general impression
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5/25/2008
I am a 63 year old retired NYS employee who lived and worked in Suffolk County, Long Island,NY until recently relocating to Tucson, AZ....I still have some family on Long Island, and I can't say it was a bad place to grow up, however, the cost of living was always high and I often worked two jobs to afford to stay there. I owned a home and the property taxes were high, as well as utilities. I worked so hard that I didn't really enjoy much leisure time. The minuses about Long Island were the heavy traffic, nasty drivers, lots of rain and humidity, icy roads in winter, etc. The pluses were the beaches, LI sound, some decent friendly people and co-workers, pretty and green neighborhoods, good police presence and good schools. Now that I moved with my wife to Tucson, AZ, I am so very glad we relocated. It is beautiful here, with mountains and less stress, good weather, lovely scenery, and all of the amenities we had on Long Island, except maybe the Italian food here is not as good, and there are few good pizza parlors and deli's. Otherwise, there are many good restaurants, Starbucks, beautiful shopping centers, clean, and hardly any litter at all. People here are from all over the country, so you don't feel like an outsider. Rents are very reasonable and other costs, except food, are lower than long island prices. I like this place and know for sure I will never move back to Long Island. It is too bad we didn't relocate here sooner. I would recommend anyone considering a move to AZ, pick Tucson over Phoenix. It is much nicer. Try to move in the north Tucson area, preferably the foothills, but there are other areas you might check out. It depends on your individual needs, job, location preference, etc. But know for sure, Long Island was anything but paradise. Tucson comes closer to being a livable area. Good luck. John F. formerly of Middle Island, NY
John | Oro Valley, AZ