Looking at moving to Vail...questions?? (Tucson, Tanque Verde: home builders, landscaping, neighborhoods)

[MovingMilitary]

We're looking at moving out to the Tucson area sometime within the next year. We have some questions though, hoping that we can figure out a good place to buy a home.

Obviously from the name, we are military, and will be working on DM (Davis-Monthan). We've heard that the Vail school district is the best out there, which is perfect for us as we have one in school and another child that will be entering school during out time out there. However, we are worried what the commute is like from Vail to DM. How long does it take during rush hour?

Also, some questions about the Vail area. We would want a newer home. What are the neighborhoods like out there? Are the homes good quality? Also, the 'critter' problem, snakes, scorpions, etc...what is that REALLY like out there? Are there problems with this inside the homes and living areas? My youngest is INCREDIBLY curious and picks up everything. Do the homes have kid-friendly yards, like grass, no cactus, stuff like that?

We've both grown up in the southern nevada deseret, so the heat isn't a big deal. We know what 115 degree summers are like.

Thanks ahead of time for the help.

[Kevin J]

The Vail School District covers a lot of ground, so the length of your commute to D-M will depend on where exactly you end up living. But you would be unlikely to have a commute of over 30 minutes one way. The Rita Ranch area in the Vail district is particularly popular with military families, because of its proximity to the base.

The Vail area is very new. Most of the homes are less than 10 years old. It's also a buyers' market now, so your timing is good. As for quality, perhaps others can speak to the quality of homes from specific home builders.

Homes in Tucson generally do not have grass lawns. That's not to say you couldn't plant one if you wanted to, but most homeowners go with native vegetation for landscaping. Back yard fences are almost universal, so you can set up an area for your kids to play in, perhaps with a patch of grass, a jungle gym, etc. "Critters" are a very real part of life in the desert, particularly in areas that are still close to open desert, as most of Vail is. That doesn't mean that there are scorpions and lizards crawling everywhere all the time, but you probably will run into them every once in awhile.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by MovingMilitary

However, we are worried what the commute is like from Vail to DM.

You don't have to live in Vail unless you want to. All the housing alongside Houghton at least from Irvington (not sure where the boundaries start) down to I-10 falls into Vail school district.

The commute from Vail is not fun - there's only one 2-lane road, Old Spanish Trail, which tends to get flooded during the monsoons, too. There's also railroad crossing in Vail and when the arm goes down... you're out of luck! If you're in Vail somewhere really close to I-10, it may be easier to get on the freeway instead and go North on Houghton.

[MovingMilitary]

So, I'm getting that if I'm close to I-10 in Vail, the commute isn't too bad?

What areas tend to flood the most during the monsoon season?


I don't mind the lizards...grew up in the southern nevada desert...used to that. I'm more worried about the poisonous 'critters' being around the house where the kids will encounter them.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by MovingMilitary

So, I'm getting that if I'm close to I-10 in Vail, the commute isn't too bad?

It's still not that great, unless you absolutely insist on such fun!

What areas tend to flood the most during the monsoon season

It's just that many roads flood because they have dips and Old Spanish is one of them. Also, even the rest of the roads can get flooded because Tucson was built without proper drainage system as if it never rains here!

[MovingMilitary]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

It's still not that great, unless you absolutely insist on such fun!

Can you explain exactly what you mean by 'fun'? Right now the current commute is 5 miles in 20-30 minutes to get home.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by MovingMilitary

Can you explain exactly what you mean by 'fun'? Right now the current commute is 5 miles in 20-30 minutes to get home.

I'm just saying there's no real need for such a commute when there are a lot more conveniently located (much closer to DM) areas that also fall into the Vail school district. If you absolutely love Vail itself, it's not that bad of a commute. It might become a headache soon because Houghton Rd. is scheduled for major widening.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, traffic moves alright on the freeway and on Houghton. I've heard there's also some other back road to Vail shooting off Houghton somewhere S of Rita Rd., but I've never been on it and don't know if it's paved.

[MovingMilitary]

We are still deciding on making a trip down to Tucson in the next few months to see if we really like it. We do miss the desert in ways, all the outdoor rec that exists. Up here, the mountains are wonderful to go up in, but you are stuck out them for a few months (unless you ski and such). I'm missing the warm weather today.

As far as the commute goes, it's going to sound bad, but in all honesty, we look at the military as a job, not a way of life...so we like to keep our 'life' outside of the job as normal as possible. Sometimes, that is only possible the further you get away from the base. If we wanted to be surrounded by military, we'd live on base.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by MovingMilitary

Sometimes, that is only possible the further you get away from the base. If we wanted to be surrounded by military, we'd live on base.

Ha-ha, I certainly understand that! I think the biggest concentration of military is in Rita Ranch. There are some in Sierra Morado and probably none in Civano. I don't know about Mesquite Ranch.

If you're willing to have a longer commute, you can live in many decent places on the E and NE side. Tanque Verde school district is also very good.

[brianag221]

My husband is military and we live in Vail. The traffic isn't horrible.. the commute is about 35 mins. We think the drive is worth it, because it is very beautiful in Vail and the schools are wonderful. Most of the houses are newer because it is a newer area. I like the Rita Ranch area, but definitely love Vail more.. it feels more open to me.