Retiring to Tucson

Old Feb 19th, 2017, 07:30 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Retiring to Tucson

I've vacationed in Tucson and am thinking about retiring there. I'd appreciate comments from residents and tourists about what you like or don't like.

Thanks.
Babarn is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 08:30 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 11,714
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes on 4 Posts
Are you ready for 112F in mid July? I know.. It's a dry heat.
The Sunset Limited stops there 3 nights a week. You can be in Los Angeles the next morning.
tomfuller is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 08:50 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 24,504
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My sister tried living there and didn't last a year.

Too hot in summer and too cold for her in winter.
mlgb is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 09:11 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,957
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Go here for better info:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/
RoamsAround is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 09:40 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 665
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My sister lives in Sun City Oro Valley and likes it a lot. Plenty of things to do and good mountain view. Close to shopping yet out of much of the hustle and bustle.
lindagj is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 11:34 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
PRO: a university town so access to good sports, theater, dance, lectures, seminars on campus.
Good chef owned local dining scene.
Local Theatre, including ATC, , Opera, Symphony
Medical school equals a teaching hospital.
Mayo Clinic only a few hours away.
Dry heat, really. After living in humidity all my life, it is now very hard to deal with humidity when we go back east,or to Europe, Asia.
Small, easy to manage airport.
Drive to Mexico to the beach, 4 hours.
Drive to border, 1 hour.
Low taxes, state and property.
Mt. Lemmon so you can see snow and fall colors by driving up there.
Tucson and Pima County are a Blue Island in a very Red State.
Best thing- it's not Phoenix.
CON:
No waterfront
No real urban core, have to fly to SF or Chicago, NYC. Phoenix is sprawl.
These are hard for me to be away from....
Summer heat although everything has a/c. You get summer cabin fever. We usually leave for most of the summer.
There is a streetcar downtown, but otherwise, you are very car dependent to get around.
HappyTrvlr is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 04:07 AM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. HappyTrvlr, your impressions coincide with mine during my visits there.

I am single, no kids, so I can live anywhere I want, but this has been a much harder decision than I thought. I grew up in NC, and while most of my friends are there, I'm not sure I want to go back (traffic, crowding, humidity). I live in KS now, and it's an incredibly safe place, but the weather is hard (today it's 70, but last year this time we had snow; it can be 112 here in the summer with 70 percent humidity) and the economy is a wreck.

Because I'm single, I have one income and I don't have lots of money to spend on a house. Some of the places I'd like to live -- San Diego, Santa Fe -- are just way out of my price range, and prices in Tucson seem affordable. I'm also looking at a place where aging will be easier -- other retirees, good health care, one-story homes, airport, manageable traffic, cultural events that don't involve sports. And I would like to be within a few hours drive to the beach.

I am a "blue" person, and I realize I'd be living in a red state. One of my concerns is that I can find a place to fit in and a place where my gay brother will feel comfortable when he comes to visit. I have a friend who lives there, who assures me I won't feel out of place, but any feedback on that will be appreciated, too.

Thanks again, everyone.
Babarn is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 04:32 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 11,714
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes on 4 Posts
The good thing is that Joe Arpaio is no longer Sheriff of Maricopa County.
If you are looking for fellow "blue" people look at the 8 counties of Oregon that went for Hillary.
Check the Oregon coast anywhere north of Newport.
Portland has great healthcare with a teaching hospital.
The TriMet system in the Portland area is good too.
tomfuller is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 08:38 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Well, Tucson is a blue enclave in a red state, so you AND your gay brother will not feel at all out of place.

The comment about 112 in the middle of July is not really true. June is the hottest month, with temperatures "usually" around 100-105. It is fairly unusual for temperatures to get over 110, but it certainly does happen. But June is also usually dry, with humidity around 5%-10% during the day. July and August are usually cooler, with highs right around 100, but with higher humidity and monsoon storms. I have lived here for 50 years and I can tell you that, when I would visit my parents during the summer after they moved to North Carolina (New Bern),I was miserable with the humid heat and the bugs -- and it didn't cool down after dark like it does here.

Happytrvlr gave you a very good list of pros and cons. I will add, about Mt. Lemmon, it is about 30 degrees cooler than Tucson during the Summer, so great to drive up there for a day or to camp there over a weekend.
MikePinTucson is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 09:20 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree with MikeP about the weather--he should know, and he does. It's not nearly as hot as Phoenix, and there are places you can go to escape the heat. We lived about an hour south of Tucson and as I recall you could drive straight to San Diego in about 12 hours (we never did, so my details might be off) and see the ocean. Mt Lemmon is grand.

We've lived in Kansas and a lot of other places, and loved southern Arizona weather the best.

As for the blue/red thing, I think that in pursuing your own particular interests, you will find yourself around like minds. For example, volunteering for the Nature Conservancy meant that we were around fellow liberals a lot. I, too, think your brother would feel completely comfortable in Tucson, which is pretty cosmopolitan.
NewbE is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 09:46 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
San Diego is about a 7 hour drive from Tucson, so pretty easy to get there for a long weekend in the Summer. Or Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Mexico is about 4 hours, as HappyTrvlr mentioned.

Oh, and Winter here is a definite plus.
MikePinTucson is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 10:35 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
You WILL fit in. We attended a Blue Election Night Party( which became very blue.). There are at least two gay couples in my neighborhood who are totally accepted as they should be. I have several friends from NC as well. No worries,Babarn. Just don't decide to move to Phoenix, quite the opposite to Tucson.
HappyTrvlr is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 12:35 PM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
MikPinTucson, thanks for writing. Btw, I used to live about 30 milieu from New Bern. Do not miss the humidity!
Babarn is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 03:58 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We retired to Tucson about 1999 or so but when the grandchildren started arriving we moved back to Colorado. We loved it and the heat really isn't that big of deal. It seldom got much over a 100 and if in the shade even temperatures in the low 100's are bearable.

We used to go to San Diego every Thanksgiving. It's easy drive and thinking it took less than 7 hours in fact I think it took us about 6 hours and we never go over speed limit.
historytraveler is offline  
Old Feb 20th, 2017, 10:45 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 42,574
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
We looked at Tucson real estate and I'd take a very hard look at the property tax rates. 1.027% of market value may not seem so cheap to some folks; sales tax is what, about 8% now?
Dukey1 is offline  
Old Feb 21st, 2017, 11:25 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
We have found property taxes to be rather low Some neighbors complain about them but we pay a third of what we paid in Chicago.
HappyTrvlr is offline  
Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 12:25 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 49,521
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My daughter went college in Tucson (go Wildcats). She grew up in San Diego, but loved Tucson including the weather Sept thru May.

Most people from AZ spent part of the summer here in SD or LA.

Since it seems you are somewhat independent why don't you try renting for a year?

It is a beautiful city with lots of charm and surprisingly lots of culture and stuff to do. Has a nice small town feel as well.
nanabee is offline  
Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 10:31 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
Nanabee We is right suggesting that you rent before buying. We did that for almost a year before buying.
HappyTrvlr is offline  
Old Feb 24th, 2017, 05:19 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,879
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Have you considered Albuquerque? Colder winter than Tucson but far less winter weather than Santa Fe which was on your list. Similar sized cities but Albuquerque has a good freeway network so easier to move about whereas in Tucson it's common to have 45 minute drives to cross town one end to the other.
tom_mn is offline  
Old Feb 24th, 2017, 07:19 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I prefer Tucson, but if proximity to Santa Fe is a goal, Albuquerque makes a lot of sense.
NewbE is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sal_angel2
Europe
13
Mar 24th, 2013 12:02 PM
Neal Sanders
United States
68
Apr 27th, 2007 06:25 AM
HotWheels
United States
25
Jul 29th, 2005 08:17 AM
mrt
United States
34
Jan 29th, 2004 12:55 PM
Leona
United States
16
Jul 3rd, 2003 10:10 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -