Tucson - g.a. reporter

People who have lived in Arizona for more than a year will say otherwise. Most outside the southwest don't grasp the fact that 106 is cooler than 110, but you can tell the difference, and it is "cooler" than Phoenix. That said Tucson is still pretty friggin hot.

 

Tucson also doesn't have the massive smog problems of phoenix (and yes, I realize this has as much to do with city size).

 

nobody ever answered the salary question so i'll ask about cost of living. are we taking typical west coast prices on housing, groceries, etc. in tuscon or arizona? and basically is this a live in a box with a/c like some of the other jobs out in california/seattle? sorry, but never stepped foot in the state.

 

Prices in Arizona are more seasonal than in a lot of places. Everything seems cheaper there in the summer. In the winter, there are a lot of snowbirds and I think that drives all the prices up. That said, it's definitely cheaper than California, which is why so many former Californians live there.

 

I understand it's only been a week since the initial post, so this is more of a bump. Anyone hear how they're handling this opening?

 

PTOWN ... I lived there for eight years. I found very little difference between the heat in Tucson and Phoenix. Yuma is by far the worst offender. But Tucson ain't Prescott. At least in Prescott you're up at 4,000 feet or so, and that takes the edge off things. I always found Tucson to be as oppressive as Phoenix, but that's just me ...

 

Yeah, Tucson is cooler than Phoenix, at least temperature wise. If it's 112 in Phoenix, it's probably only 109 in Tucson.

 

Anyone ever been to the beaches a few hours from Tucson in N. Baja? Are they nice?

 

Saw a bit on MSN where Tucson is one of the 10 most overpriced areas to live, but housing is still significantly cheaper than the LA and SF areas.

 

From Forbes.com:

 

Everything's too expensive if you are a sports writer. I sleep on a cot at the Y and am using a filthy, beat-up typewriter to post on this site.

 

Well, Tucson probably made that overpriced list because there are few actual reasons to live there (jobs) and scads of people who choose to live there anyway (retirees and snowbirds).