Tell me something about Tucson, AZ

[bocadem]

There is a job opportunity there for me and I was thinking about relocating. If you know something about it, can you give me some pros and cons?

Thanks!

[matcom]

1. ITS FUCKING HOTTTTTTTTTT!!

sorry, all i got :D

[joeybee12]

2. A friend is thinking of moving there

He says it's suprisingly Democratic. I've been through a couple times--the small national parks there are stunning, and it's not as sprawling as Phoenix.

[sujan]

11. College town

University of Arizona is great.

[Fridays Child]

3. I live in Tucson. Whacha wanna know?

:hi:

[bocadem]

4. Yay! Ok here are the questions...

1. I won't be making much, so is housing affordable?

2. What are the winters like?

3. It's a flying job, so is the weather agreeable most of the time?

4. Are there things to do there - for fun?

5. Sales tax? Vehicle inspections? Gas prices? etc...



that's it for now... =) Thanks!

[Fridays Child]

12. Plenty of reasonable housing...

...from studio apts. at around $425 to 3 bedroom houses under $1,000. Of course, there's plenty of higher priced stuff, too.

Winters are beautiful. We call it "chamber of commerce" weather because it's such a positive factor in the tourist trade.

Probably more good flying days here than just about anywhere else in the country.

What's fun? Lots of clubs (it's a college town), beautiful national and state parks, Mount Lemmon (although it has recently suffered a terrible forest fire), shopping and restaurants across the border in Nogales. Phoenix is the more favored venue for concerts and sports but it's close enough that running up there occasionally is no big deal.

Sales tax on non-food purchases runs between 7 and 8%. I live outside the city limits and food is not taxed by the county or state, but I don't think food is taxable inside the city limits, either. Yes to vehicle inspections for most vehicles. And I think they run about $10 per yearly inspection. Personal property tax is based on vehicle types and ages. Gas prices are about average. You can go to http://www.tucsongasprices.com to get an idea.

Let me know if you want more information. :-)

[short bus president]

7. Whereabouts, MP?

I have alot of family in the Catalina foothills area, and I visit every holiday season.

[Fridays Child]

13. They're in north central Tucson.

We're in the far northwest section near I-10 and Cortaro. Not too far apart, though. :-)

[short bus president]

14. My uncle works out at Cortaro, very close to I-10

he's a vet at a place I think is called "Robertson Animal Clinic" or something like that. I'm familiar with the area. Left at the end of Valley View onto Sunrise, and straight until just before the highway. Beautiful place to live out in the Sonora desert. Can you see "finger rock" from your place?

[Fridays Child]

17. I'm a bit out from the Pusch Ridge area, where there's a better...

...view of the southwest face of the Catalinas--Finger Rock, etc.

Is your uncle a good liberal? If so, I would be pleased to patronize his business.

[short bus president]

18. unfortunately, no

He's apolitical. But his daughter's a good liberal, and that's worth something.

[Fridays Child]

19. I just checked MapQuest for the location of...

...Robertson H A DVM. He's a stone's throw away from me, and I never even knew there was a veterinary clinic there! That whole section used to be a huge Shamrock Dairy, and there are lots of little ranchitos near there with horses, etc. Does he practice mostly on farm animals?

[short bus president]

22. no, he's a small animal guy

I don't know if his partner (John Tye, DVM, I think) does livestock or not.

[searchingforlight]

5. When you wake on a sunny morning the sun on the mountains is

enough to take your breath away. You are surrounded by mountains.
Rosemary grows into a huge shrub. There is wonderful frontier culture to learn about. The desert is beautiful in it's isolation. Mt. Lemon (usually) Just a few of the things on my list.

[Astarho]

6. Every February is the big Tucson Gem Show

it turns into a tent city. (It's also the only times I've been there)

[TedinAZ]

9. Tucson...a thumbnail

Tucson is Hot..all year round, even the winters can get uncomfortable.

For flying, as a former pilot, I've never seen a day when you couldn't fly, literally, 365 days, but again...waiting to copy an IFR departure is HOT

There is almost nothing to do here, except stare at the desolation, unless you like the shooting sports, or amateur archeology...again, it's HOT

the South side of town is our friends from Mexico, most not citizens, the middle part is just like middle of the road America anywhere, and the Norht and East sides are the Yuppies...Northwest is getting alot of development too...

Cost of living was good, but getting higher as the displaced Californios arrive, homes have gone from a median of 75K 10 years ago to 150K...YMMV

Gas is OK, but insurance is high, but that's endemic to the areas where there are alot of immigrants anyway.

Stand by for 400-500 dollar A/C bills in the summer, but "Swamp" (evaporative) cooling is available, problem is, it's just don;t work that well during the summer, whjich is our rainy season.

Lotsa good Mexican food places, but a complete dearrth of seafood, unless you like the chain stores.

Only 8 hours to Disneyland or Vegas though..

Hope that helps,

Ted

[Fridays Child]

15. The south side isn't mostly non-citizens. Nor is the city of South Tucson.

Many, many Mexican-American families have been here for several generations--since before the Gadsden Purchase turned their ancestors into instant Americans. Granted, there are significant cultural differences between the Hispanics and the Caucasians, but please don't assume that most south side Hispanics are non-citizens.

[newyawker99]

30. Hi TedinAZ!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[radwriter0555]

8. It's HOT. But it's a DRY heat.. And there is lots of sand. And wind.

Sunshine.

And it's hot.

But, it's a dry hear. And there is lots of sand. And wind. Lots of sunshine.

And it's hot.

That's Tucson.

OH, and they ALL got the brochure about TUSCANY and they were ALL THERE IN JULY.

[WilliamPitt]

10. 115 degrees in the shade

Hoo.

[Fridays Child]

16. Not often. Maybe in Phoenix, which is at a lower altitude, but...

...we're typically about ten degrees cooler here. It makes a difference--not a lot but it does make a difference.

[NightTrain]

20. It's spelled funny

If I didn't know better, I'd pronounce T-U-C-S-O-N "Tuxxin," not "Too-sahn."

[Fridays Child]

23. In the Spanish pronunciation, the "c" is vocalized, so the spelling...

...makes sense in the name's language of origin. It's pronounced tuk-SON, with a long "u" and long "o." :-)

[Maine Mary]

21. I'll probably get flamed for this but

it's ummm.... well, it's kind of ugly. <DUCKING FROM THE TOMATOES> In my most humble opinion, (of course) The surrounding mtns are kind of nice but they're just plain -brown. The conferance I attended was at a very lovely resort called the Westward Look. It was on the outskirts of some Desert Preserve (Sedona?) so their were alot of critters about and I heard coyotes at night. But I couldn't stand to be outside more then 5 minutes unless it was before dawn or after dusk so what good was it?

But then again, my ex-hubby lives there so maybe my judgement was clouded by that? :shrug:

[short bus president]

24. well,

certainly no snow drifts to stand around in barefoot. Unless you count the White Christmas of... 87? Sometime around then? We made snowmen in the morning and went swimming in the afternoon.

[Fridays Child]

28. Yep, '87 it was.

[Fridays Child]

25. Maine Mary...

Geez, this thread reads like I'm a paid apologist for Tucson. :-)

But this area is truly an acquired taste. It takes most transplants a year, minimum, to acclimate. I arrived in 1970 and thought I had just landed on Mars, so alien was the landscape. Now, I understand, respect, and even like it here.

The Sonora Desert is a complex, vibrant, and, at times, extremely lush biosystem. The thing is, you have to learn how to see it--seriously. And while I'll admit that I'd rather be where you are right about now, you can't beat Tucson winters with a stick.

The Westward Look is a pretty nice resort--not too far from me, as a matter of fact. It adjoins the Pima Canyon area. Sedona is actually just northwest of Prescott and southwest of Flagstaff.

If you ever come back, let me be your guide to the wonders of southern Arizona.

[SiobhanClancy]

27. I agree..

but then I do think it's an acquired taste too.I went out to AZ after I got divorced to stay with my sister. Everything was so brown..even the houses were the same color as the desert. It's a beautiful place in its way...but it's a stark,rather sere beauty. I'm a Maine native myself,and I found myself pining for greenery..and the ocean.

[MiltonLeBerle]

32. Tuscon greenery

I agree that the landscapes are less than what I consider "scenic".
As for greenery- I couldn't getover the fakey flourescent green color of the grass on the golf courses.
I DON'T golf, but just driving by, the places look bizarre because of the color of the "grass".

[ILeft]

26. Bitey bugs.

I visited a friend there back in the 80's and she showed me a hillside/cliffside/wall/whatever covered with what she said were scorpions. I also seem to remember something about lots of black widow spiders???

The surrounding hills/mountains might hold the pollution in town (like Vegas), and I'm guessing Tucson has gang problems like most SW cities.

Overall looked pretty nice to me.

[carpetbagger]

29. But cool birds.

The mountains and canyons in the area have several dozen species of birds not seen anywhere else in the United States.

[Az]

31. Sorry, I don't know a lot about Tucson

But thanks for asking.

[leftofthedial]

33. hot, desert, mountains

great mexican food

U of Arizona

surprising amount of culture

spring training home of the Colorado Rockies

(and Arizona and the White Sox)

hour and a half from Phoenix