im moving out to Tucson in about a month, you think Haven Ridge is a decent area, i know literally nothing about the area

Brotha I enjoyed the video but next time sit and talk or walk on pavement. I could not stay focus because of the walking on rocks , sounds like a bag of Lay's potato chips being crushed!! 💥🤛🏾

No prob. Thanks for watching. Good luck on your move!!

Haha yeah definitely chill. I'm interested to hear what the kids say in a few months when that January cool breeze kicks in.

@@arizonalifestyle79 🤣 man it's already been really cold some nights, they already been saying we should go back haha and hasn't even snowed yet.

@@denryz07 lol I bet! You know around this time the mornings are cool here. I forget what it feels like in CO around this time I the morning

It's always Margarita 🍸 weather in Tucson 33 Felice you all can always come back

Arizona over Colorado

Lol I've definitely remember burning the bottom of me feet this summer at the the water park. Watching all these kids running around with no shoes from pool to pool tricked me haha. I tried it and never again will I do that. But yeah that summer mid day heat is brutal

I agree, I lived in Tucson for about 12 years. I like hot and arid until about 100 degrees, then put me inside in the AC

LOL

@@arizonalifestyle79 I was born in Tucson, but left for Germany w/ my parents when I was 11 years old. I lived in the swimming pool and would jump from one puddle to the next to keep from burning my feet. I remember burning the crap out of my hands opening the car door and sliding around in the back seat of the car (don't ask me why Dad chose a car with leather seats ;) Oh, but those desert rain storms w/ the lightening and the night sky!

Sure thing!

Thanks for hanging out with us.. The desert is special. Good luck with your move back!!

me too! I'm not Cleveland. Whiting, Lake county INIm in Colorado now but I grew up in Tucson, but Tucson's so different than it was 40 years ago. But, I still got a plan and I AM GOING BACK!

No prob. Thanks for hanging out with me for a sec!

Dude I think you had “ heat stroke” 😮you don’t know where you at😂 maybe you should move to Palmdale Ca.

That's not the Zoo. We have Reid Park zoo. Arizona Desert Museum is not a zoo. Despite the animals you see. I live 13 years in Phoenix. It has loss her identity. Those artificial lakes and concrete makes it even more hotter. Growing grass outside of parks like you see in Scottsdale makes the demands of waterbgo up. It is a desert. If you don't like it, go bake to the forest or tundra. The parks and gulf coarses do have grass. Tucson is the oldest human inhabited place in the United States. It was a city over a century before anyone knew Phoenix. Yes ! The infrastructure will be older. That doesn't mean her suburbs infrastructure are not newer. You need to leave the cosmopolitan to see newer homes. I actually love the older homes. They are built to keep inside cooler, thus reducing electric bills.

Sure thing! Thanks for tuning in!

Sure thing!

Thank you!🙂

Visiting a place is very different than living there! You're looking at it with a vacation mindset

@@nunyafawkingbiz Mate, I approach life itself with a vaction mindset. I visited Holland once - stayed here for 25 years 😀

@@DeanPickersgill lmaoooo i love this!

@@Pedro-0839 you dont know me to know what I know. I have lived all over the USA from country conservative to super lefty liberal Washington state so what were you trying to prove to me ?

Yeah you might really enjoy Tucson it's worth checking out. No prob thanks for tuning in!

The homeless people and people in general are not like the people in Oregon. I’m moving back to Oregon from Tucson because of the people here. The people in Oregon are mostly harmless even the druggies and homeless. But the people in Tucson are not chill and nice and friendly like in Oregon. I escaped Oregon because I got depressed because of the weather, but the people here make you anxious and depressed so…I guess if you have money and a car then it won’t be that bad if you don’t have to ever go to goodwill. Basically if you don’t have money here, you’re gonna have a bad time. In Oregon, even if you’re poor you still have a good time.

@@randomexploring541 "I guess if you have money and a car then it won’t be that bad if you don’t have to ever go to goodwill." What does this mean? People don't shop at Goodwill because they HAVE to.

Sure thing!!

Yes we know about all those places. The wife went to Metro and transfered to ASU when we moved to Tucson. Yeah that drive will get old we did that for a month living in Tucson and driving to Phoenix for work before we ultimately ended up moving to Phoenix. I always feel like where ever your heart is at is where you should live and definitely do what you can to make that happen. Good luck on everything you guys do moving foward.

Thanks for tuning in!!

Thank you we appreciate you rolling with us!! Phoenix is a great city imo it's just gotten really pricey. We're definitely do for a trip back to Denver to see family. If we do I'll definitely bring the camera.

@@arizonalifestyle79 Yes, I’ve been watching the prices and it has gone up a lot. One thing I loved about Arizona was affordability.

@@nkaylonni yeah I feel you.

That's one thing I forgot to put in this video is that my fellow people that grew up in the TUC have a ton of pride in their city. I've asked alot of yall about your thoughts on Phoenix and 9 times out of 10 you guys would say you would never move here for different reasons. The night thing that just depends on exactly what you mean by prettier.

Hello thanks for watching! I think Tucson is an acquired taste some people love it and some people hate it. We really didn't realize that Tucson was not for us until about a year or so living there. I did a driving job and felt like I learned the entire city and we felt we needed more things to do so we moved. Phoenix has alot of the same things Tucson has plus more things to do. Tucson has a really slow pace and we where looking for something a little faster. We did make lots of friends while we lived there and every single one of them said they would never move to Phoenix all had different reasons from the hotter summer temps to the speed of the city. So that tells me Tucson is a great city for them just not us. You might love it as a long term home or you might be like us and realize it's not for you. When we lived there the economy was very shaky there was not very many jobs, I could not tell you how it is now. There could be lots of work because most places are hiring right now at least up here in Phoenix. There is slightly a racist vibe but I think that happens all over the us. Tucson has alot of older people living there could be snow birds or locals but maybe they watch too much news and the news only shows minorities doing bad stuff. That's my guess. Lol. But overall most people there seemed nice and easy to talk to. But beware there is alot of shady businesses there. Good luck on your decision I hope Tucson is the perfect place for you to call home.

Camille Nelson… Thanks for your perspectives. That racial vibe you spoke of, is not imagined. ITS REAL. Others have opined that “snow birds” bring that undesirable racist vibe. In my lifetime, l was expecting to see all colors of the rainbow celebrated and accepted.🧓🏾

Don't worry, Tucson has variety & if you want the Truth? It's really NOT that bad! Now, just keep in mind that sometimes individual experiences are isolated & helps you to form it as a personal experience. I won't tell you that you're not gonna endure this or endure that in spite of moving to Tucson. Sometimes those personal "life experiences" you just can't avoid, regardless of WHERE you choose to move. Sometimes the same exact thing can happen to a person in pretty much ANY City in America. Tucson is not an exception. Both bad & good can happen here BUT generally speaking? According to demographics, statistics, databases & other studies? Tucson is a relatively safe place, unless you wander into a dark alley or suspicious neighborhood LATE @ night. Tucson is safer than most larger Cities & other mid-sized Cities that are similar. We used to have somewhat of a large gang banging culture back in the 80s, 90s & early 2000s but in 2022? Most of that lifestyle has died out. There's murders, crimes, shootings, stabbings, muggings, robberies, home invasions, carjackings & other crimes here but not on a large scale. But, I digress. Wanna talk ethnic diversity? Tucson is VERY ethnically diverse for an Arizona City not considered to be in the Phoenix Metro. Phoenix is the most culturally & ethnically diverse City in the entire State but it is also the largest & most populated. Tucson is the SECOND most populated City in the State but surprisingly we have people who live here who represent ethnic cultures & cuisine from all over the world! Due to several thousands of people who are students enrolled @ the University of Arizona, thousands of active duty military people @ Davis Monthan AFB, Fort Huachuca Army Base about an hour away in Sierra Vista, Border Patrol Agents, thousands employed at Raytheon (which is huge for the Tucson economy), thousands NOW employed @ the new state of the art Amazon facilities just built recently & not to mention our many Hospitals & Nursing homes that employ a variety of ethnic groups (such as Africans, Europeans & Southeast Asians as well as Latino/Latinas) we are lucky to have immigrants, transplants & locals who represent the fabric of our diverse culture here in the City of Tucson. Jamaicans, Carribeans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Both South & Central Americans, Hawaiians, Guamanians, Samoans, Micronesian, various Europeans, Spanish, Italians, Germans, French, British, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipinos & even Canadians, lol. Unlike places such as Los Angeles, San Diego, NYC, Seattle & the San Francisco Bay Area? Tucson doesn't have established neighborhoods like Koreatown, Filipinotown, Japantown or even a Chinatown because our ethnic diversity is spread throughout the City & not concentrated in one area. Some ethnic restaurants you have to drive all the way across town for a specific type but others will be just around the corner in your neighborhood. Tucson IS NOT a major US City of 1.5 million + people or more but for a mid-sized City of less than 600K? We are pretty Damn diverse compared to other Cities our size, not found within a major metro area. Some Cities are diverse only based on their proximity.

I agree, that's what I tell people from my experiences there, some people in the comments seem to get upset that I said people are friendly in Tucson haha

Appreciate you watching! So from what we felt after living there for a little over 3 years was majority of the city felt calm definitely in east Tucson and the northern parts. I would hardly see very many people outside In those areas. Some of that is because most of the summer months it's too hot to hang out outside then once the sun goes down it cools off a bit but at that point it's to dark to be outside because there are not many street lamps. Some of the areas around the U OF A and downtown are somewhat lively but outside of that it's a very laid back place. We moved from Denver and after about a year or so we felt we learned the entire city and felt the pace was too slow for us. We missed seeing people outside exercising, walking dogs stuff like that. But it was good for that period until we grew out of it. Some people really love the Tucson vibe and can make it a forever home it just depends on you. Good luck

@@arizonalifestyle79 thank you so much for your response 🥰 hopefully one day to become part of the community!

Yeah it's going to be a completely different lifestyle out in Tucson. For us the chaos of Denver is a somewhat manageable chaos and surprisingly after about a year or so of living in Tucson we started to miss the faster pace of a bigger city. That's one of the reasons we moved to Phoenix to get a little bit of the chaos back. Lol. I do think it's a place you have to live at for a little while before you really know if its a long term place to live. That being said I hope Tucson is a great great place to call home for your family.

Honestly air quality is not something that has ever crossed my mind. But now that you mentioned it I might have to dig into that a little bit.

Thanks for tuning in! Awesome good luck on your move. Yeah these home prices are crazy, even in Tucson stuff has gone way up from what it was when we lived there.

They are high. Moved here 4 years ago and bought a house and the price has doubled. Houses sell in a few days. I think it's about to change though with coming crash.

Yes definitely! For what the city had to offer and it's affordable living Denver was a great value back in the day. But today it's way too expensive out there. Phoenix is moving that direction too housing has gotten expensive here too, its not as bad as Denver but still pretty crazy.

Yes I definitely plan on making a video talking about just that.

I love your comment. Very Informative!

That depends on what you are used to. Compare to Denver Tucsons night life is very limited. There are some options but ultimately the city seems like it wants to shut down by 8pm in most places. I can't speak on any of your other questions but I'm sure you can find most of that stuff out there it just might be limited

Nightlife in Tucson is very low-key. It's one of my gripes about the city. Not many places to hear live music. Most musicians there travel to Phoenix for gigs. There are really great restaurants, but "ethnic food" in Tucson means mexican/native-american food (although surprisingly there are some quality sushi places). Haven't found a legit Italian place yet. There are plenty of desert areas for hiking and a few legitimate "parks", but you have to love the desert (which I do). On the weekends, the downtown vibe is fun; plenty of decent bars and friendly people. If you come from a big city, you'll know what to avoid wrt crime.

Definitely! That's awesome 💪

Are you buying or renting and what general area are you interested in? I'm considering a move also to Casas Adobes.

@@MovieJustin Renting. Location will be close to Catalina foothills and U of A

@@MovieJustin Join our mailing list to be notified of grand opening

Thanks chilling with us for a sec. Yeah crime is everywhere but I think if your familiar with big city crime it should seem very laid back in Tucson. Good luck on your move!!

For the reasons you described Tuscon sounds like a quiet peaceful place to live in the right place as compared to the hustle and bustle of Phoenix ty for the video?, what trail are you walking in the video South Mountain ?

@@jesurunblends yeah we found it to be super laid back/chill/peaceful. You are 100% correct south mountain

@@arizonalifestyle79 I like that kind of life laid back chill peaceful lol maybe buy a condo out there one day for long weekends lol peace and blessings keep the videos coming bro

@@jesurunblends yeah I could see that it could be I nice getaway. Sure thing! We appreciate you hanging out with us for a little bit. Take care!

you actually just admitted it's behind lol it's no big deal honestly cause phx is behind Ca and NYC

That's awesome. Tucson is a unique place. I'm glad you're enjoying it's beauty!

👌. Go for it bro. I would say both those places would probably be easier for someone to get established mainly because the cost of housing is better than up here in Phoenix.

You’d have a lot of business down here

You'll make a mint from all the people pouring over the op3n border. I lived there almost 20 years. The last 3 months there we saw more crime than in all the previous year combined. I sold at the top of the market and have been in Florida about 2 months now. Good luck to everyone there. You're going to need it.

Oh wow, that's cool. Being a Denver native how are you still feeling about the desert after 6 years?

Appreciate the comment!!

You have a lot of good stuff in your comment. I'm actually working on doing a video talking about some of the differences between Tucson and Phoenix, and you just helped me confirm some of the topics I was going to touch on. Now, in our time living in Tucson, I've had many conversations with a few Tucson residents who suggested that Tucson was about 10-15 years behind other cities around the US and me coming from Denver I could see the truth in what they had told me. I would even go as far as saying phoenix is behind Denver as well. It's not the landscape I'm referring to but more the infrastructure of the city. We had cities in Colorado that probably are on similar timelines as Tucson, and i could see the similarities in the infrastructure. Sorry if that didn't come across clear in my video. Thanks for the comment 👍

Sure thing! We had many reasons, but some of the main ones were as family, and we wanted to be where there was more action and things to do. The speed was much too slow for us in Tucson. And at the time we lived there 4 years ago the job market was shaky, so we felt there was more opportunity in phoenix.

@@arizonalifestyle79 That makes total sense, thank you for your reply! I hope you're enjoying your new location - there is definitely A LOT to do!

@mmahoney38 Thank you! And good luck on whatever endeavor you decide to do.

Awesome I'm glad you're enjoying Tucson it definitely has its beautiful areas and is a unique city. Yup you see what I'm saying. Thanks for watching!

Yeah certainly if someone looks at the crime statistics it would show Tucson is not the best place to live for crime, but what I'm doing in the video is explaining my experience living there for 3+ years. I did not see any "gang members" and I'm not saying there is no gang members in Tucson it's just not the same as Denver/Aurora. You see that crap all over Denver visually out in the open. One thing I did see in Tucson was a ton of tweekers and homeless but again from my experience I never felt unsafe. I wouldn't recommend anyone move to Tucson or Denver but that's just me everyone is different people will hate what I like and love what I hate so that's up to them to decide what they want to do. And last thing I spent a ton of time all over Tucson even the areas people say are supposed to be the worst it just doesn't compare in my opinion. Thanks for the comment though.

@@arizonalifestyle79 it's fine in the burbs. South Tucson is rough

​@Arizona Lifestyle looking at a place near grant and Campbell, any input as far as safety?

Its so beautiful in Sedona. I would definitely live in Sedona if the housing cost was the same as Tucson. Lol

Yeah your totally right. I do have one I wear at work because I work outside most of the day. But up until I started this job I didn't know how important the big straw hat was. It makes my standing in the sun manageable. Thanks for the advice though it me and the family need to take it more serious that's for sure

Yup some areas of Tucson are a good representation of the beautiful Arizona desert

I can't tell the difference between 110 (tucson) and 118 (Phoenix) in the middle of July and at night 93 (Tucson) and 101 (Phoenix) at 9pm feels about the same too I'm my opinion. I can't remember what I said in the video but the way Tucson looks with its full on desert landscape it looks hot, where as in parts of Phoenix because how green and shaded from all the trees it is, it gives of the impression that it's not as hot as it really is. But that's just my perspective.

@@arizonalifestyle79 but I'd bet there are a lot more 101 nights in phoniex than there are 93 degree nights in Tucson, its rare we even have nights that are in the 80s. Like right now even though its amost 100 in the day its still regularly getting down into the 60s at night here in tucson.

No prob. I'm convinced that if you asked 100 people which city is better that have lived in both places the split would probably be 50/50. One thing I say is try it out and see if Tucson is for you, and if its not you can try Phoenix. But I do think Tucson has a easier barrier of entry and its definitely more simple living. But for us it took us about a year or so before we realized it was not the place we wanted to live long term but I could very well be the perfect place for you. Good luck on your move!

@@arizonalifestyle79 Thanks! I'm not stuck on Tucson. If I thought another Arizona city would work, I'd take a hard look at it. I was watching your Tempe videos and liked what I was hearing, but I'll have to check out rentals to compare - and RV parks as a temporary residence while I scoped out the area. Keep doing videos, I like your low-key approach.

@@Michaelw777.52 oh gotcha. Yeah we really like the Tempe vibe, normally I would say it's gotten really expensive up this way but you might have a solution on living expenses around because of your RV. But if you like outdoors things, Mesa might be a good option because it's geographical location to the places like canyon lake and saguaro lake and it puts you closer to cities like payson(1.25hour drive north) that has cool places to camp and you can also beat the summer heat in payson. Mesa is i pretty large city to but its definitely alot slower then Phoenix plus there is alot rv parks throughout mesa. Thanks for hanging out with us. Let me know if you have any questions, I can try and help if I know the answers.

I moved from SF to Tucson a little over a month ago and I love it. I used to live in Phoenix back the late 90s to the mid '00s then I dipped to Cali. SF was great but it just got too $$$ and the ppl are kinda shitty now. 14 years in bay was all I needed. If yr into the outdoors and exploring outside the city it canbe fun. I've been riding the Loop on my bicycle and thats already my go to when i need to get out and get centered. Some ppl say the desert is a wasteland but thats not true. The lands are prehistoric and the desert is alive.

Phoenix has a much better job market. Tucson is a retirement city.

That mostly depends on how you like Tucson. We liked it at first then we learned more about the lifestyle there we found out it wasn't a city we could see ourselves living at long term or retiring. But that's 100% just my opinion. Tucson is a place 50% of people that have lived there or live there love the city. The other 50% probably not so much. If you can find yourself a good paying job living in Tucson will be easy laid back living with really good weather most of the year so it could be the perfect place for you. So it just depends on what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.

We are from Michigan. We moved here to escape the snow and because in-laws retired here. After 4 years we are thinking of moving because we just can't take the heat in the summer. Also I'm tired of being worried about scorpions and snakes.

the west side mountains are way better than phoenix mountains, theyre not ugly either.

Sure thing!

My Son was introduce to gangs I. Middle school it was a big problem for us. The school had a meeting to teach parents about colors and what not to wear or do. You don't think I that's a problem.

@@catherinetesoro6714 I think it’s a problem that every major has. I’m from the south side of Tucson born and raised. I am very familiar with living in certain areas and having no choice to join up. But simply being introduced just sounds like a kid following a fad. I mean no disrespect but when your kid is an active gang member trust me you’ll know.

You must be on the Southside ! It’s bad over there I know ! Whew ! A bunch of Jackers and Drug Dealers in the Hood !

we were affected when my Son went to middle school, gang activity,gang pressure.

@@ctstewartjr9000 come to midtown, south side can be rowdy but midtown has gotten worse.

It really makes me sick to hear about Phoenix looking like Florida. Nobody should have lawns or any landscaping that involves water. Guess when the water runs out people will return to whatever mess they came from!

Yes we definitely got that vibe at times when we lived there. I'm also glad we moved on too, it just wasn't for us. Thank you and same to you!

Interesting. I havent felt that at all. Been here since 06.

@@El_Scorcho_ I have not felt that in Tucson either. & I’m black. But I am getting tired of Tucson for other reasons.. entertainment & events mainly, I’m tired of driving to phx for everything.

@@El_Scorcho_ I don't think it's racist.

That hasn’t been my experience in Tucson at all. I experience more racism in PHX. Tucson folks are really nice in my opinion.

In a lot of bigger cities kids are born into gang affiliated families and initiated often younger than middle school age.

Sure thing!

That's cool. What city do you live in now?

Oh okay cool how are you liking the change in scenery?

@@arizonalifestyle79 love the four seasons

@@MasterMegatron87 awesome, I can dig it.

im looking at Casas Adobes any thoughts?

@@MovieJustin images that come up look nice. We are west of Tucson, what I see generally depends on where work sends me. Having said that, almost everywhere I drive is beautiful. Great weather. Lots of trees in that this is still considered low desert.

@@MovieJustin I lived there, its a great location

I am lol. half at least. Mexican and black

@@arizonalifestyle79 Oh ok. lol. Makes sense now.

I felt like there was almost zero night life. Maybe you can find something in downtown our near U of A at late hours but the overall vibe we got was once it got dark outside around 745-800 in the summer it was time to call it a night. It's also possible since the city has been growing that there is more there now.

Nightlife in Tucson is not its strong suit... It's pretty minimal.

Yeah, Tucson was not for us either. So I know how you feel when you want to move out of a city because it's not a good fit. Good luck getting back to Colorado!

Like I said personally I can't tell the difference it's hot either way. Yes Tucson is technically not as hot, but it's too dead and dried out there, so I prefer the Phoenix heat more as crazy as it sounds. More trees water and greenery

I never worried about scorpions too much because in our 3 years out there I only seen 2 of them but there is a chance one could get into your home if you leave a door open or some sort of other opening into your place. I can't say I seen any poisonous spidere in my time in Tucson. But I'm sure they are around I just never seen any

I’ve lived in apartments and never saw any scorpions. Living in a house rn and have seen 3, plus rattle snakes outside.

I never saw a scorpion in my house but my sister in laws 3million dollar house in the mountain is crawling with them and centapedes. And they spray too. I have seen lots of snakes. One on my patio once. Cyotes, bobcat, javalinas.

From our personal experience we felt out of place living there as black person. We didn't feel fully accepted in Tucson. The vibe felt off from what we was used to coming from Denver. I heard the police are bad in Tucson but from my experience I have nothing bad to say about my interactions with law enforcement. One night I had some scarred person call the police on me while I was cleaning a office for work at night. The call said they thought I was a robber breaking into the office. The police came and I told them why I was there, I cooperated. They checked out my identity and told me to have a good night and sorry about the misunderstanding. It is peaceful there and most people are nice and easy to talk to at least compared to Denver. It's just a different vibe if you are used to being around blacks because we are very few and far between in Tucson.

Nice we lived on the east side of Tucson when we first moved there. It's known for being the safer part and we felt very safe living there. Alot of people that live in Tucson will say to avoid the South side. Good luck

@@arizonalifestyle79 thanks! We’re settled on the Catalina foothills and we visited recently and it looks nice! 😎🌵

@stormeagle2865 Sure thing! Yes, that is a good area, and beautiful desert scenery up there is awesome.

Yes, it's definitely different

Just look at the main highschool's drop out rate. 4,300 people go to Tucson HS. At the end of the year only 3,100 people remain. Drop out rate is %25... Don't use offer up here. My friend was just shot and killed for picking up a baby gate because he had $25 and a phone on him. 😭

Spent lots of time in south tucson. Not the same as Colorado

I have been hear almost 4 years and I agree people are not very friendly.

I feel you but one this one we will have to agree to disagree because I'm just stating my experience from living in both places and like I said from my experience people are way more friendly in Tucson then Denver. It could be the areas I grew up in as well which from my guess was high crime areas from what I was seeing around me.

Also I just did a little bit of research because I don't think my eyes are lying lol. Denver has a higher crime rate then Tucson. They both suck in that department but Denver according to areavibes.com has a higher crime rate. And I'm not saying your wrong or I'm right we both just have a different perspective on what we are seeing and I'm seeing Denver crime on a completely different level then Tucson and it's not even close.

@@realpainediaz7473 I think they are very friendly but I live in the foothills. Not as much crime as in the city.

​@@moodypet8837 looking to visit, any input on the catalina vista neighborhood? Specifically grant and campbell?

Okay so from my experience from living in Tucson for 3 years Tucson is probably the least progressive out of the two. Maybe Tucson has changed over the past few years because we left there for Phoenix in 2018. You may love Tucson but I can't recommend living there ahead of Phoenix metro. As a black person living there something just felt off. The vibe is not right for us in my opinion. If you want a laid back feel there is lots of places in Phoenix metro that are comparable to the most beautiful parts of Tucson and there is also places that are so beautiful in Phoenix metro that even the nicest parts of Tucson can't even compare to it In my opinion. I like areas around north Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills the only thing about those places is they lean heavily conservative so it's similar to the nice parts of Tucson but at least you are geographically in a better spot, if you wanted to hit the city or drive north to places it snows and gets 4 seasons. It's about an hour or so drive to payson or Sedona. Maybe stay a week in Tucson to see if it's for you but I couldn't see myself living there long term. But I can't really say Phoenix or Tucson is super progressive for us, just Phoenix is a little better in that area

Yeah Tucson crime statistics are terrible