer and better. Why don't you go over there right now and tell them that; I'm sure you'd have an entire country laughing at you.

Thank you, Subie . . . BEAUTIFULLY STATED.

! ! ! !

[Trinity22]

It really amazes me how few people posting on here realize that Tucson is in the desert. For all of you complaining about the dust, heat, and animals... it's a desert! Of course it's hot and dusty! These are just things that come with the territory, it's not like it was a big secret before you moved here.

And of course our city has issues with traffic and crime. That happens to any city who goes through such a mass growth in such a short time. We're still trying to catch up our law enforcement and street planning to accommodate everyone. If you don't like it, move back... less people to clog up our freeway.

But for those who choose to move here and become a positive part of our city... theres so much to love! I'm the third generation of "Tucson born" in my family and I couldn't live anywhere else. This place has such a beautiful charm, you just have to know where to look... and no, a drive down I-10 is not exactly a good representation of Tucson.

Try driving up Mt. Lemmon for pie, spending an afternoon in Old Tucson, feeding giraffes at the zoo, walking 4th Ave on a Saturday night, or watching a classic movie at the Fox Theater downtown. No, this isn't a big city but theres a lot to do and enjoy here. So come and enjoy!

[Subie]

Originally Posted by Trinity22

It really amazes me how few people posting on here realize that Tucson is in the desert. For all of you complaining about the dust, heat, and animals... it's a desert! Of course it's hot and dusty! These are just things that come with the territory, it's not like it was a big secret before you moved here.

Ha! Love it, SO true!

[AZLiam]

Originally Posted by Trinity22

It really amazes me how few people posting on here realize that Tucson is in the desert. For all of you complaining about the dust, heat, and animals... it's a desert! Of course it's hot and dusty! These are just things that come with the territory, it's not like it was a big secret before you moved here.

And of course our city has issues with traffic and crime. That happens to any city who goes through such a mass growth in such a short time. We're still trying to catch up our law enforcement and street planning to accommodate everyone. If you don't like it, move back... less people to clog up our freeway.

But for those who choose to move here and become a positive part of our city... theres so much to love! I'm the third generation of "Tucson born" in my family and I couldn't live anywhere else. This place has such a beautiful charm, you just have to know where to look... and no, a drive down I-10 is not exactly a good representation of Tucson.

Try driving up Mt. Lemmon for pie, spending an afternoon in Old Tucson, feeding giraffes at the zoo, walking 4th Ave on a Saturday night, or watching a classic movie at the Fox Theater downtown. No, this isn't a big city but theres a lot to do and enjoy here. So come and enjoy!

SO TRUE -

Reminds me of all the "news bulletins" we get about the drought or potential drought - er, uh huh, we live in a desert.