Tucson Rated 20th Best City to Live In America

Tony Ray Baker
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Tucson Rated 20th Best City to Live In America

Well, look what we have here! Yet another accolade and feather in Tucson’s cap. According to Resonance Consultancy Tucson is the 20th best city to live in America! That’s no small feat, there are a lot of other cities from sea to shining sea in the USA. And just so you know, that’s up 21 spots from where we ranked last year. Let’s take a look at what made Tucson 20th best city to live in.

Tucson Was Rated Using These Categories
Tucson Was Rated Using These Categories

The 20th Best City

Resonance Consultancy used 6 major categories to grade upon: People, Place, Product, Programming, Promotion, and Prosperity. 

Notably, we ranked #14 in Place,

“Fast-growing Tucson is buoyed by its sense of place, ranking #10 in both our Weather and our Parks & Outdoors subcategories. The city is poised to ascend up future national rankings, due to a torrent of new investment in all manner of green and common space,” said Resonance.

The company also rightfully credits the University of Arizona for our cities “youthful bounce” considering that almost 25% of our fair city are between the ages of 20-35 years old. We’ve all seen the construction blowing up around the UA and downtown. Growth is coming ready or not. And honestly, we think Tucson is ready for it. You can’t stop the march of progress.

We also ranked #10 nationally on Prosperity if you can believe it. We can. Housing prices are steadily climbing as more and more people take notice of our little jewel in the desert. And, despite the pandemics brutal economic impact on Tucson, we still ranked an impressive #17 in shopping!

What’s Next?

We have no doubt that by 2022 Tucson will continue to scale the Best City list from the 20th best city until we break into the top 10! Where do you think we will rank next year? What about 5 years from now? Well, no matter where we land, we here at See Tucson Homes are ready and excited for it.

Best Big City for Art is Tucson

Tony Ray Baker
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Best Big City for Art is Tucson
Tucson Murals - Tucson Voted The Best Big City for Art
Tucson Murals - Tucson Voted The Best Big City for Art

The Best Big City for Art is Tucson Arizona!

American Style Ranks Tucson #18 Best Big City for Art and we couldn’t agree more!

Tucson is Covered in Artwork!

Murals, murals everywhere! The Tucson Mural Arts Program was created to help diminish property damage and vandalizing in Downtown Tucson.

These murals have not only brightened the community streets, it has given many artists the opportunity to showcase their work and talent to the public.

The City of Tucson Mural Program has attracted many new artists seeking their big break, as well as turning prior graffiti taggers into graffiti artists. Also many struggling artists can now have the chance to get paid and to be recognized.

Tucson assigns artists to the wall owners, allowing communication and planning for the outdoor gallery. This has been a great way for Tucson to showcase its cultural diversity, which has caught the attention of national press and media.

While you walk the streets of Downtown Tucson sometimes it feels as if you are walking through an art museum. Downtown is the best place to see a lot of murals in a small area.

So get you camera or cell phone ready because mosaic, hand painted and kiln fired tile murals are abundant and easy to find.

If you’re an aspiring artist and want to apply to paint a wall mural, email TMAP@TucsonArtsBrigade.org.

Have a great day,
Tony Ray
(520) 631-TONY (8669)
Free relocation package and Tucson fun info

Download the PDF of American Style Top 25 Big Cities for Art
  • Goddess of Agave

Arizona is the Best State for Retirement

Tony Ray Baker
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Arizona is the Best State for Retirement

Tucson has plenty of reasons for you to love it, the amazing Mexican food, the spectacular sunsets, and the low-key winters just to name a few. But did you know that being in Arizona puts us in one of the top 7 tax-friendly states? That’s great news for people looking to relocate and especially good for retirees on a fixed income. Here’s why Arizona is the best state for retirement.

Tucson For the Retired

We’ve assembled a list of tax-free items so you can see, at a glance, the biggest tax reasons Tucson, Arizona is the place to be and the best state for the retired.

Arizona is a Top 7 Tax-Friendly State
Arizona is a Top 7 Tax-Friendly State

Tax-free:

  1. Estate and inheritance 
  2. Groceries
  3. Military retirement income
  4. Prescription drugs
  5. Railroad retirement income
  6. Social-Security benefits

Tax-Breaks:

  1. Up to $2,500 of income from federal government, designated Arizona state government, and Arizona local government retirement plans is exempt.
  2. Senior residents could qualify for a property tax refund of $502.
  3. Seniors of 70 and older can qualify to defer their property taxes if they’ve lived in their home for 6 years and in Arizona for 10.
  4. For AZ state government, and AZ local government up to $2,500 in retirement plans are exempt.

Tax-Basics:

  1. Arizona has a 5.6% state levy
  2. Cities can add up to 5.6% but the states median is 8.4%
  3. Low end income tax is 2.5%, the high is 5.7%
  4. There is a 3.5% surtax on (taxable) income over $250,000 for single filers and $500,00 for joint filers.

Ok so technically all this information applies to the entire state of Arizona as a whole, however… We really believe that once you’ve looked around at what AZ has to offer you will find that Tucson is not only economically feasible but it’s also the warmest and welcoming city you will find on our stretch of the Sonoran Desert. When you’re done with the rest, come back to the best!

Congress Street Award

Tony Ray Baker
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Congress Street Award
Accolades or Kudos for Congress Street Award in Tucson, Arizona.
Accolades or Kudos for Congress Street Award in Tucson, Arizona.

Congress Street Award

A view of Tucson's beautiful sunset down Congress Street to Church Avenue. Photo courtesy Steven Meckler.
A view of Tucson’s beautiful sunset down Congress Street to Church Avenue. Photo courtesy Steven Meckler.

Again, another accolade for Tucson, Arizona. Recently, Congress Street was awarded Great Street by the American Planning Association. Congress Street was a happening place back in the day. However, due to a skyrocketing population and increased car traffic, it ever so gradually became less friendly to the pedestrians walking on the street. This was a huge problem. The city planners wanted to address the situation head-on which ended up labeled from the American Planning Association as a 2017 Great Street Award.

In early 2000s, city planners, Tucson officials, and engineers planned out a series of inventive plans to breathe new life into the local economy and restore its commercial opalescence. Since then, Congress Street, has had several makeovers to try bringing mode-sharing back to the street.

Congress Street Award: Renovations Since Early 2000s

  • Reduced the street from three lanes to two
  • Sidewalks widened to encourage more pedestrian activity
  • Trees planted to help with the relentless Arizona heat
  • Bike parking added for cyclists
  • SunLink, a modern streetcar added
  • Restoration of the Rialto Theatre and the Fox Tucson Theatre

Congress Street Award: By The Numbers

Congress Street is a major cultural hub for Tucson and hosts an array of events, including the annual Tucson Jazz Fest every January. Photo courtesy Steven Meckler.
Congress Street is a major cultural hub for Tucson and hosts an array of events, including the annual Tucson Jazz Fest every January. Photo courtesy Steven Meckler.
  • 67 new businesses have opened along the street since 2008
  • 25 restaurants are currently operating along Congress Street, 16 of which are in historic buildings and 22 of which are locally owned or Arizona based
  • 40 years is how long the Fox Tucson Theatre sat empty before it was revived as a significant community resource
  • 12 historic buildings have had facades restored with private investment matching public funding at a ratio of 6:1
  • 4 of SunLink’s 23 stops are along the street

Congress Street Award: The Designated Area

The designated area for Congress Street extends 1.63 miles from Toole Avenue on the east, which serves as a gateway to downtown, to Silverbell Road on the west, home of the historic Menlo Park Neighborhood and the Mercado District. The street’s commercial corridor runs about four-tenths of a mile between North Church Street and East Toole Avenue.

In conclusion, I truly hope that you get a chance to take a trip downtown and checkout the newly planned and reconstructed Congress Street. There are so many things to do and plenty of fun businesses to take your money. lol 😉

Have a great day! 🙂

Tony Ray Baker & Darren Jones

Download the PDF of Planning Excellence - Congress Street
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