Ok hows the job market look? Average/decent pay for someone that works with their hands? Right now I am in charge of plant maintenance, and building displays that go into Home Depot and Lowes stores. I used to work in a rod shop and I am a whiz with a MIG gun. What would be a good hourly rate to earn in Tucson? i'm not looking to be a broke ass after I make my mortgage payment but I know my limitations and I am not the guy that is going to make a bajillion dollars, just an average hard working guy that likes to build stuff and isn't afraid to learn something new. Damn I want to just pack up and move now but we are in this house we just bought for another 2 or 3 years before we can sell.
you'll have to stand out on your lawn with a hose running on your head twice a week to remind you of seattle.
LUCKY!!! I wish I didn't have a lawn!, you don't have to mow dirt! Of course I probably wouldn't have a use for this in Arizona....
Yeah,nice huh? It's the end of April and I am still wearing a insulated Dickies hoodie and a thermal shirt all day. It's fucking freezing up here! And I had to stop mowing because it started raining.....did I also mention that my 56 olds is parked in my driveway waiting for new floors and every time I start on it it starts raining. Welder + rain = bad!
I made the move almost 5 years ago and do not regret it one bit. I do miss my dad and all my pals in the Mischief Makers and running the Hotrod-a-rama.I do not miss the weather and Seattle-Tacoma traffic. Not much of a truly traditional hotrod scene like the NW. Lots of streetrodders. There are a few of us though and I have met some guys I like to hang with. The excessive heat here is wonderful. I love working with my shop doors open and the fans blowing. Come on down.
Are you kidding....here in Maine we keep a snowblower on our tractor even with the mower deck on ....you just never know.
Hell bring down the Deere....you can use it to drag you lot or you will find a use for it here FYI quads are legal to drive on the streets here........with your talents you should be OK,call me when ya get in the hood............oh yeah when I left Portland Oregon (I grew up in Tucson) after 25+ years I left my mower in my front yard...still dont miss it.
The only reason I could think of to stay in the NW would be the fishing, and I don't like to fish all that much so I live in AZ. I worked outside for every second of daylight for many summers, its much better to be dry and hot then be cold and wet on.
i was born and bread in Tucson. there's a decent amount of car stuff out here. Personally i live kind of south central(Reid park if you wanna look it up) my neighbor hood is awesome, a little ghetto at times, but if you wanna work late at night, no one tells you anything, the neighbor hood is quiet during the weekdays, little noisy on the weekends sometimes but i contribute. there's not many hot rod/custom guys that i have found near me just a guy with a deuce coupe, but there are tons of low riders, and im a big fan of low riders to so it all works out great. if i where to buy another house it would be west of the free way and north of grant road. great hills, large lots, nice houses and your still close to most of the good stuff
After 45 years in NH, I moved to Scottsdale a couple years back. I love the weather and the lack of potholes and frost heaves on the road. Great place to own a roadster...except maybe in the middle of the summer. On a non-car note, the critters here are a lot more serious than back east. You certainly dont want to leave your garage/shop door open. I took this pic in my kitchen at 7:30am the other morning. I had left my front door open for about an hour the day before and this 3.5 foot rattler waltzed into the house. He must have had a slumber party in my corn flakes because that was him coming out of my kitchen cabinet heading off to look for food. I also have Javelinas (big angry pigs with teeth like a crododile) in my front yard and my beagle is always getting hungry eyes from the coyotes. Even paradise has its serpent.
Yeah FUCK SNAKES!!!! i hate those things! There would be holes in the kitchen from the mini 14 and the XD-40. Snakes are the only thing I would really be worried about because I have 2 cattle dogs (one red heeler/staffy mix and one pure blue heeler) that will chase down any critter that comes into the yard and I don't want them getting bit.
Out here most people who live even somewhat remotely or have working/hunting dogs take them to "snake school." At the school they put a shock collar on the dog and introduce it to rattlers with and without a working rattle. Once the dog is trained it shouldn't willingly approach a rattler. I trained my beagle and he barked at the snake in my kitchen but would not approach it.
GREAT INFO!!!!! We take our dogs to herding classes every now and then and they have done agility and obedience classes since they were pups.
123, I moved to Tucson from Tacoma in 2000, and I haven't missed the rain one bit. The housing market is still kinda flat, so there are deals to find. We don't have as many auto swap meets as we had in the Puget Sound, but if you're willing to drive to Phoenix (100 mi.), there are monthly swap meets at one of the colleges. There are still a couple good wrecking yards in Phoenix with plenty old tin. We've got a nice dragstrip and oval track at the fairgrounds, and Firebird Raceway south of Phoenix has NHRA national events. We do have a number of decent car shows and at least one regular cruise venue. You should be able to find decent work in the area. The only caveat is that Arizona is a "right to work" state with very few labor unions. As a result the wages tend to be south of average if ou don't have a degree. The cost of living is probably on a par with Pierce County, but not as costly as King County. As far as the critters are concerned, it's not as bad some will tell you. If you're out in the fringe, yeah, you may have some issues with scorpions and the like. I reside near the U of A and we're pretty much pest free, unless you're talking about termites, which vacation here yearround. We do see a javelina occasionally. We moved here with a bassett hound and he never had a problem. There are people here that will give your pets aversion therapy to break them of chasing snakes and gila monsters. I look forward to meeting you when you make the move. Mike
I'd like to piggyback on this thread because I have similar thoughts of moving to central or northwestern AZ in the fairly near future (one year or so). I'm sick to death of allergies, cantaloupe-sized hail, tornadoes and ice storms!!! I'm reasonably familiar with Arizona, and have driven 66 the entire width of the state. Places like Seligman, Holbrook, Flagstaff, and Kingman really intrigue me. I can handle snow, so that doesn't bother me. I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East, so the heat is fine with me, too. Everyone seems to have positive thoughts on the Tucson and Phoenix areas, so what about the places I've mentioned, and basically anywhere along 66 from Holbrook west? Kingman has my attention focused there, more so than the others. If you feel I've hijacked this post, I apologize!
I definitely recommend the Tucson area. I live in Oro Valley and like it very much. The car guy scene here is way cool! Swap meets, car shows, cruise-ins and world-class restoration/building shops. And, of course, a very nice drag strip in SIR. We also have a great dirt oval for sprint cars. Don't know what the real estate market will be in 2 or 3 years, but now - of course - would be a great time to buy. Jon Lundberg
I lived and worked in Tucson for about a year and a half a little over a year ago. Found my Caddy down there. Lived In Oro Valley too, didn't really dig the suburban track house feel, would've preferred to have lived closer to the U of A. The heat is no biggie, but then again I live in North Texas where it stays in the triple digits with 80% humidity for a couple months during the summer. It was great to see stuff on the road that I would've never seen back home in Fort Worth. I'd go back in a heart beat, the desert, mountains and old cars can't be beat. I have to say though that people don't seem to be as friendly there as they are in Texas. I think it has to do with the number of Yankee and Cali transplants. Had some ignition problems with the Caddy and it took a dump right outside of my apartment complex, several of my "neighbors" passed me while I pushed and steered my 4600 pound car up a slight grade into the complex. Not a single one offered to help, would've never happened in Texas, just saying.......
Lots of good points brought up, and I also like it here. My advice would be to live just outside of city limits (like I do). Tucson politics is hell. Money is very mismanaged downtown. The car stuff and the climate is fantastic! I'm on the NW side, but not as far as Oro Valley speed trap. The heat ain't bad. Any questions, send me a PM. Come on down, but leave the mower up there!
No, bring the mower... We had one at a shop I worked at with a push bar on it. To push dead cars with...
I moved to Arizona from Colorado last year and so far I'm pleased with the move. Heres my thoughts. I live out in the boonies with the closest town being Casa Grande which is Halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. We bought an acreage in Arizona primarily because of the smokin deals on houses. That was great although the home we bought has dropped even further in price since last year. Hopefully the bottom is getting close so home prices stabilize. I think theres more crime here than in Colorado but I feel thats due to the stressed out economy and all the border problems here. We have been broken into once and have had a couple of vandalisms in the rest of the subdivision as well. That parts not cool but we now have a block watch in the subdivsion and have had increased patrols from the sheriff's office because of it. As far as the weather--I'm loving it. Working on my cars in the middle of winter in a t-shirt is great. Theres 3-4 months of crappy weather when the temps get too high but for me thats preferable to freezing my ass off for those same 3-4 months. As far as the car scene, I think theres more activity in the Phoenix metro area than in Tucson but either area would be great, It seems like there is something going on every weekend of the year although things do slow down July and August. The Oro Valley area is a beautifull location and we would have liked to have bought there but the home prices there are still pretty high. Off course, being from the NW they may seem relatively low. We choose nearby Casa Grande because of the central location between the 2 big citys and we liked the small town atmosphere. Hope this helps.
I lived down there when we built Desert Diamond casino/hotel. hated the traffic. weather was 5* cooler than phoenix, and yes it does make a difference...And when it snows, yes it does snow sometimes, all the bridges close due to ice, and you can go no where, as for the snakes, if he's in the house, that its up for sale. And oh yes you have to check out Pima air park...lot of neat planes to look at. And Truly Noland still has his old cars on the corners....and skying on Mt Lemon, if it's not on fire..
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