Tucson, Arizona

NalaKolchev
Living in Tucson
1y ago
✭✭✭

Having lived around the state in various places for the last decade or so, I have to say Tucson is easily my favorite.

The valley tastes like cardboard and Flagstaff costs more than anyone can reasonably afford (and has a one-college one-mountain economy)

Tucson actually feels like Arizona to me. The architecture and crowd for better or worse all feel much more characteristic of the kind of charm I'd rather imagine when thinking about this state.

Local food options really aren't bad, no shortage of entertainment, and the deserts hardly 15 minutes away no matter where you are. Naturally the roads are terrible, TEP is the eye of sauron, and the average lifespan of a bicycle is on minutes - but it's home for sure!

scrubhiker
Living in Tucson
2y ago
✭✭✭

What are 5 things you love and 5 things you dislike about living in Tucson?

These are some personal reasons that likely won't apply to everyone, but hey, I value them.

The good:

It's so inexpensive.

I lack the terminology to describe it, but basically I really like the architecture of the homes in the neighborhoods around downtown and the University. It definitely doesn't feel like anywhere else I've lived or visited.

You can hike into so many different gorgeous mountain environments straight from three of the four edges of town. On a similar note you can almost always see a clear night sky as you're walking down the street, even in the middle of town.

Protected green left-turn arrows at the end of the cycle.

With the exception of the worst summer heatwaves or the odd high-in-the-40s winter day, you can almost always find a time of day or night where it's very pleasant to be outdoors. Sometimes that's 4am but hey.

The bad:

Hot weather is definitely mentally and physically draining, as Dragonbard stated well. If you have a job that involves being outdoors or being indoors but with poor climate control … it's just a constant stressor for like half the year, i.e. half your life.

Broadly speaking, education isn't culturally valued the same way it is in other places I've lived (the Upper Midwest, East Coast suburbs).

Almost no free public tennis courts, inexplicably.

Way too many people think it's wonderful to gun their shitty car or truck's engine in underpasses or parking garages. I disagree.

I miss greenery and naturally occurring surface water just being a normal thing in the middle of a city, rather than something you have to go seek out on a trek into the mountains.

Due-Office7750
Living in Tucson
3mo ago
✭✭✭

It will take awhile to adjust to the hot summers and different culture. But it is well worth it. We don't have 9 months of cold, wet, and dark here. Instead, we have 5-6 months of brutal heat, broken up by a couple months of rain July-Sep, followed by a lovely late Fall, Winter, and early Spring. As you can probably guess, solar panels do amazingly well here.

Housing costs are much lower than the PNW, though we all wish they were lower still. You should check out some of the apartment rental sites, also realty sites.

It is a year round outdoor city, though you really need to do your outdoor activities in the early morning during the summer.

Job market--depends on the industry you're in. Lots of tech jobs, lots of construction, lots of health care, lots of food service jobs available. The market is much tighter now than it was a year ago, though. Again, check out some job sites.

I love that Tucson is open and welcoming. I love the Mexican fusion food we have here. I love the different kinds of people you will see in the area--everything from multi-generational ranchers to new immigrants to highly educated tech types. It's fun to have opportunities to learn and use Spanish. I love Saguaro National Forest and Mt. Lemmon, which is a wonderful break from the summer heat. There is plenty of hiking and mountain biking here, though it's very different from the PNW.I love the rugged beauty of the desert and the lovely flowers in the Spring. Don't expect the lush greenery you came from though. Nobody has lawns here, they're too costly to water. But most people grow shade trees and native shrubbery/cactus. Just don't touch any of it until you know which varieties have thorns! The Southwest architecture is beautiful. You'll notice the tile roofs and floors of most houses. They're cooler in the summer and easy to maintain. You'll notice many homes have citrus trees in their backyards--we have an orange, a grapefruit, and a clementine tree. They do have to be watered.

Due-Office7750
Living in Tucson
3mo ago
✭✭✭

It will take awhile to adjust to the hot summers and different culture. But it is well worth it. We don't have 9 months of cold, wet, and dark here. Instead, we have 5-6 months of brutal heat, broken up by a couple months of rain July-Sep, followed by a lovely late Fall, Winter, and early Spring. As you can probably guess, solar panels do amazingly well here.

Housing costs are much lower than the PNW, though we all wish they were lower still. You should check out some of the apartment rental sites, also realty sites.

It is a year-round outdoor city, though you need to do your outdoor activities in the early morning during the summer.

Job market--depends on the industry you're in. Lots of tech jobs, lots of construction, lots of health care, lots of food service jobs available. The market is much tighter now than it was a year ago, though. Again, check out some job sites.

I love that Tucson is open and welcoming. I love the Mexican fusion food we have here. I love the different kinds of people you will see in the area--everything from multi-generational ranchers to new immigrants to highly educated tech types. It's fun to have opportunities to learn and use Spanish. I love Saguaro National Forest and Mt. Lemmon, which is a wonderful break from the summer heat. There is plenty of hiking and mountain biking here, though it's very different from the PNW.I love the rugged beauty of the desert and the lovely flowers in the Spring. Don't expect the lush greenery you came from though. Nobody has lawns here, they're too costly to water. But most people grow shade trees and native shrubbery/cactus. Just don't touch any of it until you know which varieties have thorns! The Southwest architecture is beautiful. You'll notice the tile roofs and floors of most houses. They're cooler in the summer and easy to maintain. You'll notice many homes have citrus trees in their backyards--we have an orange, a grapefruit, and a clementine tree. They do have to be watered.

Tucson Arizona | Pros and Cons