Will Tucson offer this?

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Bummer

Impressive post, Spot . . .

Thanks Bummer. You write a lot of good stuff on here as well. I appreciate the compliment.

Originally Posted by Bummer

OFF THE WALL and OFF THE CHARTS but impressive nonetheless.

I am sensing that you might not agree with me... [/quote]

Originally Posted by Bummer

Call Centers are not for everyone. I worked in one for years and never once had someone tell me if and/or when to go potty. Starting pay was just adequate but increases were frequent for any conscientious individual willing to work.

Really? You think call centers are an okay place to work? Do you realize that companies put call centers in economically depressed regions for the expressed purpose of taking advantage of the poor people who live there? They are designed to keep people poor! There is a mountain of research available on the effect that call centers have on the communities in which they operate. They are the worst kind of corporate exploitation and a near-perfect example of the growing stratification of wealth in this country.

Originally Posted by Bummer

As for other mid-sized cities . . . no one is claiming Tucson is perfect, however, it is head and shoulders above any city in California. Have you checked their unemployment and/or cost of living lately? As for Colorado, Texas and even Utah . . . none of those states offer the near perfect weather as Southern Arizona.

Naw. That just isn't true Bummer. Tucson is not "head and shoulders" over "any city" in CA. That's just an opinion that you hold. CA has lot's of great communities, almost all of which offer more economic opportunity than Tucson. Colorado has amazing weather, with over 300 days of sunshine in Denver and a very mild climate, despite the misguided belief that the winters are rough. They aren't. It was 69 degrees in Denver yesterday. Salt Lake is great city. It's both beautiful and thriving economically. Austin is also an amazing city with remarkable infrastructure and natural beauty.

And yes, while many (but not all) of those place have a higher cost of living than Tucson the wages there are generally much better and over time people in CO, CA, UT and TX tend to be much better off financially than their equivalent professional peers in Tucson. That's just reality.

Originally Posted by Bummer

As for the Tucson Police Department . . . considering budget cuts and hiring freezes plus increased crime very common in every city, town and state in this country, they do a great job.

That's just not true Bummer. They don't do a great job. I worked at the prosecutors office during grad school. I know for a fact that TPD and the Pima County Sheriff's Office are chalk full of serious problems, including serious corruption and flat out incompetent management.

Originally Posted by Bummer

Bottom line . . . an unhappy person will be unhappy no matter where they live. Tucson is not perfect, however, it is head and shoulders above number two for anyone with a positive attitude.

True enough. An unhappy person will likely be unhappy no matter where they live. But that doesn't change the realities of Tucson and the effect that living in that environment has on the people who are subjected to the day to day problems of the city. It's a great place to go to college. It's a great place to visit on vacation. It's a great study on public sector mismanagement. But Tucson isn't that great of a place to try to build a future. There are many, many better options.

Nevertheless. For those people who find happiness there I am really happy for them. I wish you guys would fire your city council, but that's a conversation for a different day.

[Jimrob1]

Is it possible for you to make a trip down to Tucson and sort of get a feel for the place. You can ask a ton of question on city data, but until you experience a place for yourself its hard to say how anyplace will work for someone. Tucson is a nice area but I have to be honest, for someone your age looking for work in this day and age it could be very difficult. Please be careful with your decision before packing up, because as you know employment is the main concern one has to think of today.

I would also look into Austin, Tx for several reasons. It is warm there much of the year. It has a fairly stable economy in a state that has done much better thru this sour economy. You would have many more options when it comes to employment. You also have several other large cities in the state to choose from for employment should that need arise. The cost of living is reasonable and there is no income tax in Texas there is in Arizona. I don't know about mobile homes in Austin but Im sure they are plentiful or in the region as in Tucson. This is important also. There would be many people in your age group in Austin, that relocated there from all over the country. So Im sure people help each other out with info on settling in and what goes on in the area.

Good Luck with your decision and see if you can spend some time this winter in Tucson and check it out.