Student moving to Tucson 2013 (Catalina Foothills, Catalina: apartment, rentals, houses)

[0007]

Hi everyone,

I'm an international student moving to tucson in January 2013, I definitely want an apartment. Which areas do you recommend and which areas would you not recommend? I preferably want something close to the university, but more importantly I want a SAFE AREA.

How is public transportion, if for example I had an apartment in the Catalania foothills would it be easy to commute to the university or is a car necessary? I do not want to live in a sketchy area.

I would also appreciate any advice anyone has to give on moving to tucson.

Thank you in advance!

[coatimundi]

Originally Posted by 0007

if for example I had an apartment in the Catalania foothills would it be easy to commute to the university or is a car necessary?

Car is definitely necessary and that's a terrible area to live if you go to school at UA. UA has limited and very expensive parking options, so it's really best to not have to rely on a car. There is a commuter bus that runs from UA to the suburbs (including Catalina Foothills), but it's for working commuters, so it comes in at around 8am and leaves at around 5pm. Not ideal for most student schedules. Even then, you would need a car to get basic services like groceries.

No area is totally safe. You could get mugged anywhere. Your car could get broken into anywhere. Even on the UA campus. It's more about using common sense than anything.
The safest area around campus though is Sam Hughes, which is just to the east, across Campbell Avenue. There are not a tremendous amount of rentals in this area and they tend to be much more expensive than what you would find on the other sides of campus. But, if you can afford it, that's a great part of the city to live in as a UA student.

[Jukesgrrl]

What kind of budget do you have? Prices vary widely.

[0007]

Thanks Coatimundi, jukesgrrl the max i would spend is $900 per month, but ideally i would prefer around $750

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by 0007

I'm an international student moving to tucson in January 2013, I definitely want an apartment. Which areas do you recommend and which areas would you not recommend? I preferably want something close to the university, but more importantly I want a SAFE AREA.

Have you looked at university housing?

[LAurbanist]

Hi 0007. My oldest son is a senior at the University of Arizona, and we've spent some time exploring the neighborhoods near the University. First, University housing is generally only available to incoming freshman. Not sure what your status will be. Like the previous poster mentioned, the areas to the east of the University (Sam Hughes and La Conquistador, or something like that) are very nice, but somewhat pricey and short on rental units. My son ultimately settled on a couple different houses over the years in the neighborhood to the north of Speedway and slight west of the law school/med school. I think the area is called Feldman's. It's walking distance to campus, and is generally safe and student-friendly, if you're cautious. His freshman year, he had an apartment south of 6th (i.e., south of the University), and the neighborhood was sketchy and the neighbors even sketchier. The areas west of the University towards the 4th street entertainment and shopping corridor has some possibilities as well. Don't try to commute from the really nice parts of town like the Catalina Foothills. Public transportation from there is not great. Even if you have a car, it takes longer than you think to travel between the foothills and campus. Tucson has no cross-town freeways, and the locals drive at a very relaxed pace compared to what I'm used to in LA. All of the action for a young person is near campus and downtown. Good luck. It's a great school and a really enjoyable town, if you accept it for what it is.

[coatimundi]

Feldman's is nice and relatively safe. The closer to Euclid and Speedway, the better. It gets sketchy to the north and west. The east side of Euclid is a different area completely though, more like the student ghetto like south of 6th. Lots of meth addicts interspersed with students because of the low rents, unfortunately.
Something I forgot to mention: get a bike and a good lock. There's no better way to get around the area.