I get a lot of requests for the differences between Phoenix area and the Tucson area of Arizona. Now I've never lived in Phoenix, and it's unfair of me to compare with my own slanted tastes, but I have to admit I'm more of a fan of Tucson!
What is the Difference Between Phoenix and Tucson?
Here's some major differences right off the bat. I'm just going to hit a few high points in the interests of not having a 10-page blog post!
Size - Phoenix, etc. is a CITY. Tucson is a sprawling town. (Really, the "flavor of the city" lends itself towards "town") Phoenix Metropolitan Area (Metropolitan Statistical Area) Population on November 15th, 2010: 4,536,069 Tucson Metropolitan Area (Metropolitan Statistical Area) Population on November 15th, 2010: 1,044,829 (derived from city-data.com)
Phoenix has more water - canals, rivers, lakes. Tucson has a fishing lake going up to Mt. Lemmon, or you have to travel over to Patagonia - about 70-90 minutes SE
Phoenix has little mountains dotting its vast, spread cityscape, with the Superstition Mts. looming large to the east. Tucson has mountains surrounding its four sides - and the town is situated in the "valley" between -- elevation differences are: Phoenix (Sky Harbor Airport) - 1141 Feet - Tucson International Airport - 2654
Phoenix has better roads. A vast, well-planned freeway system gets you all over - quickly. Except of course, during traffic jams. Tucson has one major freeway, I-10, which slashes at a diagonal through town from NW to SE, and connects to I-19 which heads due south to Mexico.
Mostly, choosing between Phoenix and Tucson is a matter of personal taste and/or job requirements. Tucson (1776, officially) has been around a great many more years than Phoenix, (1861) and carries an old-world touch that easily recalls The Old Pueblo. Father Kino established San Zavier in 1700 and the community of Tucson was founded as a Spanish military garrison, protecting settlers from Apache Indian raids.
If you have questions or would like a SWDesert Homes visitor's packet, I invite you to contact me for a free copy and no-limit question-asking period!
If you'd like more information on the Phoenix area, I invite you to visit Juli Vosmik's blog post for areas towards North Phoenix metropolitan area, (N/NW Phoenix, Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek, Peoria) and Deanne Olivas for areas more Southerly: (Phoenix, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, Apache Junction)
The number one question I receive is, "What is the difference between Phoenix and Tucson weather? The following is a month by month comparison taken from various weather spots across google, the averages compiled from 1993-2010.
Phoenix
|
Tucson
|
|
|
January Average high temperature: 66 Average low temperature: 41 Warmest ever: 88 Coldest ever: 16 Average precipitation: .8 February Average high temperature: 70 Average low temperature: 44 Warmest ever: 92 Coldest ever: 24 Average precipitation: .6 March Average high temperature: 75 Average low temperature: 49 Warmest ever: 100 Coldest ever: 25 Average precipitation: .9 April Average high temperature: 84 Average low temperature: 55 Warmest ever: 105 Coldest ever: 35 Average precipitation: .3 May Average high temperature: 93 Average low temperature: 64 Warmest ever: 114 Coldest ever: 39 Average precipitation: .1 June Average high temperature: 103 Average low temperature: 72 Warmest ever: 122 Coldest ever: 50 Average precipitation: .1 July Average high temperature: 105 Average low temperature: 80 Warmest ever: 121 Coldest ever: 63 Average precipitation: .8 August Average high temperature: 103 Average low temperature: 79 Warmest ever: 116 Coldest ever: 61 Average precipitation: 1.0 September Average high temperature: 99 Average low temperature: 72 Warmest ever: 116 Coldest ever: 47 Average precipitation: .7 October Average high temperature: 88 Average low temperature: 61 Warmest ever: 107 Coldest ever: 34 Average precipitation: .6 November Average high temperature: 75 Average low temperature: 48 Warmest ever: 96 Coldest ever: 27 Average precipitation: .6 December Average high temperature: 66 Average low temperature: 42 Warmest ever: 87 Coldest ever: 22 Average precipitation: .9 |
January Average high: 65 Average low: 39 Warmest ever: 87 Coldest ever: 16 Average precipitation: .99 February Average high: 68 Average low: 42 Warmest ever: 92 Coldest ever: 20 Average precipitation: .88 March Average high: 73 Average low: 45 Warmest ever: 99 Coldest ever: 20 Average precipitation: .81 April Average high: 82 Average low: 51 Warmest ever: 104 Coldest ever: 31 Average precipitation: .24 May Average high: 90 Average low: 59 Warmest ever: 117 Coldest ever: 43 Average precipitation: .24 June Average high: 100 Average low: 68 Warmest ever: 117 Coldest ever: 43 Average precipitation: .24 July Average high: 100 Average low: 73 Warmest ever: 114 Coldest ever: 59 Average precipitation: 2.07 August Average high: 97 Average low: 72 Warmest ever: 112 Coldest ever: 61 Average precipitation: 2.30 September Average high: 94 Average low: 68 Warmest ever: 107 Coldest ever: 44 Average precipitation: 1.45 October Average high: 84 Average low: 57 Warmest ever: 102 Coldest ever: 26 Average precipitation: 1.21 November Average high: 72 Average low: 45 Warmest ever Coldest ever Average precipitation: .67 December Average high: 65 Average low: 39 Warmest ever: 94 Coldest ever: 24 Average precipitation: 1.03 |
Comments(7)