Best City for Creatives, Writers and Artists

Tony Ray Baker
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Best City for Creatives, Writers and Artists
Tucson Voted Best City for Artists and Creatives
Tucson Voted Best City for Artists and Creatives

10 Cities That Creatives Should Move to That Are Not NYC or L.A.

With lush areas, that cater to rich people and a happening downtown attracting young adults in groves,  you’d never imagine it, but Tucson, Ariz. is becoming a great place for up-and-coming creatives to live.

Home to one of the country’s most fun party schools, that is paradoxically studious– The University of Arizona has been attracting the best and the brightest creatives to Tucson for years. Artists of all types who are catering to younger crowds are flourishing. But the city is also slick with wild wild west, cowboy, gunslingin’ desert history perfect for the budding mystery novelist. While the sun is down and the co-eds are at play, the thriving downtown music scene wherein artists like Calexico were born offers cheap amenities to up-and-coming bands plus primo weather for open-air shows and lugging gear back-and-forth as you please.

Located so close to L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix, Tucson has become a must-stop destination for all the big name musicians traveling through. Imagine seeing your favorite artist or DJ in an intimate venue with your closest friends? A luxury, a small, big city like Tucson can afford.

Tucson is quickly establishing itself in the technology world

Collaborative work spaces, trendy internet cafes, hole in the wall gems decorate the thriving, growing downtown area where you’ll find artist studios, galleries and performance venues. The magic of building community is a blossoming value to be discovered. There’s a reason they say Tucson is a small town in a big city.

Ramshackle mid-century hotels line the downtown streets and create an air of playful adventure. The historic, local favorite, Hotel Congress comes packaged with a story about being John Dillinger’s hide-out, a venue, and diner vibes near the trendy 4th Avenue.

Just imagine that Phoenix is like Dallas and Tucson is like Austin, only in a much cooler area, because, hello? Road trip to SoCal, and Las Vegas!

Complex.com’s list of the 10 Cities That Creatives Should Move to that aren’t LA or NYC:

  1. San Juan, Puerto Rico
  2. New Bedford, Mass.
  3. Providence, R.I.
  4. Tucson, Ariz.
  5. Athens, GA
  6. Hartford, Conn.
  7. Santa Cruz, Calif.
  8. Santa Fe, New Mex.
  9. Louisville, KY
  10. Big Sur, Calif.

Download Complex.com's List of the Top 10 Cities Creatives Should Move To

The Condé Nast Traveler

Tony Ray Baker
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The Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler Logo
The logo of the Condé Nast Traveler Magazine
We all know Tucson is pretty amazing but, it’s always nice to see others recognize it too. In April Tucson received some well-deserved attention from Condé Nast Traveler. If you don’t know what the Condé Nast Traveler is or why we should care let me tell you.

The Condé Nast Traveler

This worldwide magazine is filled with high luxury and lifestyle as well as hard reporting. Originally the magazine was originally bought by Condé Nast in 1987 and has gone on to win over 25 National Magazine Awards. It’s kind of a big deal to be mentioned by them. They published a list of 11 must-see destinations around the world. Taking that into consideration we think that makes this honor even more prestigious.

What They Said

It goes without saying that Tucson is known for its food. We have tons of accolades and it’s no surprise that most of them revolve around our food. There’s a reason we were UNESCO’s first city of gastronomy. So, it is no surprise to us that the very first thing they mentioned was our food.
Image of 2 Sonoran Hotdogs
Condé Nast Traveler mentions sonoran dogs.
Specifically, they mentioned the hotdogs of El Güero Canelo which won the coveted James Beard Award back in 2018. If you are wondering what is so special about a Sonoran Dog? Well, for starters, it’s wrapped in BACON! From there you pile on beans, sour cream, caramelized onions… No words we have will do this hotdog justice. If you ever find yourself in the Old Pueblo you simply must try one.
Image of the Saguaro National Park
Condé Nast Traveler tips its hat to the Saguaro National Park.
Condé Nast Traveler also mentioned the Saguaro National Park, highlighting the majestic cactus and the abundance of beautiful wildflowers we see every spring. You may think you’ve seen flowers in spring before but the blooms of cacti and succulents you will find here are truly spectacular.
Boldly colored Tucson sunset
Condé Nast Traveler mentioned our beautiful sunsets.
And lastly, they rounded out the article mentioning our sunsets. We can’t blame them, it would really be a shame to not mention them. In fact, we’d wager that we have the most dazzling sunsets in the 50 states. Come to Tucson and find out for yourself!

The New York Times Mentions Saguaro National Park

Tony Ray Baker
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The New York Times Mentions Saguaro National Park
The New York Times recently released an online, interactive list of 52 places around the world where travelers can be a part of the solution, rather than a problem. Because you know us, you know that we are only bringing this to your attention because they mention Tucson! Yep, the good Old Pueblo is in the media yet again. Okay, okay, more specifically they mention the beautiful Saguaro National Park. This national treasure can be found on both the east and west sides of Tucson. Nearly 2 million of the namesake cacti call these 2 parcels of land home and give our desert its distinctive look.
A plaque at the Saguaro National Park displays the cacti growth
A trail plaque from the Saguaro National Park.
As alluded to by the NYT article all 52 places on their list must have a problem to need a solution. In our case, the problem is that we have very few new saguaros, a species that is a notoriously slow grower. Think 75 years old to get its first arm, and not reaching its full height of 45 feet until 200 years old. So, a declining population of these stoic giants is a problem, not just for Tucson but for an entire ecosystem. The article highlights a local conservation project where volunteers work year-round pulling buffalo grass. Why does 1 weed need so much attention you might ask? There are a couple of reasons. The first is because it’s a non-native species that takes much-needed nutrients to other native plants. And secondly because due to climate change, we’ve been experiencing hotter summers. These withering temperatures dry out the buffelgrass and provide ample kindling for wildfires.
Saguaro National Park volunteers put on backpacks
Saguaro National Park volunteers get ready to tackle buffalo grass. Emma Gibson/AZPM
You can help mitigate the buffalo grass by volunteering with the Saguaro National Park. They organize clear-ups year-round. If you don’t want to be outside but still help out, that’s ok too! Find all volunteer opportunities here.

Cities with the Fastest Job Growth

Tony Ray Baker
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Cities with the Fastest Job Growth
We Love Tucson's Playful Architecture, Cities with the Fastest Job Growth

Cities with the Fastest Job Growth

Via an article published August 16, 2016 in Bloomberg.com, an economist, Jed Kolko, “who specializes in U.S. cities and the future of work, points out that mid-sized cities, such as Tucson, Arizona and Seattle, Washington, continue to see fast job growth, but the San Francisco Bay area has fallen out of the top 10.” Tucson ranks number 3 overall on the list, beating out Austin, TX and Seattle, WA.

You can see the Bloomberg article of The Cities With the Fastest Job Growth, and let me know if I can assist you in finding a home in Tucson, so you can get in on this amazing opportunity. I specialize in the downtown area but I can certainly help you find a home anywhere in town, central, northwest, east, and south sides.”Better job security is fueling real estate demand in the south, and a corresponding pick-up in home-builder sentiment. This new construction boom in Tucson has already begun, especially with the revitalization and expansion of Tucson’s booming downtown.”

To give you an idea of the expected job growth in Tucson I was recently at a Downtown Growth and Development seminar (October 2016) and theses were the reported statistics relating to jobs coming to Tucson and below this chart of innovative companies who are or will be headquartered in Tucson.

Prospective Employers Shortlisted or Serious Consideration
Industry Employees Average Wage
Engineering / Manufacturing 1,975 $110,000
Engineering 170 $150,000
Manufacturing 40 $60,000
Professional Services 75 – 100 $75,000
Aerospace and Defense 1,000 $40,000
Manufacturing 60 $46,000
Advanced Services 192 $50,000
Manufacturing 31 $102,000
Total Jobs / Average Wage 3,543 $79,100

Awesome Tucson Companies

Accelerate 120 jobs

Taken from Accelerate’s website: “Accelerate Diagnostics is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. Set at the base of the majestic Catalina mountain range, Tucson is called “science city” and was recently named one of America’s most innovative cities by Forbes Magazine. The community is quickly becoming a biotech and diagnostics hub, with companies such as Roche, Sanofi Aventis, Syncardia, and HTG Molecular, among others, driving biotech job growth of over 33%.”

Home Goods 900 jobs

ADP 450 jobs

Caterpillar 1,000 jobs

Caterpillar moving it’s headquarters to Tucson will not only provide many new job opportunities, but will also ensure lots of new construction for an overall economic boom! Get ready. Their new office will be located right downtown.

Comcast 1,100 job

World View 400 jobs

You’ve got to check out this innovative company. Here’s just one sentence from their website. “World View is leading the way in the emerging stratospheric economy, offering an innovative and affordable high-altitude flight platform that is transforming access to space.”

I hope you enjoyed discovering a bit more about Tucson. It’s no surprise that Tucson is ranked as one of the Cities with the Fastest Job Growth because many many exciting plans are underway and what I shared with here, is only the tip of the iceberg.

Download the PDF of Bloomberg's The Cities With the Fastest Job Growth
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