You're not really a native
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10/28/2009
Unless you remember when mail service did not extend east of Swan Road or north of Grant Road. I've had to drive into town to pick up the mail.
Tucson is degrading fast. It's a fact, not a complaint. We were not in the least prepared for the rapid population growth, we didn't have time to prepare the infrastructure, and Arizona (not Tucson) laws make it near impossible to require developers to fund their own infrastructure.
No local government, from Pima County down to the smallest, newest towns, are not prepared for the realities of how Tucson is, and are too often advised by people who's only experience is in Southern California. And not even L.A. experienced THIS level of population boom.
The growth created and continues to create the problems that are fast approaching being insurmoutable. Water? Ahven't enough for the current population, adn Arizona (not Tucson) water law prevents anyone from doing anything about it. Want to put up 1,000 new homes? The state will issue you a 100-year assured water supply certificate. Own the land next door and want to build 10,000 homes? You'll get your certificate, too - because State law prevents anyone from considering the total number of buildings and water certificates floating around. Your 1,000 homes and my 10,000 homes are not considered when the water supply certificate is issued...
The schools are underfunded and underperforming. That's not opinion, that's a published fact. I chose the highest ranked school district in the state, but forgot to find out that Arizona is 49th out of 50 in education.
The median price for a home is grossly understated. We have far more small, old, fixer homes in bad neighborhoods than we have family-oriented housing, and that skews the medain price by nearly $100K. That's a published fact, too, not an opinion.
We are one of the few areas of the country that must, by federal mandate, aerate our gasoline to reduce smog. It used to be only when th UA was in session, now it is year-round.
We have a high crime rate. One of my boys is a Tucson Police Officer and a lot of what happens never gets reported outside the small print in the Police Records column in the newspaper.
There are lots of bright sides to Tucsaon, too, and they have not been overlooked.
But had Tucson remained the Tucson I grew up in, even if I still had to drive 30 miles to get my mail, it would be about perfect.
It is simply not prepared for and in many cases incapable of sustaining its current population. That doesn;t make it horrible, but it doesn't make it a Good Place to Move To.
Oh well, come 2015 when we actually do run out of available water, all of these things will solve themselves as the temporary residents flee and Tucson returns to being Tucson.
Tom | Tucson, AZ