Tucson, AZ

[MattB]

My wife and I are pondering Tucson as a retirement destination and I was wondering if any locals have some insight they would like to share - the good, the bad, and the ugly? We are specifically looking at the Catalina Foothills area. I've spent a lot of time in Phoenix and have and been through Tucson a bunch on the way to hunt SE AZ, but never spent much time there.

The pluses are local hunting, outdoor activities, and hockey, just trying to figure out the minuses.

 

[rob86jeep]

I know Tucson is a bit of a college town but it's nice as well. AZ is great for sportsman as well. You can have desert heat or mountains with a few hours of each other and you always have lake havasu and some nice rivers/waterfalls to swim/hike to.

 

[Huntinaz]

I liked Tucson for the most part. Didn’t love living in the desert and I don’t like big cities but the hunting around Tucson is great and there’s a lot of outstanding Mexican food. I don’t want to move back but I do miss it sometimes. Tucson feels smaller than it is and the foothills area is nice

 

[HuntHarder]

I guess living in Az makes me jaded. I can not stand Tucson. It is so dang hot there that the thought of retiring there sounds terrible. It is a leftist and dirty city. If I were retiring in Az, I'd look northeast of Tucson in Greer, showlow, Alpine or maybe flagstaff. Nicer weather and cleaner cities with less crime.

 

[Mosster47]

I spent almost a decade in Tucson. Getting stationed at DM is what brought me there, then I went to UA, and later worked at the ANG Test Center for awhile.

The traffic system there is absolutely awful. It's all Mormon grid except for the I-10 (which is fairly central), I-17 (which is very far from Cat Foot) and Aviation which basically only caters to those looking to get downtown from DM and vice versa, but still has stop lights. Cat Foot, Sabino, Oro Valley, Green Valley, and Vail are your main retiree areas.

The hunting for big game is pretty dismal compared to the other western states, but the coyote hunting is absolutely epic. If you're into that stuff shoot me a PM sometime and I'll put you on a never ending supply of them. The Rincon range is pretty decent. There has been a lot of urban development heading towards Robles Junction which took away a lot of the really local hunting ground. Mt Lemmon is nice to get away to and leads to Reddington Pass which is a cool area. A lot of drunken gun wielding goes on up there.

Before the last economy crash there were a ton of restaurants and business local to the area, most of them died during that period and were replaced by national chains. If you know where to go there is still an incredible Mexican food scene.

If you like fishing, you're SOL. The urban ponds aren't good and the nearest water is Patagonia to the south which is quite a haul for a tiny lake, especially if you can't cut through Fort Huachuca. Green Peter is down there as well. To the North it's the Canyon chain.

If you like golf there is a great muni system there. Enke on the east side is where the DC sniper and his apprentice made their first kill if you want some local history. Starr Pass is a TPC course and very affordable. AZ National, Omni, the Ritz-Carlton used to host the Match Play. It's not quite Scottsdale, but it's a great golf area.

The monsoons are intense but only last about 45 days. 4th Ave and Congress are enough to get you by if you want a night life. The UA club hockey team has a strong following and play at the TCC downtownb "The Madhouse on Mainstreet." The TCC also gets a lot of events and shows. The Gem & Mineral Show is HUGE there and everyone gets sick when it's in town. The rodeo is a huge deal as well. A yearly phenomenon is the summer time when the snow birds retreat back north and the UA/Pima CC students go home. It goes from a busy city to a ghost town. For a good 12 weeks you can eat anywhere at any time or go experience anything without a reservation or waiting. It's kind of nice in a way.

I had a great time living there, but the heat eventually got to me. I couldn't do 100 degrees at midnight anymore. I'd snowbird there for sure, but never again for full time living. It's a popular retirement destination though so you're not alone in wanting to go there.

 

[FullValue]

Tucson is a dirty city. Like most big cities the outskirts are a little nicer because they are new. The Foothills are nice and as other's stated there is good hunting around. They are extremely Liberal, Pima County in general is. But unfortunately a lot of AZ is becoming this way. The area around Flagstaff is nice but Flagstaff itself is like a giant trailer park in the woods. Coconino count is also very Liberal. Obviously you can get past some of this stuff as long as you don't have to deal with it on a daily basis

 

[rooster440]

Tucson is a dirty city. Like most big cities the outskirts are a little nicer because they are new. The Foothills are nice and as other's stated there is good hunting around. They are extremely Liberal, Pima County in general is. But unfortunately a lot of AZ is becoming this way. The area around Flagstaff is nice but Flagstaff itself is like a giant trailer park in the woods. Coconino count is also very Liberal. Obviously you can get past some of this stuff as long as you don't have to deal with it on a daily basis

Lots of people from komifornia moving there. Nevada too unfortunately.


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[rclouse79]

I moved down there from Idaho for a teaching job in 2001. My plan was to get a year or two of experience and move back to the northwest. I ended up staying there 15 years and only left for family reasons. It is a different kind of beautiful. I ended up buying a lifetime hunting license when I left. There are a lot of unique outdoor opportunities that grow on you with time.

 

[.270]

I lived there for five years and I miss that desert town. I thought I wanted some more green in my life so I traded the dry heat for some south Texas humidity and heat. I end up heading back there two-three times a year for hunting and vacation.
Like Mosster said the traffic situation sucks if its not along the I-10, going from the foothills to Tanque Verde sucks. Tucson is working on widening certain main traffic roads but that involves purchasing houses to demo for road expansion. They don't have a loop system like Phoenix does.
Every town has its bad spots but Tucson isn't worse then anywhere else. The worst part about Tucson is the heat but that is to be expected. Honestly if I was going to retire in AZ, I would look in the Show Low, Springerville area if you want to escape the heat in the pines.
I think the big game hunting in AZ is on par with other southwestern states. You can go deer and bear hunting every year along with great small game. Are you going to get an elk tag or pronghorn tag every year? No but thats why AZ has some of the greatest elk hunting in the states. Same with NM and Utah.
I didnt really appreciate all the public land surrounding it when I lived there, I do now. I foresee myself moving back there in the next year or so.

 

[Nick Muche]

Retire in Alaska with a home in Tuscon to spend the winter

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I'd avoid Tucson proper and like you said, get a small piece or property in the foothills. There some nice small ranches in Marana with potential. Lots of equestrian events, amazing food, and a pretty nice small town feel. As for hunting you'll have to travel a ways other than endless desert dogs (coyotes). We also hunted javelinas, snakes, and rabbits when I was young tooling around the desert. Fishing isn't great unless you make a weekend trip out of it north or south. You can be on world class golf courses in about an hour and half drive. Always makes for a fun day trip up to South Phoenix area. We spent a lot of weekends on the colorado river up North on the boats as well. Good memories.

The desert there is gorgeous. My family is all from south west Arizona and my cousins all still live down there. You learn to adapt living in the Summer heat, it's not as bad as many people seem to think.

 

[Mosster47]

I'd avoid Tucson proper and like you said, get a small piece or property in the foothills. There some nice small ranches in Marana with potential. Lots of equestrian events, amazing food, and a pretty nice small town feel. As for hunting you'll have to travel a ways other than endless desert dogs (coyotes). We also hunted javelinas, snakes, and rabbits when I was young tooling around the desert. Fishing isn't great unless you make a weekend trip out of it north or south. You can be on world class golf courses in about an hour and half drive. Always makes for a fun day trip up to South Phoenix area. We spent a lot of weekends on the colorado river up North on the boats as well. Good memories.

The desert there is gorgeous. My family is all from south west Arizona and my cousins all still live down there. You learn to adapt living in the Summer heat, it's not as bad as many people seem to think.

If you're truly retiring and don't need to go to town everyday Marana and Red Rock would be great options to get some cheap land and have a home built.

 

[5MilesBack]

I used to love Tucson........40 years ago.

 

[MattB]

Thanks for all the input guys. If we continue to trend that direction I may PM a fee of you for more information. Keep it coming.

 

[Fatcamp]

You should visit first. Seriously. It's a dirty town with a nasty underbelly.

 

[Blackcats06]

Second most liberal town in AZ behind flag. Otherwise Mosster is spot on

 

[hflier]

I used to love Tucson........40 years ago.

This


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[JRMiller]

I guess living in Az makes me jaded. I can not stand Tucson. It is so dang hot there that the thought of retiring there sounds terrible. It is a leftist and dirty city. If I were retiring in Az, I'd look northeast of Tucson in Greer, showlow, Alpine or maybe flagstaff. Nicer weather and cleaner cities with less crime.

^this

 

[Mosster47]

This


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It was a significantly nicer metro prior to 2007, but everything north of River is still incredibly nice.