What BestPlaces Users Say about Tucson
Tucson, Arizona is a city located in the southern region of the state, known for its vibrant arts and culture scene, beautiful desert landscapes, and warm weather. It is also home to the University of Arizona and has a growing economy. With its unique characteristics, many people have chosen to call Tucson their home. To gain a better understanding of what it's like to live in Tucson, we will summarize and include excerpts from various user reviews on BestPlaces.net.
According to user "Rachel O.", who has lived in Tucson for 6 years, "Living in Tucson is like living in a colorful and diverse community. The people are friendly and welcoming, and there's always something to do, whether it's exploring the downtown area or hiking in the nearby mountains." This sentiment is echoed by user "Sammy G.", who has been a resident for 10 years, stating that "Tucson has a small-town feel with all the amenities of a big city. It's a great place to raise a family with plenty of parks and family-friendly events."
While many enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Tucson, there are also some challenges that come with living in the desert. As user "Mark T." shares, "The summers can be brutal with temperatures well over 100 degrees, but the rest of the year is pleasant. Just be prepared for monsoon season and dust storms." Similarly, user "Maria D." adds, "The cost of living is also on the rise in Tucson, and it can be challenging to find affordable housing options."
Despite these challenges, many still find Tucson to be a great place to call home. As user "Liz W." describes, "Tucson has a unique charm and character that you won't find in other cities. The food scene is amazing, and there are so many outdoor activities to enjoy. Plus, the sunsets are simply breathtaking." From its welcoming community to its diverse amenities, Tucson has left a positive impression on many of its residents.
based on 286 ReviewsGet to know Tucson with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Tucson
Sprawl, traffic, low pay, climate is warming - 8/2/2019
The vast majority of reviewers that rate this city with five stars and glowing reviews I suspect are individuals that retired here or reside here on a seasonal basis. Tucson a dozen years ago was a much more liveable city than now for a host of reasons. 1) Tucson is growling quickly, many of the new residents have migrated here from Southern California and when purchasing a home they often pay over the asking price thus driving up real estate prices and artificially skewing the market, rents are escalating quickly as well, Phoenix is becoming another LA, Tucson another Phoenix. 2) Tucson should have built one or two highways surrounding the circle to encourage better traffic flow, believe it or not Tucson actually has real traffic problems now and terrible roads as well. 3) Besides U of A, Rayeon, and a few city/county/state jobs there is little industry here, and the pay scale here is about 3/4 or less of what you would make in Phoenix, in fact probably 80% or more of the positions
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Tucson has been perfect for us - 7/27/2019
My wife and I moved here in 2005 after growing up in Southern California and then moving to the Bay Area for a few years. We wanted a less hectic pace of life yet also a place with some culture and affordability. Tucson has been all of that. We live in a quiet natural desert neighborhood with all sorts of wildlife running through the yard. Yet just a few minutes away are excellent restaurants, shops, and a couple good bars. My wife went back to school at the U of A and now has a good job and is still involved with the university as a volunteer. She loved her time there and had some great instructors. Tucson isn't going to outshine the Bay Area culturally but we find a lot to do here, and downtown has come a long way in the last couple of years. Yes summers are hot. It's a desert. That is not for everybody, but I much prefer the weather here than the Bay Area. Give me the sun. There is truth in what some reviewers complain about; the roads could be better, some neighborhoods aren't
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It's all perspective. - 7/24/2019
So here's the thing about Tucson... Yes. It's Hot...but we don't run around outside when it's hot. We stay indoors. Like those where it snows..you aren't parading around outside when it's a blizzard, right?! It's sunny here. Great for your psyche. Hot. Yep. Sunny. Yep. Ok. Those are not bad things.
The upsides: Small town feel with larger town amenities.
College, AF and Technology run this area for jobs.
We are 45 minutes from Mexico (think prescriptions, tequila, etc)
We DO have freeways...ok, two... sorta... (one is an "expressway") -
but then again, our population is low, and you can drive surface
streets in rush hour traffic, corner to corner of the city in 45
45 minutes during rush hour. so that ain't bad.
People are health conscious, water
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If only wasnt so sunny woukd be perfect. - 6/12/2019
Have lived here for 25 years and alternate with east coast where i grew up. The ine and only thing i do not like is the intense sun and extreme dryness. Otherwise, it is so friendly and peaceful, nice housing is affordable, high quality restaurants, great hiking nearby, dark nighttime skies, easy driving and parking, excellent medical care from university, ditto mostly liberal politics from university, quiet. Try talking on the phone to soneone who lives in Tucson and soneone who lives in the NorthEast. See who yiu get better service from and who is nicer and friendlier. Once you experience both you come to appreciate tucson.
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Depressive heat, a dying city full of retirees - 4/5/2019
I was stationed at DMAFB in Tucson in 1993. I lived there for 15 years until I retired. Tucson is a wasteland with depressive heat, no freeways AT ALL! A dinky horrible zoo, crime like I have never seen, no jobs, drugs from Nogales like a river, dirt, more dirt, and sand. There is NO WATER, they call their dry river beds as rivers but they are bone dry. No grass, no real trees, except some palm trees. Albuquerque is where we live now, and it's far better in everyway. Albuquerque has a REAL river running right thru it. Albuquerque has the largest Zoo in the southwest, I25 running North to south, I40 running East to West, the countries longest tram to the ski resort on top of the Sandias, an Aquarium, Cliffs playland, mountains everywhere near by, summer temps at 90° Winter rarely snows much. After leaving Tucson, I can really see what's missing in
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A beautiful, vibrant area with great weather - 9/19/2018
Tucson has four very warm months, June through September. Any one is easily more acceptable than November through February in most states. Temperatures do not vary radically, but trend upward slowly and then downward slowly. There is still a monsoon season, although many long-term residents see them as stronger and less frequent than the predictable daily rain mid-afternoon of a few decades ago. The town is nestled among five ranges and has outstanding character. It values its history and preservation is high on the list of things the city traditionally values regardless of most political trends. Being higher in elevation, Tucson trends four to nine degrees cooler than Phoenix. Tucson gets water from the CAP program, which is dependent on water from the Colorado which is in jeopardy from years of drought and global warming. However, there is a large aquifer beneath Tucson, and the city has used some of the CAP program to recharge the aquifer. Water conservation in the city and
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IT IS HOT AF HERE - 8/22/2018
You need to know one important thing before moving to Tucson. It's easily 115 degrees throughout the months of June and July. The temp never drops below 80 (at around 4:00 in the morning.) It remains at least 105 from July through September. There is NO LET UP in the heat factor or the insanely bright bright sun that will blaze your retinas out... so you better have really excellent sunglasses and several backups as well.
Now the locals claim there is a monsoon season here. What that means here is that it might rain heavily in one neighborhood of the city for about 20 minutes. It doesnt ever last long and you can bet that wet pavement dries up the instant the rain stops. It doesn't rain often at all, TBH. I've lived in Portland, OR, so I do know real rain. This place does NOT have real rain. And it isnt a monsoon by any means at all.
There will be a lot if static lighting everywhere though, so don't let that kill you.... if the heat hasn't yet. Dont
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Mediocrity at its best. - 6/10/2018
After getting a job in Tucson and moving here, I started looking up mediocrity quotes to explain how I was feeling. I work with young people that were born and raised here and also know how horrible it is getting here. They also comment on how bad their schooling was. Another co-worker had his african-american granddaughters staying with him and his wife from Alabama. They went to the public school here for a semester and were appalled at how the teachers didn't teach or care and the students treated the teachers horribly. One said a student threw a bag of chips at the teacher and the teacher did nothing. Even the school administration is inept. My co-worker will constantly get calls from the school saying his granddaughter skipped class when she is at a field trip or one of the grandparents signed her out. He says it never fails. People here are as stupid as can be and there is zero southwest culture. If I wear cowboy boots, people look at me weird because they all look like Walmart
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Fairly New Tucsonian - 3/1/2018
I love Tucson so far. Moved here in January 2017 and my husband and I both love this area. Many outdoor things to do--and if you like wildlife/nature/birds, this is your place. We live in NW Tucson, so maybe we avoid much of the crime reported in the center of the city or South Tucson. I am not a "hot weather person", but for the couple of months that it gets hot, I survive. Swimming and AC help :) Love the southwest, and Tucson is a unique, fun
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The Long And Short Of Tucson - 2/16/2018
If you are pondering a visit to Tucson or a move here, this review can help you, with its concrete observations based on my nearly 18 years of residence and work in many parts of the city and its northwestern suburb of Marana. It includes recent verified statistics, superseding often outdated and mutually conflicting figures provided by Best Places, and since it was first posted, it has been updated continually through August 28, 2019.
I sketch Tucson's natural surroundings and climate, some of its cultural resources and celebrations, the affordability and quality of its housing and neighborhoods, and its transportation infrastructure and crime trends. I also cover Tucson's job market, its main employers, and how much you need at a minimum to live here, as well as the city's economy and business environment, its schools, governance, and media, and its people – how they drive, what they like to do and eat, their health, and how they view their hometown and each other.
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