Article Overview:Pros & Cons of Living in Tucson
Are you considering moving to Tucson?
Youve come to the right place.
My family has lived in Tucson for generations calling this beautiful valley city home for over a century.
Living in Tucson / Moving to Tucson
In Tucson youll find incredible natural scenery, delicious food, vibrant neighborhoods, and abundant sunshine.
In this article Ill detail the top pros and cons of living in Tucson for you to consider.
Ready to dive in?
Living in Tucson / Moving to Tucson
Lets get to it.
Plan on visiting Tucson before finalizing your decision to move?
Living in Tucson
Pros of Moving to Tucson
1.
Living in Tucson (Shutterstock/Sean Pavone)
Winter highs are right around 70oF (21oC) while lows are stay around 40oF (4oC).
The Active Lifestyle
Its no secret, the Old Pueblo is full of great outdoor recreation opportunities.
This in turn makes staying active while living in Tucson fairly easy most months of the year.
Living in Tucson
you’ve got the option to read stunning mountain environments from all edges of town!
Its no wonder why hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities among Tucsonans.
Beyond that, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding and birding are all very popular pastimes for locals.
Over350 different bird specieshave been spotted in Tucson area making the city something of a birders paradise.
The Low Cost of Living in Tucson
Moving to Tucson to save on living expenses?
Hard to blame you.
Living in Tucson (Shutterstock/LHBLLC)
I know that most places in America are no longer affordable.
Housing prices have skyrocketed across the country, and Tucson is not immune from increasing living expenses.
However, Tucson routinely ranks among the top cities with the lowest cost of living in the United States.
Moving to Tucson
If you land a decent paying job, youll find that living in Tucson is still deemed affordable.
Housing and rents are 25% below the national average as well (more on that below).
Great Neighborhood Vibes
If youre looking for distinctive neighborhoods with character youll find plenty living in Tucson.
Moving to Tucson (Shutterstock/Chris Rubino)
In fact, one of my favorite parts of living Tucson is that theres a neighborhood for every mood.
My mouth waters just thinking about this major pro of living in Tucson.
Theres so many great local restaurants full of character and history.
Living in Tucson (Shutterstock/LHBLLC)
But dont make the mistake of assuming the cuisines expertise stops at Hispanic-inspired fare.
The diversity of cuisine spans the gamut!
), youll never go hungry while living in Tucson.
Nature abounds here, especially for those that know how to appreciate arid desert landscapes.
Tucson is spoiled for choice when it comes to epic natural beauty and the Sonoran Desert takes the cake.
Here youll find conifer forests with abundant wildlife as well as the familiar forests of saguaro cacti.
Living in Tucson (Shutterstock/RCole3)
All this to say, those moving to Tucson will find themselves surrounded by natural beauty.
From the mountains and desserts to breathtaking sunsets and incredible biodiversity.
This make Tucson a very unique place to live.
Sunshine is a key ingredient (not the only one) to happiness and Tucson has it in abundance.
There are some downsides to the sun as well but well address those later on in the cons.
Id say the city still hasnt fully recovered from the toll the pandemic took.
Cons of Living in Tucson
1.
Getting through summers while living in Tucson is mentally and physically draining.
May September entails getting to the car as fast as possible.
Being around water definitely helps, but its impossible to peal yourself out of the house when its 110F.
The one advantage is the dry heat (as opposed to humid).
So while you wont sweat profusely, you will need to stay hydrated because dehydration is a real threat.
Dehydration and exhaustion can strike out of nowhere if youre ill prepared and dont drink adequate amounts of water.
If youre moving to Tucson from another region of the country the scenery will likely seem to lack variety.
In Tucson theres lots of sand and lots of Saguaro cacti.
While the University of Arizona is trying to improve those numbers thats just the state of things right now.
Which mean you wont be spending much time exploring or enjoying the area.
This is a bummer for anybody moving to Tucson from a large city.
Encountering trash on a daily basis is my least favorite thing about living in Tucson.
Theres trash everywhere, people dont seem to care about littering and just throw things into the street.
Who does that?!
Likewise, it seems like car break-ins and theft are very common in the downtown core.
Seasonal Haboobs
Dont worry, were running a good, clean, family friendly website here.
Haboob is the local word for the dust storms the wreak havoc in Tucson.
The terror doesnt stop there.
Our local PBS has detailedHaboobs and their effectsif youre interested in learning more.
Congestion around major attractions, such as the Grand Canyon, can be bad at any time of year.
First, not all cities are reserved.
Some cities thrive on transplants, most of them eager to start growing a social circle.
In my experience, that has not been the case after moving to Tucson.
The daily interactions with locals doesnt lend itself into a natural friendship.
Locals arent keep on small talk or basic acknowledgements (like good morning etc.)
which makes it hard to strike up conversations in general.
As such, Ive found it hard to establish meaningful friendships while living in Tucson.
In fact, this is one of the biggest reasons I would consider moving out of Tucson.
Oh,youd loveliving in Tucsonif youre into nature, retirement vibes, or an active lifestyle!
