Problems with Tucson are CULTURAL and deeply embed
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10/2/2016
Tucson should rank high on Sperling's "Most Disappointing and Wasted Potential" cities list. After having lived in various places in Arizona and the West for 50 years, Tucson is the most "Stuck-in-the-Mud" and oblivious places that 'could've been, would've been but probably never will be' in the West. There are three types of people who dominate the area (1) people who come here to retire and die; (2) students who leave as soon as they graduate because the city has nothing to offer them; and (3) people who can't afford to live anywhere else. Tucson has its devotees as well. The weather is pretty nice for the most part and the mountain views and drives if you can afford to live in the Foothills are spectacular. However, it's a love/hate. What good is a view and a pretty drive if the city is stuck in neutral? Don't expect change here. Don't expect a vibe here. Don't expect to be excited here. Tucson doesn't want change. Tucson resists change. The culture here is hands-off, laissez-faire, Libertarian, a little red-neck and anything goes - which is why most of the city, its infrastructure and it's neighborhoods have been rotting to the ground. From what I've seen the past 15 years here, Tucson wouldn't know how to begin promoting itself and doesn't have what it takes culturally to turn itself around. It really needs an influx of new professional talent and leadership from outside instead of this homegrown group that keep perpetuating the same ole cultural malaise.
James | Catalina Foothills, AZ