One of the Most Playable City for Kids

Tony Ray Baker
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One of the Most Playable City for Kids
Kid Friendly city, Tucson AZ One of the Most Playful Cities

Tucson Designated a Kid Friendly City

Tucson is such a kid friendly city. So much that it was honored with the most playable city for the 10th year in a row by KaBOOM.  KaBOOM is a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of kids.

Kaboom states that, “Children are missing out on the childhood they deserve. Play is disappearing at home, at school and in communities, particularly for the 16 million children living in poverty.”

Play is so important to the physical, emotional and mental development of children. Living in a place that emphasizes community and has a diverse offering of activities for children is a key component to raising a well-rounded healthy adult.

I can confidently say that the sense of community in Tucson is present, abundant and thriving. People love and support the community here. It is one of the many things that makes Tucson a special place to me.

Balanced and active play is crucial to the well-being of kids and the communities that they thrive in. By integrating play into cities, the leaders of Playful Cities USA are working to attract and retain the thousands of families that want homes in close proximity to safe places to play.”

There is an abundance of great places for kids to play in Tucson. There are museums, soccer fields, playgrounds, parks, gyms, classes and lots of outdoor activities. The list of kid friendly things to do and explore in Tucson is never-ending.

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

Download KaBoom's Top Playful Cities USA

Tucson Ranked in Top 10 Cities Best Positioned for Pandemic Recovery

Tony Ray Baker
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Tucson Ranked in Top 10 Cities Best Positioned for Pandemic Recovery

According to Forbes magazine, Tucson is one of the top 10 cities in the best position for a post pandemic recovery. Using data collected from Moody’s Analytics they predict the top 10 and the 10 worst cities. “Note that they are sorted alphabetically in order to avoid assigning false precision to our calculations,” Kamins tells Forbes Women.

Tucson is a Top City That Will Recover From Coronavirus
Tucson is a Top City That Will Recover From Coronavirus

Pandemic Recovery Ranking Method

Moodys examines the density of population and compares it against the number of jobs that require a higher degree. They also take into consideration the density of cases across different counties. Those 2 factors alone could indicate why Tucson makes it into the top 10. Because it’s a college town Tucson is overflowing with smart people and has an abundance of open spaces. 

Some of the other top contenders are Denver (CO), San Jose (CA), and Washington DC. Noticeably these places are also university towns and have beautiful natural resources. Surprisingly Austin, TX did not make this list. Austin is frequently set side by side to Tucson as another blue city in a red state.

Now that the gloating is over we will look at a few of the cities that did not make it. Some of the results may surprise you.

The Have-nots

What do Honolulu (HI), Los Angeles (CA), New York City (NY), and Tampa (FL) all have in common? Aside from being on the top 10 worst recovery cities list? High density, overcrowding tourist traps. Yup, the higher your tourism the more likely you’re in an area heavily afflicted with Coronavirus. They predict that there will be mass out-migration from these densely populous areas towards more sprawling towns. 

Covid 19 is going to loom large in the public consciousness for years to come. For the very young and impressionistic pandemic recovery may always haunt them, much like children of the Great Depression often stockpile non-perishables or hideaway cash money. 

We are certainly fortunate to be in a position where, not only are we poised to recover well, but it’s such a beautiful, and delicious, place to be till then. But, for the foreseeable future, we still have to be vigilant. We have to be willing to do our parts for the greater good. Yes, we are all sick of wearing masks, but for a better future, we must do better now.

The 10 Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live

Tony Ray Baker
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The 10 Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live
The Hub - Downtown Hot Spot for Millenials, Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live
The Hub - Downtown Hot Spot for Millenials

10 Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live

Housely.com published an article, The 10 Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live in the U.S. where they considered data about cheap housing, availability of jobs, and social + cultural advantages.

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.
Download the 10 Cheapest Places for Millennials to Live

Catalina Foothills Unified School District is #1 in Arizona

jamesportis
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Catalina Foothills Unified School District is #1 in Arizona

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
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
Catalina Foothills School District

Let’s look at some of the statistics.

What You Need To Know

  1. It’s located in Tucson, obviously the best city in Arizona by far. 
  2. 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.
  3. Catalina also boasts a 98% graduation rate, that’s the highest in the state!
  4. 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.

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