topic Re: Tucson? in Community Chat

Tucson?

pinkcrystal — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:28:16 GMT

I really want to move somewhere south. Does anyone recommend retiring in Tucson? If not, why not? Any advice would help, thank you!

Re: Tucson?

MoonieBaby — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:35:38 GMT

SCORPIONS, but hey, that's just me.

Re: Tucson?

bikerbabe — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:37:56 GMT

Not as bad as Phoenix but still toooooooo hot! Spend time there in summer before you decide.

Re: Tucson?

SharkE — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:46:25 GMT

I'm in Amarillo, Tx

windy and dusty not all that pretty. sun rise is pretty.

Arizona to me is way to hot and dry. Nothing green they got

rocks in their yards instead of grass. Depressing.

Re: Tucson?

Tessa Mendoza — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:17:15 GMT

Scottsdale is nice. Like someone else said, you really have to spend time in places that get very hot in the summer to see if you can handle it. I'm sure people get used to it, but I know I hate the heat and it would be hard living anywhere in Airizona except maybe Sedona, which is cooler.

Re: Tucson?

Ms tyrion2 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:20:14 GMT

@SharkE wrote:
I'm in Amarillo, Tx
windy and dusty not all that pretty. sun rise is pretty.

Arizona to me is way to hot and dry. Nothing green they got
rocks in their yards instead of grass. Depressing.

How wrong you are.

The desert is very green right now after all the winter rain. Flowers are blooming and the wildflower show in the spring is stunning.

People don't put in grass because of the thousands of gallons of water it takes to keep them up. Natural desert yards are quite beautiful with an assortment of cacti and other desert friendly plants.

The desert has a stark beauty like no other. If you haven't seen it, I would suggest you do before making wrong judgents like this poster did.

Re: Tucson?

Sadiesadie — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:25:29 GMT

@pinkcrystal : Well, as someone who lives here it depends on what you like. Yes, had to take out the grass due to needing to preserve water. Yes, decorative rocks but still blooming flowers and trees trees....especially the Palo Verdes in the spring with their blooms. The foothills and neighborhoods look so pretty when you see the swaths of yellow.

We can pretty much have flowers all year long. You have to change out to the flowers that can handle the heat.
If you can't handle the heat you may not like it but you can get to a mountain 45 minutes away to cool down and in the winter to play in the snow.

Pools and air conditioning everywhere. Winters are beautiful. Going up to 77 on Sunday but then will drop to chilly temps into the 50s and a bit of ran on Monday but then the storm passes and the warmth comes back.

The desert is beautiful especially after rains but you have to be able to appreciate the desert.

Yes there are scorpions but I haven't seen one in the last 60+ years. We also have rattlers but again I have never seen one in person. Try us in the winter and also the summer to get an idea of whether or not it appeals to you.

We are a lot smaller than Phoenix and spread out. Mountains at each of the corners of the compass

Re: Tucson?

patbz — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 04:17:09 GMT

@Tessa Mendoza : You are wrong about the climate of all of Arizona; I live in the White Mountains on the Mogollan Rim. We are always at least 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix and other Southern Arizona cities. I live in Show Low but Flagstaff, Williams, Sedona, Prescott etc have four seasons. Flagstaff and Show Low are near nice ski resorts. I'm wondering why Tucson? It's hot and housing isn't cheap.

Re: Tucson?

fthunt — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:28:58 GMT

This is opportunity to ask............why did you move to TX? Recall you said you moved from a Mid-Central state (don't recall). You posted pic of your beautiful home in TX but landscape did appear bleak. Why the move - why stay there?

Just noisy me..........................take no offense pls

Re: Tucson?

quadmimi — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:40:27 GMT

I live in Queen Creek, (a suburb of Phx)...We have plenty of grass here, it's beautiful for most of the year, but the summers are hot..I am not a huge fan of Tucson, but they do have many retirement area's..Also you can always visit the mountain area's, Prescott, Payson, Flagstaff in the summer months to get out of the heat..I think Az is beautiful & enjoy living here.

*(I have 2 humidifers in my home), it doesn't help the dry outside, but keeps us very comfortable inside..

Re: Tucson?

bikerbabe — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:06:34 GMT

I like Flagstaff and Prescott.

Florida was on that best places to retire list posted above Noooooooo. 😂 You couldn’t pay me enough. 😂 Hot, humid. Noooooooo. 😖

Nashville is nice but population has exploded, traffic has gotten horrible and cost of living is skyrocketing (rent and housing prices).

Re: Tucson?

SharkE — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:31:36 GMT

@Ms tyrion2 wrote:
@SharkE wrote:
I'm in Amarillo, Tx
windy and dusty not all that pretty. sun rise is pretty.

Arizona to me is way to hot and dry. Nothing green they got
rocks in their yards instead of grass. Depressing.

How wrong you are.
The desert is very green right now after all the winter rain. Flowers are blooming and the wildflower show in the spring is stunning.

People don't put in grass because of the thousands of gallons of water it takes to keep them up. Natural desert yards are quite beautiful with an assortment of cacti and other desert friendly plants.

The desert has a stark beauty like no other. If you haven't seen it, I would suggest you do before making wrong judgents like this poster did.

Not into deserts, but, thank you

Re: Tucson?

tucsongal — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:46:04 GMT

Of course 😉. We moved here 20 years ago and still love it. I agree that you might want to spend time here although I was visiting family in a hospital and knew pretty quickly I wanted to live here(we wanted to move out of a large metropolitan area in another state). Tucson gets a lot of rain for a desert so we have very diverse wildlife and plants. And the sunshine is addicting. If we get a couple of really cloudy days which occasionally happens, I’m ready for the sun to come out. I would get depressed in a cloudy climate.

We have lived in four different states and every place has its good points and disadvantages. We have met wonderful people everywhere which is what matters most.

Re: Tucson?

tucsongal — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:51:37 GMT

I’ve never seen a scorpion but I was up in some foothills recently and saw a herd of javelina. Lots of bobcats, coyotes, roadrunners.

Re: Tucson?

SharkE — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:54:54 GMT

@fthunt wrote:
This is opportunity to ask............why did you move to TX? Recall you said you moved from a Mid-Central state (don't recall). You posted pic of your beautiful home in TX but landscape did appear bleak. Why the move - why stay there?
Just noisy me..........................take no offense pls

Guess your talking to me.

DH said the weather would be better, less harsh winter, similar cost of living expenses, not like Cal. ! Lots of Baptists LOL Didn't want Fl. either.

got all new windows now in the house, new roof. We still go back to Indiana in the Fall. Nice to see giant trees, lots of green, etc.

I kind of like Tenn. too. We put Ky bluegrass in our yard instead of that spray in grass that lots of folks have here. Turns all brown and burnt looking in the winter and comes on late in the Spring. My yard is green first. All houses are built on slab concrete down here and no gutters on the houses because NO RAIN ! Sure we get a little, but, up in Ind it rains constantly have to mow twice a week up there. We don't miss that! Food is strange down here, but, I still cook Ind food LOL

Amarillo, is really growing needs more stores especially grocery stores

Cows, rule down here. Vegetarians are not real popular down here. LOL

We got tired of long, cold, icy winters. He fell down couple of times getting to the car to get to work, then, if they don't clear the roads back when he worked he had to fight bad road conditions, power going out, etc.

Gas is cheaper down here. A/C is a killer We got the bill down in the summer to no more then 250 a month. Gas furnace and car gas is lots cheaper then Ind.

close up shot. Can't see the 2 1/2 acres around it, driveway, etc.

I need to do some recent shots. LOL

Re: Tucson?

Kachina624 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:02:40 GMT

I live in Albuquerque and love it here. Every time I look East to the 10,300ft mountain at the edge of town, my heart sings. Our climate is not as severe as Arizona's in the summer, we have four distinct seasons with a little snow in winter, cold nights and usually temperate days. There are so many interesting, historic places to see and explore. I love to drive West through Indian Country where the mesas are stacked one after another as far as the eye can see. I love the high Sangre de Christo Mountains that extend from Santa Fe up into Colorado like the spectacular San Juans also shared by both states. I love exploring the ancient Indian historical sites like Chaco Canyon, El Moro and many others. I love the desert landscape and the play of shadow and light as clouds move over it. I love a rocky yard with no grass to mow. We're not perfect; we could use a little more rain.

Re: Tucson?

nova — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:30:19 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
I live in Albuquerque and love it here. Every time I look East to the 10,300ft mountain at the edge of town, my heart sings. Our climate is not as severe as Arizona's in the summer, we have four distinct seasons with a little snow in winter, cold nights and usually temperate days. There are so many interesting, historic places to see and explore. I love to drive West through Indian Country where the mesas are stacked one after another as far as the eye can see. I love the high Sangre de Christo Mountains that extend from Santa Fe up into Colorado like the spectacular San Juans also shared by both states. I love exploring the ancient Indian historical sites like Chaco Canyon, El Moro and many others. I love the desert landscape and the play of shadow and light as clouds move over it. I love a rocky yard with no grass to mow. We're not perfect; we could use a little more rain.

@Kachina624 Your description sounds so beautiful. I have lived in NYC and NJ my whole life and the description of your intriguing landscape seems so dreamy. I love my hometown but hope someday I can get to see the beauty of yours. And you are correct, no climate is perfect - especially winters in the Northeast - though this one has not been that bad so far.

Re: Tucson?

SharkE — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:33:17 GMT

Maine, to me, is probably the most beautiful. I miss Fall foliage. We go from summer into winter in a matter of few wks. LIke Bam ! it's winter! What happened? LOL

Wouldn't want to live there and get snowed in, but, for a few wks of the yr in the Fall bet it's grand.

Re: Tucson?

jeanlake — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:44:17 GMT

DD lives in Queen Creek, AZ, south of PHX. They're outdoors people and kids play sports almost year 'round so they love it. I think you have to ask yourself if you're a desert person. Agree with posters -- rent a place for a month or two to help you decide.

Went to Sedona in October -- very nice weather, but expensive to live there. We liked Prescott. More green and pleasant in the summer.

Visited Amelia Island, FL earlier this week. Not far from JAX airport. Very nice, but may be humid in summer.

Keep visiting. I'm sure you'll find your special place!

Two friends retired in Dallas. They love the weather. My friend mentioned Austin would be more compatible to her politics, but if we're talking weather, hard to beat Dallas.

Re: Tucson?

patbz — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 04:38:43 GMT

Going back 38 years, I was working in South Korea and one of my friends got "priority placement"(another way of saying "you can't refuse this transfer") to Edwards AFB in CA Mojave Desert. We felt so sorry for her (all that heat and in the middle of nowhere). Fast forward two years and I got priority placement to Barstow (as one of my Army troops so aptly put it "the armpit of the Western world"). I went to the desert, gave it a chance (and surprise: I loved it, bought my first home and met and married DH). My girlfriend, who we all felt so sorry for also fell in love with desert, bought a home...You really shouldn't prejudge a place; just try it (you might like/love it).