rjzeller

Okay, Patrick's thread has me wondering about similar issues again.

Anyone out here lived in the sunny southwest and want to offer some opinions? I've only been there a couple times to visit friends and family, so I have an idea of what 110 feels like in the desert, but it's a far cry from actually LIVING there. Thoughts?

Our primary interest is:

1) Climate -- need a hot, DRY place. Whether it's 80 or 110 I don't care, so long as it's DRY. For some reason I breathe and FEEL a hundred times better (and more energetic) when there is little to no humidity. I also HATE the cold weather and really have had my fill of shoveling snow.

2) culture -- need a city that offers theatre, orchestras, sporting events, and other good events year round. Additionally, I need to have some good playing opportunities.

3) Cost of living -- don't expect much here, since I'm sure it's likely higher than Rochester. But I don't want anyplace that blows the charts, either. I don't might somewhat higher home prices if the property taxes are lower and if the income taxes are lower. Food costs and utilities matter too....

4) mountains and hiking and lots of places to explore (such as national parks). I'm not at all into camping, but a nice walk along the trails or a drive into the mountains really does something for me.

5) Style -- the upper midwest is very nice, but everything's pretty much the same. I want an area that can give me southwestern when I want it, or Cosmopolitan, or urban, or country...mix it up, y'know?

6) Need a solid job market and a growing populace.

7) Don't have to live in a BIG city, but have to be within a couple hours drive (for the major sporting events and arts and shopping).

8) Did I mention I want a DRY climate?

9) Strong church presence.

That's the criterium for now. Thoughts?

Z

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trickg

I can't speak about much here except that I know a guy who is getting ready to move away from Arizona (moved there just over a year ago) and is heading for (you guessed it) Texas. He's heading for Houston instead of Dallas though.

The one comment that sticks in my mind from my conversations with him related to trumpeting (because he is a trumpet player) is that there were gigs to be had, but since it has such a high number of retirees it seemed that the average age of the population was much older.

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Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
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Solar Bell

I have a family member in Lake Havasu City, AZ.
He raves about the place.

If I were ever to leave Michigan, HIGHLY unlikely) I would go to Pueblo West, CO.

-cw-

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Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
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Derek Reaban

Well..I guess I’m the right person to comment on this topic. I grew up in Tucson (born and raised) and moved away after college (up the road to Tempe). My Mom lives in Tucson, and over the last 5 years my Wife’s family has been moving here (primarily getting ready for retirement). So far here Mom and Dad have moved here, her Mom’s Sister and Husband, her Dad’s Sister and Husband, her Cousin and Husband, and her Sister. They were all from the Midwest.

Based on your criteria, Tucson meets everything on your list. The mountains (Santa Catalina’s) are beautiful. It’s in a valley with the Catalina’s to the North, the Tucson mountains to the West, the Rincon mountains to the East, and the Santa Rita mountains to the South. Hiking trails are marvelous and depending on where you live in the valley, you will be minutes from some of the best hiking around.

Mount Lemon (in the Catalina’s) has skiing (about 10,000 feet), and is about an hour and a half to the top.

Phoenix metro is about 2 hours from Tucson. We have all the major sports teams here (Cardinal football, Diamondback baseball, Coyotes hockey, and Suns basketball). The Diamondbacks go to Tucson for Spring Training as do many other teams. Phoenix metro has a lot of spring training teams too.

The Tucson Symphony is very good (Mike Walk, principal, posts on the TM site under the name Athos). The Phoenix Symphony is great and a 2-hour drive away. There are lots of fabulous players around for lessons if you are interested (in both cities). There are lots of shows that come through Tucson at the Tucson Community Center and Centennial on the U of A campus. Gammage in Tempe also draws a lot of big shows.

Karchner Caverns is a short drive from Tucson (South) and is one of the most incredible caves around (I hope to go there someday soon).

Tucson is certainly growing, and the NorthWest part of town (Oro Valley area) has some of the nicest mountain and city views that you can imagine.

My Wife’s Dad is a Lutheran Pastor and I’ve played in MANY churches in Town. You can find what you are looking for easily.

While Tucson is hot in the Summer, there is almost always a breeze coming off the mountains and summer evening can even be cool (especially in the Oro Valley area). Winters are fabulous (it’s in the high 70s low 80s right now).

Shopping is great in Tucson, and there are lots of shopping opportunities in Chandler, Phoenix, Scottsdale if you’re up for a roadtrip.

Homes can be expensive on the NW side, but the cost of living is comparable with other places.


I would certainly come down for a visit. It’s a great place to live!


P.S. Try this for an idea of home prices in Oro Valley (you may need to click the GO button when you get to the site to refresh the screen, or type in 85737 in the zip code for a new search).

Have a look at this little video about Oro Valley too for some great pictures of the mountains!

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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona