In the past, New York City and Silicon Valley were enticing millennials in groves with fast paced tech jobs and other business opportunities; unfortunately, housing prices were so high (and they still are!) that millennials had trouble finding affordable housing and those with dreams of home ownership had a difficult decision to make and the opportunity cost was high. But now people are saying that Tucson may be the next Silcon Valley.
On the flip side, Florida is known to have an abundant affordable rental housing market, but the retiree demographic and job availability makes it a less desirable long-term destination for millennials.
Young people today are being challenged to think-outside-the-box and find destinations that will offer a more complete package and Tucson definitely does.
Without further ado, The Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live:
10. Austin, TX
9. Dallas, TX
8. Louisville, KY
7. Columbus, OH
6. Dayton, OH
5. Wichita, KS
4. TUCSON, ARIZONA
3. New Bedford, MA
2. Sioux Falls, SD
1. Cape Canaveral, FL
“With a median one bedroom apartment price of $540, it’s no wonder that Money rated Tucson number 4 of their best places for millennials. The article credits the city’s revitalized downtown area and ethnic restaurants as a draw for young renters. Tucson’s job growth is expected to rise 11% over the next five years.”
We’ve done the research and this isn’t an all-encompassing description of why Tucson is one the cheapest places for millennials to live. Did you know we have one the lowest point of entry housing markets in the country? Boasting many programs to help first time home buyers and some the lowest homeowners insurance prices making Tucson a great place for someone just starting out to start their life.
Tucson also has an abundance of art, culture, and a very fun and hip downtown. There’s an abundance of nature– to hike, climb, ski and explore and there are a lot of other amazing places that are a short road trip away like: Las Vegas — 4 hours, Phoenix– 1.5 hours, Rocky Point, Mexico (Where you can rent entire beach front houses for the weekend for a couple hundred dollars)– 4 hours, San Diego, CA– 6 hours, and Showlow, AZ (home of Arizona’s biggest ski & snowboard mountain)– 4 hours.
This is only the tip of the iceberg… If you have questions about art, culture, or housing in Tucson please contact me– I’d be happy to help you however I can.
Full Time REALTOR® Helping Buyers and Sellers with Residential Real Estate in AZ Since 1994
Tierra Antigua Realty- 216 E Congress Street Tucson, AZ 85701
Equal Housing Opportunity
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:
We’ve got a lot of great things going on in Tucson, but I’m here to tell you about one specifically, the Catalina Foothills Unified School District. You might not be aware but birth rates in the USA are declining
Catalina Foothills High School Student Plaza
And in our beloved home state of Arizona, that number has declined almost 22% in the last decade. While that figure may sound shocking to you, I’m here to tell you that it’s actually not a bad thing. It’s common knowledge that our teachers are burdened with disproportionate class sizes to what a single teacher can effectively handle.
Where am I going with this? I’m so glad you asked. Kids need teachers, teachers need schools, schools have districts, and some are better than others. This is why we are so very happy to inform you that one of ours has been ranked the TOP school district in all of Arizona.
Drumroll, please! If you live in Tucson you may have already guessed but for those of you looking to move here with kids, pay attention. The Catalina Foothills Unified School District has been rated #1 in Arizona according to Newsweek!
Catalina Foothills School District
Let’s look at some of the statistics.
What You Need To Know
It’s located in Tucson, obviously the best city in Arizona by far.
CFUSD has a teacher to student ratio of 1:19, while not ideal it’s comparatively better than the competition. The next jump in other districts is 1 teacher to 23 or more students. Sometimes even 35 students are being wrangled by 1 teacher.
Catalina also boasts a 98% graduation rate, that’s the highest in the state!
According to Zip Recruiter, “As of July 2021 the average annual pay for a teacher in AZ is $26,553 a year.” For Catalina Unified they pay their teachers an average of $45,311 a year. That’s an extra $18,000 for our educators and we believe they deserve every penny and then some.
So, there you have it. If you live in Arizona and have children, you might want to consider relocating to Tucson. Parents should always want the best for their children, Catalina Foothills Unified School District is the best in Arizona, hands down.
Historically, the town is the site of the original Spanish colonial garrison in Arizona. The land originally belonged to the Tohono O’odham tribe and the name is a derivation of he original native name, Cuwak. The town changed hands numerous times until Union troops, upon advancing towards Tucson, caused the Confederate troops stationed there to retreat.
The town of today came about between the 1930’s and the 1960’s. Painter Dale Nichols opened the first art school (in 1948) and began restoring the dilapidated buildings. The school enlisted numerous high-profile artists. In 1964, the students and other residents founded the Tubac Festival of the Arts, thus charting the future for the small desert village.
USA Today 10 Best
Vote Today for Tubac to be a Top-10 Small Town for Art
USA Today 10Best is well-regarded for their wonderfully insightful lists. If you are planning your educational trip, check out their list of the 10 Best Free Museums. Additionally, if you are looking for a bite to eat check out their 10 Best Meal Delivery Services. There is something for everyone at 10Best. The greatest part of the lists is the user-interaction. This allows you to weigh in on any of their popular lists and affect the placement of your favorites.
If you have read this far, I encourage you to take a trip to Tubac today. Experience the sights, sounds, and culture offered by the wonderful art colony. Once you have been struck by the magic, please visit 10Best Vote for Tubac. As the title says, vote for Tubac to be one of the 10 Best Small Town Art Scenes in the country. We can help bring even more visitors and share this artistic treasure found just outside Tucson.
If you ask Tucson music fans and artists alike they will tell you: Tucson is a great music town.
Best Music City: Tucson, AZ
A national survey released in 2016 shows that we’re better than great: We are really, really great.
In the list of top music cities in the United States, Tucson comes in seventh overall. Yay Confetti!
In the regional rankings, Tucson is second overall, right behind Austin, Texas — to which Tucson is often compared to.
The Value Penguin does demographically-based consumer lists and this is what they found about music cities in the U.S.:
• Tucson Ranked 7th Overall Nationally
Nashville, Tennessee
Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
Seattle, Washington
Madison, Wisconsin
Austin, Texas
Albany-Schenectady, New York
Tucson, Arizona
*Phoenix-Mesa landed at 103rd overall.
• Tucson ranked 2nd regionally, right behind Austin and before Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Tucson tanked to the bottom of the pile though, for having the most radio stations, coming in at 104 on the list of 200 cities
• We are number 39 for the number of record stores.
• Tucson came in 31st for the percentage of the population with music degrees.
The Value Penguin study evaluated 200 metropolitan areas using statistical data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Thrillist, the Burau of Labor Statistics and several media surveys including USA Today and Travel & Leisure.
Here is a PDF of the original article if you’d like to see it.
https://www.valuepenguin.com/2016/best-cities-music-fans
The Tucson Music Scene, from a Local’s Perspective
To expand on this article’s findings, as a Tucsonan, I can provide you with some first-hand feedback about the music scene. If I were going to describes Tucson’s music scene with a movie title I’d name it, Boogy Nights.
From local musicians – to emerging underground artists – to the biggest names in music, you will find it all here.
Geography
Simply thinking about geography, Tucson is a convenient travel stop next to L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Tucson ranked best music city in USA
Artists Love the Crowd at Tucson, Unless they Tell that to Everybody…
Not only is Tucson a convenient stop, but artists say they love coming to Tucson because the crowd gives them all “the feels”.
This isn’t a surprise to me — Tucsonans are friendly, energetic and love to dance. It’s a pleasure to be a part of a good community and then to show artists and visitors what we’re all about.
Intimate Venues
If big crowds aren’t your thing and you are more into the private party style vibe, you’ll appreciate how the style is in Tucson. You won’t have to fight LA style crowds here and smaller venues = better views.
Tucson Music Venues
One of Tucson’s most popular music venues is the Rialto Theater, and it has a capacity of 1,200 people making it a small-big venue. This historic venue is congruent with Tucson in the same way that Tucson is a big city with a small-town vibe (Tucson’s population: 500,000 people).
There are many popular Tucson venues that are a lot smaller than The Rialto, like Hotel Congress, The Rock, Flycatcher, Solar Culture, 191 Toole and many more. Bigger venues are also present in Tucson like the Fox Theater, Tucson Convention Center, Casino del Sol and The Pima County Fairgrounds.
Proximity to Other Happening Places
Did you know that Phoenix is the 6th largest city in America? The drive to get there is easy and simple, a nice straight-shot up I-10 for about 75 minutes will open up another world. Enjoy the happenings and amenities of this big city and then return home to your quiet, safe, better-weathered community (Yes, Tucson has better weather than Phoenix, it’s cooler.). When the moment strikes for different adventures, you also have Vegas, San Diego, and L.A. all in close proximity for a road trip or a short flight.
Smaller Town Lifestyle with Big City Amenities
This is what Tucson is known for. It’s easy to have the best of all worlds living in Tucson. You get small town community with all the big city action coming straight to Tucson and nearby.
Do you want to learn about upcoming concerts in Tucson? Here’s a music meetup group and you can also check our events calendar.
Are you wanting to know even more about Tucson? Do you think Tucson might be a good place for you to live? I am a Tucson realtor with a passion and appreciation for this city. There are many articles on this site for you to go through to learn more and I am happy to help you learn more about Tucson and maybe even help pick out the perfect home for you. As one of the most affordable places to live in the country, home prices are low, making the point-of-entry to own a home actually accessible. There really are some great reasons why you should consider Tucson to build your life, home and business. I’d love to talk with you.
Take care of yourself and if we don’t speak on the phone soon, I will see you on the dance floor.
