Thanks, caller Ray ! So we’re not number two, but 19, because Greatist.com listed them in reverse alphabetical order. So, we switched places with Phoenix from last year and that makes Tucson 19th … and I’m still left scratching my head …

I can’t help but scratch my head over the reasons that Tucson came in second in 19 is listed in Greatist.com’s 2013 list of the 20 Best Cities for 20-Somethings, one spot above behind Washington, D.C., and right behind before third-placed Seattle.

New York City-based Greatist.com, described on its website as “the trusted health & fitness source for the young, savvy, and social,” had this to say about Tucson:

Take a deeeeep breath. Tucson is one of the cleanest cities in the U.S., as measured by year-round particle pollution. That should come in handy when we’re panting heavily on a bike, hike, or simple jog. Surrounded by mountain ranges, this year-round sunny city is the place for outdoor activity aficionados, especially cyclists. A program called “Bicycle Boulevards” helps turn city streets into safe pathways for bikers. And unlike some of the other cities on this list (cough New York cough), Tucson’s not a place where we’ll end up blowing our whole paycheck: The city’s been rated one of the most affordable places to rent an apartment. Spend some of that extra dough at the restaurants, bars, and boutiques in the historic Fourth Avenue district.

By the way, last year, Phoenix came in at 19 (Austin came in second). But this year, Greatist.com says it had new criteria for this latest list:

” … this year we expanded our scope: Does a city provide ethnic and cultural diversity? Can you walk in peace or are the streets packed with cars?”

I forgot to mention the stats listed for Tucson for the 2013 entry:

Average Temp (High, Low): 82, 55
Per capita Income: $20,460
Average Rent for 1-Bedroom Apt: $669
Population: 524,295
Median Age: 33

I love Tucson, but there’s the reality of living in Tucson and I’m just not sure where the folks at Greatist.com got their info. Maybe from the hipster travel blog that came through one day, touched some adobe and granted us instant hipster status? Maybe.

First, in the description of the city and the air quality. During the winter, a climb up Tumamoc and look out over the city made the brown crud that hung over our streets instantly obvious before even seeing the Pima County air quality warnings that were issued on and off until some rain finally hit town. Then, the bike paradise designation. Folks who love to ride in Tucson love their bikes, but a good portion of them are constantly involved to making bike riding better and others have been outspoken about dealing with traffic tickets and almost getting smushed by those wonderful Tucson drivers. So, yeah, I’m not sure whose Tucson Greatist.com is talking about.

Looking at the stats, if they talked to a local they might learn a few things: Tucson, with a per capita income of $20,460, is the sixth-poorest large city in the country. One-bedroom rent at $669 might seem like a ganga by Washington, D.C., and Seattle standards. But the truth is that even folks making a little more than the per capita income listed are having a hard time making it. Tucson is a low-wage city with many folks having to smile and swallow when they say, “Well, at least rent is cheap.”

Thanks, Greatist.com. You may want to warn those 20 somethings that some fortitude is needed during the summer since the average temp is definitely not 82 degrees come monsoon.

Cheers.

This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2013.

11 replies on “(UPDATE) OK, So We’re Not No. 2, But …”

  1. 1) The American Lung Association appears to have done a fair amount of research on the air quality issue: http://www.stateoftheair.org/2013/city-ran…

    2) In their “America’s Most Bikeable Neighborhoods” study, the Atlantic stated, “The top-rated city overall is Tucson, with 89 neighborhoods that score 70 or higher.” The criteria can be found here: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborh…

    3) Average income in Tucson is too low, I agree. But remember that our cost-of-living is also quite low. Tucson was listed earlier this month as the #2 city to “Get More Apartment for Less Money” by Apartment Guide: http://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/get-mor…

    Tucson has recently made several top ten lists:

    Best Cities for Jobs, Forbes http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45egkig…
    Most Hospitable, BuzzFeed http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/americ…
    Most Pet Friendly, Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/list/top-5-most-pe…
    Best Cities to Find a Job, CareerBliss http://www.careerbliss.com/advice/careerbl…
    Best Transit Systems, Brookings Institute http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages…
    Best Places to Retire, Wall Street Journal http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-best-p…
    Best Performing Midsized Cities, Headlight http://www.headlightllc.com/bestsummer2011…
    Best Housing Markets, BusinessInsider.com http://www.businessinsider.com/best-housin…
    Entrepreneurial Hot Spot, Entrepreneur Magazine http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227442
    Best Weekend Getaway, U.S. News and World Report http://karinfortucson.us5.list-manage.com/…

    Tucson is a city on the rise. I don’t know why we have to knock publications that point that out.

  5. Adam: I’m not knocking anyone who loves Tucson, but certainly a voice of reality should chime in every once in a while. Pima County air quality advisories aren’t made up they exist: http://www.deq.co.pima.az.us/New/NewsRel-2…
    Regarding wages, it gets tiring to hear people say that low wages are OK because rents are low, but that doesn’t mean gas doesn’t stop going up, along with food, entertainment and other necessities. Plus, as infill projects grow and other improvement projects, rents go up. These things do happen as a city “is on the rise,” and perhaps those 20 somethings are coming here for the high-wage jobs. At least that means there’s a group of people who can afford to live near downtown and eat downtown. However, should I take your answer to mean that local politics would rather just embrace these kinds of lists rather than do the work of taking Tucson off that poverty list and changing the future for those who are just grateful they can barely pay the rent each month because thank heavens Tucson is known for it’s low rent? You know, reality.

  6. Mari Herreras and TucsonWeekly, there is a Labor Day march for better Tucson wages on Sept. 2nd from 10:30 to 2pm at Reid Park (Country Club North of 22nd).

    Cost of living must be lowered or wages must be raised – something has to give here to make us the 2nd best city in reality.

  7. LOL! Good one! Even for twenty-somethings, no. And for everybody else, many times over. Rent’s haven’t been low since 1992. California rents at Tucson wages. Please people. If you can’t pay the bills, it’ s not a nice place to live. Right to work breeds this low wage and abusive employer mentality. And all the corporate transplants with their ‘get more for less’ ethos. Greatist clearly used other criteria… tans per capita? Vegan dining options? Herbal options? But certainly not livability.

  8. So we’re not number 2. “Read on for our 2013 picks, presented in reverse alphabetical order, and let us know: Did we include your favorite?”

  9. Funny, I read the posts and realized nothing has changed in the 38 years since I drove away from Tucson in my beat-up 67 Plymouth with BA in hand and never looked back.
    College students (teens to twenty-somethings) make a great exploitable “class” (based on the implacable law of supply and demand: too many students, very few decent-paying jobs) for employers who pay the lowest of the low minimum wage allowable under FEDERAL law. They’d pay a lot less if they could…
    Rents are low because THAT’S ALL THE MARKET WILL BEAR. Raise the rents and watch vacancies rise or a massive exodus to 200 sq. ft. mobile homes.
    Students work for zero benefits, zero retirement, for less than 20 hours a week, the worst hours (nights, weekends, etc.). I could go on but I preach to the proverbial choir.
    I drove a second-hand ten-speed and pedaling through neighborhood streets within one mile square of the campus after dark was a joy, especially in the Spring, summer and fall.
    Rent was steep for my income, food was nearly prohibitive unless one ate boxed Mac & Cheese, home baked beans, lots of spaghetti and red wine vinegar-soaked tuna. But for the inexpensive coffee on campus with a chocolate candy bar, I would not eat a third meal…
    I thank my stars and taxpayers/legislators who still believed in the value of a college education that tuition ranged from 180 to 200 per semester, used books came under a $100. and that’s where my “savings” went.
    Employers got their money’s worth from me. But as soon as I got that degree I headed for the state line. Tucson’s a great place to open an extractive “entrepreneurial” business if one doesn’t mind exploiting the young, inexperienced, poor, and enthusiastic.
    Somewhere along the line those years taught me never to view another human being as a means to my ends, but rather as an end unto him/herself.
    The “institutionalized” means/ends Weltanschauung exiled me from Tucson, the U of A, and dear friends–all of which I still recall quite fondly.

  10. It’s not number 19 either. It’s a top twenty in no order. They decided to do alphabetical order, but then in reverse so as to confuse everyone it seems. I mean we’d all quickly figure it out if we saw it go Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, etc.

  11. Hi all, I’m Shana, senior writer for Greatist. Thanks so much for reading! We can definitely understand why Tucson isn’t a perfect city, but none of the cities on our list are. Living in Tucson definitely has its pitfalls, but we wanted to highlight the fact that it’s got great air quality, apartment rent isn’t too expensive, and it’s an awesome place for biking and other outdoor activities. Commenter Adam Kinsey was kind enough to point out some of the sources we used for our research (as well as some others!), so please feel free to check out those.

    We’re curious, though: What kinds of factors would you like us to consider for next year’s list?

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