Very often I hear that living in Tucson is boring, that there is nothing to do, and that there’s lots of old people. I don’t mind it. I think there is plenty to be grateful for, but there is definitely room for improvement. By no means am I trying to hoax tourists into coming here. There are flaws and down sides to the city, but that’s all I usually hear. The easiest way to escape the dullness and have fun would be to party, have sex, and do drugs (which is fairly popular here, as well as most of America). After doing some research, I’d like to present some things that may have passed you by.

As far as age demographics go, Wikipedia states that in the inner-city, the population has 24.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. So there are some people under the hill. More statistics here.

The Bad:
Keep an eye out for hillbillies and their moonshine and family feuds (just kidding).

Tucson’s summers are hot. Look in the dictionary and Tucson is listed under “heat.” The sun seems to like us a little too much. And say goodbye to snow. Sleet and hail doesn’t count. Mount Lemon gets it, but not the rest of us. At least we don’t have to deal with getting snowed in.

The air is dry. I don’t want to live underwater, but out here we’ve got the opposite extreme. This is actually good though because humidity would add another 20 synthetic degrees to the scorching rays of warmth. Unfortunately, we need water to live. So we encounter drought. When we finally get rain, we get it hard and mother earth’s tongue is dried out and cannot absorb it fast enough. This means flooding. Washes are flowing and some roads get closed. Since there is so much dryness, it brings its friend called Dusty Ol’ Dust. I now have a better understanding of how Woody Guthrie felt during the dust bowl.

There are few places that are open late (especially for people under 21) besides restaurants and hospitals. If you aren’t a fan of drinking and driving or hitting the club, your options are very limited. Expect to stay at home or visit your friends at their house. Stare at a wall if you have to. Tucson is lacking safe and entertaining places for teenagers and college kids.

Beware of dangerous wildlife. Don’t hug a cactus. Keep your head down if you are wearing flip flops in the desert. Watch out for deadly animals, such as scorpions, coyotes, or the wild havalina (javelina) that can jump 10,000 feet in a single bound.

Then there are the dreaded “snowbirds.” They aren’t the feathered friends that non-locals would think of. They’re folks (usually the elderly) who visit Arizona during the winter months to escape the freezing temperatures of Antarctica. I have no problem with upper aged people, but they have a negative effect on younger audiences and events. There are elderly communities that include golf and other laid back recreational activities, but not everybody likes to do that. If they are out on the road and they have taken a “slow-motion” pill, they may slow down your ride across town to that 5:30 appointment.

The Good:
A big plus for the city is its scenery. The sunsets are spectacular. There are the Catalina Mountains, giant cacti, and beautiful wildlife. At night you can drive all the way up north on Swan Road or Craycroft to see the city lights. You can do the same on other edges of towns and up the nearby mountains.

The weather is exceptional when it’s cool in fall and spring, and the winters never get too harsh (at least for my New Yorker self). We are at a low risk for natural disasters like hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and volcanoes. All we need to worry about are monsoons, lightning, and petty dust devils.

Diversity. This can be both good and bad. Sometimes diversity includes dangerous neighborhoods or criminals, but for the most part it will give you more things to do and see. There are some nice residential areas like Oro Valley, the eccentric atmosphere of downtown (4th Ave.) and near U of A, and other ghetto parts of town. Foreigners also rave about eegee’s, a sandwich joint with various locations all around the city.

There are actually things to do. Here are some attractions, parks, and recreation, which is nowhere near complete (suggest some other places in your comments): Biosphere 2 (a failed enclosed mini-second-earth ecosystem), Arizona State Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson Museum of Art, Fort Lowell Museum, Old Tucson Studios (western movie studio and theme park), Reid Park Zoo, Saguaro National Park, and Catalina State Park.

The Verdict
Taking from the common phrase, “You are what you eat,” I think it also goes that “You are where you live.” If you live in Tucson, then you are part of boredom. You are part of the fun as well. Outside of cosmic factors like the sun (we are not part of the intense heat, except for a few hot-blooded people), we make up what Tucson has to offer. If you want it better, be the change you wish to see in the town (thanks Gandhi).