Tucson should rank as one of worst places to live,
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9/29/2016
Tucson is an overgrown cowtown in every sense of the meaning. It should not be on anyone's radar of up and coming or desirable cities unless you are retiring, don't need a job, and looking for cheap housing. It likes to see itself as always been 'on the verge' of turning the proverbial corner towards 'greatness', yet never seems to make it. While many US cities have bounded back around the nation from the Great Recession, including Phoenix, clueless Tucson just keeps drifting and falling further and further behind. Once very nice neighborhoods are still deteriorating in 2016 because the housing market is still so depressed that homes aren't worth the cost of maintenance. Many homeowners are forced to rent their homes out because they still can't sell. City codes protecting property values are virtually nonexistent. Anyone can park their cars or huge RVs across their front yards and board up broken windows instead of buying new ones and that's just fine in modern-day Tucson. People need to be warned that since there are few rules in Tucson for property maintenance (most apathetic and 'anything goes' place I've ever lived), there's nothing to stop renters and bargain hunters from trashing neighborhood after neighborhood as housing values continue to stagnate. You'd think they'd wake up at City Hall and update codes but they're too blind and mired in small town ignorance. Schools in Arizona and Tucson in particular truly are some of the worst in the nation. Arizona ranks last in terms of school quality and money spent on education. The local economy in Tucson is also nothing short of scary. It is probably one of the least diversified city economies in the country. Jobs are low-paying for the most part and workers have no protections. Unless you're a nurse or a doctor or you work for Raytheon, if you lose your job you'll be very hard pressed to replace it here. And don't look to the city for help. The city doesn't have any money either. Being a Right-to-Work and very Red state, wages are low and there's little in the way of a tax base. Tucson has had every opportunity to take a good look at itself and make serious changes but continues to disappoint. While the weather is enviable and the views can be beautiful, don't be fooled. Tucson is not a place for anyone looking for a viable economy or healthy housing market.
John | Tucson, AZ