Pros and cons of living in tucson (Phoenix: high crime, neighborhoods)

[Jimrob1]

Cities change from year to year so what are the latest pros and cons of living in Tucson? Is the city changing for the better or simply staying the 2nd largest city in the shadow of Phoenix? What are peoples unbiased views on living in Tucson? Are there reasons beyond the climate that will draw people to keep moving there, or will population growth slow down? Does Tucson still attract retirees in large numbers, or does all the talk of high crime somewhat slowed down the retiree migration.

Thanks.

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

I'm going to reply as I have an interest in the replies too.

[goozer]

I've got family in Tucson and I visit occasionally. I definitely prefer Tucson to Phoenix. It is a much cozier place that really feels a part of the desert and mountains that surround it. It has always been a fairly sleepy city by major metro standards, but it is definitely growing. All in all, if you are looking to move to the desert, there are far worse places you could land. One thing that I do find a bit alarming though...the water situation in Tucson (and all of the southwestern United States) is not good. Every year the water table sinks further underground. Time was, 50 years ago you could dig a well down 50 feet and hit water. Nowadays, I think it is something like 200 feet and it is getting worse. The diminishing water supply, combined with the increasing population, might pose problems for the city's "liveability" long term.

I would be interested in hearing what locals think about the water situation and the effect they think it will have in the future.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

Cities change from year to year so what are the latest pros and cons of living in Tucson? Is the city changing for the better or simply staying the 2nd largest city in the shadow of Phoenix? What are peoples unbiased views on living in Tucson? Are there reasons beyond the climate that will draw people to keep moving there, or will population growth slow down? Does Tucson still attract retirees in large numbers, or does all the talk of high crime somewhat slowed down the retiree migration.

Thanks.

some of the pros of living in tucson include

mild winter weather
the grand canyon is only 300 miles away
las vegas is only 400 miles away
LA is only 500 miles away.
we are ringed by five mountain ranges, we have a national park and a national monument
there is the pima air museum
old tucson studios
the desert museum
plenty of hiking in the area
a lot of good mexican food
if you like flying the flying weather year around is generally very good to great(we do get 360 days of sunshine a year on average)
tucson has a growing, albeit slowly, tech industry with IBM, raytheon, and other high tech companies here
tucson is still a big city with a small town attitude, for the most part
tucson is a college town
tucson has a diverse population

cons of living in tucson include;

hot summers, the temps regularly get over 100 degrees
tucson is a college town
tucson has a diverse population
tucson city government isnt the best right now, but hopefully things will get better with each election.


as for comparing tucson to phoenix, i think tucson is a better choice than phoenix because tucson is smaller. tucson still attracts retirees, and snowbirds. i have worked in a number of other places, albuquerque, nm., jackson, wy.(actually grand teton national park), shenandoah national park(luray, va.), and i have traveled through a total of 27 states thus far, and i have yet to find a place that compares favorably overall in my opinion.

like any large city we have our issues, but i think that there is far more to recommend, and i think those outweigh any issues we have.

[silvad242]

Lived there for a year and half. Here's my list:

Pros:

Great winters (i.e. doesn't get cold compared to other places)
Monsoon season
U of A
Cheap cost of living
The best Mexican food I've ever had

Cons:

Awful highway system (if you're on east side, almost no quick way to get anywhere except on surface streets)
If you're not a specialist (i.e. MD, nurse, IT), they won't pay you much
Local govt comes across as anti-growth and anti-business
Worst radio stations of any city I've ever lived in

You really can't compare Tucson to Phoenix, IMO. Tucson is a bigger city that wants to stay small. While this can be a good thing for retirees and other locals, it severely limits a person's self-sustainability. The wage different between the two is dramatic.

[Tamarind]

I think it's funny that being diverse is a con. I'm from New York and don't think of Tucson as diverse at all.

My pros are long (I love this place) so I'll state my cons.

My cons are:
lack of walkable neighborhoods - it seems you have to drive everywhere here. It makes me feel a bit isolated from the people of this city. It has gotten better now that I live near 4th avenue.

lack of jobs- Again if you want a vibrant city you need lots of jobs and varied jobs.

the meth problem that people seem to want to sweep under the rug.

Other than that, Tucson is what you make of it. I'm a pretty adaptable person so even though I come from a place like New York City, I don't want go back.

[rbohm]

diversity has its good and bad points, just like anything else. i believe however that diversity in the long run is a good thing.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

I'm going to reply as I have an interest in the replies too.

I hope this thread I started is helping you out with some info. Seems like people living in Tucson are posting some good useful info.

[bily4]

Not sure about diversity unless you mean the large Hispanic population. Not too many other ethnicities other than white, hispanic except for some of the guys in the Air Force.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by bily4

Not sure about diversity unless you mean the large Hispanic population. Not too many other ethnicities other than white, hispanic except for some of the guys in the Air Force.

So does that mean there is no diversity in your mind, think about where you are? Since you mentioned Hispanic twice...what is your take?