Davis Monthan/Tucson info

[DFRESH]

I just found a new renter for the house I'm leaving. PM me if you have any questions about the sq you're going to. If you are single, there's supposedly lots of college chics around craycroft and broadway. Of course, closer to the college is usually better for chasing tail.

[Bobby]

Of course, closer to the college is usually better for chasing tail.

I'm sure his wife would be down with that!

[DFRESH]

]If you are single...

Allow myself to quote myself

[theSituation]

When the wife and I first moved here we rented really close to downtown and the university. It was great to get to know the city and everything fun was within walking distance. Not that far from the airport either. Rent was reasonable too. Keep in mind that college has started/or is starting soon so many of the nicer homes may have been taken already.

[Kenny Powers]

Thread bump! Where do people live off base nowadays? I've hear some people live as far as 30-45 minutes away. Is Tucson really that bad of a city for a family?

[uhhello]

2 hours ago, TheLaughingCow said:

Many families live on the Southeast side, in Rita Ranch.  Housing is affordable there and the schools are good.  It's about a 15-25 minute drive to base.  Another popular area is a new development called La Estancia, perhaps a 10 minute drive from the base.  Base housing had been very popular but BAH just went up a lot on the higher end so maybe more people will move off base.

Would stay away from Rita Ranch.  It's headed down hill.  Lots of newer housing areas in Vail and closer to the betters schools within the Vail School District.  Most people with families don't live in the "city" unless you go the charter or private school route.  I'm out in Vail and if the south gate is open I can be at my desk in under 20-25 minutes.  Oro Valley up in the northwest is another option but that is a crappy stoplight commute.  

Edited January 22, 2020 by uhhello

[ViperStud]

Using the back gate at DM makes Oro Valley manageable. My wife commuted for two years until she moved to a job off-base. Vail is nice, but it’s remote. Schools are comparable to OV, but Vail has little else around it. OV has the benefit of much more to do and it’s a hell of a lot closer to Phoenix if you’re heading up that way every once in a while. Anywhere with access to I-10 has a pretty straight shot to DM back gate  

Concur that most people don’t live in Tucson proper. Schools in TUSD have a bad reputation. Areas by U of A have decent homes with a lot to do, but you get a lot less for your money. That and schools drive people to eat the commutes and live in OV, Vail and Sabino Canyon. I know a decent amount of people in Marana and the Foothills as well - longer drive but they think it’s worth it. 

[uhhello]

38 minutes ago, ViperStud said:

Using the back gate at DM makes Oro Valley manageable. My wife commuted for two years until she moved to a job off-base. Vail is nice, but it’s remote. Schools are comparable to OV, but Vail has little else around it. OV has the benefit of much more to do and it’s a hell of a lot closer to Phoenix if you’re heading up that way every once in a while. Anywhere with access to I-10 has a pretty straight shot to DM back gate  

Concur that most people don’t live in Tucson proper. Schools in TUSD have a bad reputation. Areas by U of A have decent homes with a lot to do, but you get a lot less for your money. That and schools drive people to eat the commutes and live in OV, Vail and Sabino Canyon. I know a decent amount of people in Marana and the Foothills as well - longer drive but they think it’s worth it. 

Yup.  Really wish they'd make the south gate open all day at a minimum.  Vail is exploding though.  We've been here just under two years and there has been so much built in that time alone.  Infrastructure is not there to support it of course so it could get interesting. 

[stract]

I lived IVO Tanque Verde/Sabino Canyon, just north of the Tanque Verde wash and drive to work was 15-20 min depending on gate traffic.  It was 20 minutes to pretty much everywhere in tucson.  Loved the area!  In general, I'd recommend living north of the river.

[FLEA]

Tucson proper is a slum. The city refuses to enforce odinances or has overturned them that have essentially allowed meth addicts to take over the down town. There is a heavy presence of MS-13 and 1%ers in the city limits and crime is relatively high everywhere except the CBD. My wife was a cop there for 3 years and worked homicide scenes enough to develop mild PTSD after we left. A member I worked with bought a house out the NE gate and had a stray round from a drive by pass through his 1 year olds nursery about 30 inches from the crib. I wish that base would boneyard itself. 

[Springer]

On 2/1/2020 at 4:16 PM, FLEA said:

Tucson proper is a slum. The city refuses to enforce odinances or has overturned them that have essentially allowed meth addicts to take over the down town. There is a heavy presence of MS-13 and 1%ers in the city limits and crime is relatively high everywhere except the CBD. My wife was a cop there for 3 years and worked homicide scenes enough to develop mild PTSD after we left. A member I worked with bought a house out the NE gate and had a stray round from a drive by pass through his 1 year olds nursery about 30 inches from the crib. I wish that base would boneyard itself. 

I don't think it is that bad as you are approaching it thru the eyes of your cop wife.  I will say that the area from DM north to the foothills and west to Oracle Rd is crappy.  Might look for a rental off Craycroft in Fairfield in the Foothills.  NW Tucson is the nicest and where I live (25 yrs) but as someone previously mentioned it would be stoplight hell to get to the base. 

 

[FLEA]

1 hour ago, Springer said:

I don't think it is that bad as you are approaching it thru the eyes of your cop wife.  I will say that the area from DM north to the foothills and west to Oracle Rd is crappy.  Might look for a rental off Craycroft in Fairfield in the Foothills.  NW Tucson is the nicest and where I live (25 yrs) but as someone previously mentioned it would be stoplight hell to get to the base. 

 

I just didn't see it until my wife would point it out to me. Or show me things i never noticed. If you know what you're looking for in the ways of tattoos, drug paraphinalia, etc.... You start to see it everywhere there. 

There are certainly nicer areas away from the city but the area south of I-10 to the CBD and the areas you mentioned are slums. 

Stoplight hell is the truth. Supposedly, 30 years ago the city voted on whether or not to build a bypass to I-10 north of the city before it got pushed up to the mountains. The city council was afraid Tucson would lose its "small town feel" if they did that and voted it down. Now 30 years later the population exploded to over a million and there is no room to put a bypass. 

Does smiling Sally still smile for her troops on Houghton south of the airbase? 

[Springer]

On 2/11/2020 at 1:42 AM, FLEA said:

Stoplight hell is the truth. Supposedly, 30 years ago the city voted on whether or not to build a bypass to I-10 north of the city before it got pushed up to the mountains. The city council was afraid Tucson would lose its "small town feel" if they did that and voted it down. Now 30 years later the population exploded to over a million and there is no room to put a bypass. 

Does smiling Sally still smile for her troops on Houghton south of the airbase? 

I was there when the bypass issue came up.  You have it right. They were going to elevate it over the washes.  I was pretty much against it.  The growth was already out to Reddington Pass and most homes were on multi acre lots.

I never get near Houghton....so depressing driving from the NW side of town.  Sally is up against the leftest Mark Kelly.

[busdriver]

Unless you're close to the highway and your destination is as well, everywhere takes 30min in Tucson.

[Splash95]

My info is a bit dated, but while stationed at D-M ('09 to '11) I lived in a downtown apartment complex called La Entrada (seems it's now 255 North, https://www.255north.com/). Reasonable rent, walking distance to 4th Ave, an easy Uber these days to the University area, 15 minute commute to base right down Aviation Pkwy with few traffic issues. Hardly anyone else in the ECG lived there, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to any young single person or childless couple who finds urban-ish areas appealing. When back in town last December I ran through the neighborhood and didn't notice it having gone downhill or anything. I hope some find that useful!

[FLEA]

On 3/7/2020 at 9:40 PM, busdriver said:

Unless you're close to the highway and your destination is as well, everywhere takes 30min in Tucson.

Really annoying for going anywhere but does become super easy for planning. You just get used to leave the house with 30 minutes.to go anywhere. 

When I was talking about smiling Sally above o was talking about a homeless woman on Valencia and Craycroft? That used to walk up and down traffic with a sign that said "Smiling Sally still smiles for her troops". 

 

[Hopefulflyer389]

Looks like I’m now heading to Tucson for B-Course and need to know where the best place to live with a family. Thanks! 

[HU&W]

https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/new-mission-planned-for-davis-monthan-after-a-10-retires

[FLEA]

45 minutes ago, HU&W said:

https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/new-mission-planned-for-davis-monthan-after-a-10-retires

"Michael Guymon says keeping Davis-Monthan busy preserves jobs off the base when thousands of workers, military and civilian spend their government paychecks outside the DM gates.

 

“There's an economy that is built off of individuals who are paid, and then there's spending money in the community.""

 

 

Not sure why anyone should care?

[Blue]

22 minutes ago, FLEA said:

Not sure why anyone should care?

I mean, it's a story from a local Tucson news station.  If I was a resident there, I sure would care what happens to the mission at DM.  They've had Uncle Sam spending money in their community for decades.  They don't want to see that gravy train stop.

The article talks about "the DM 50," presumably a group of local business leaders.  I've heard so much about the "Shifty 50" in Clovis NM and how it relates to Cannon AFB.  What is it with these local 50-person business groups.  Is that a Southwestern US thing?

Speaking of Cannon, I'd read that when AFSOC went looking for their Western US base, DM was one of the finalists that lost out to Cannon.  If the A-10 is going to be retired, it seems like a win to.....everyone to move people and missions out of Cannon and put them at DM.

[FLEA]

18 minutes ago, Blue said:

I mean, it's a story from a local Tucson news station.  If I was a resident there, I sure would care what happens to the mission at DM.  They've had Uncle Sam spending money in their community for decades.  They don't want to see that gravy train stop.

The article talks about "the DM 50," presumably a group of local business leaders.  I've heard so much about the "Shifty 50" in Clovis NM and how it relates to Cannon AFB.  What is it with these local 50-person business groups.  Is that a Southwestern US thing?

Speaking of Cannon, I'd read that when AFSOC went looking for their Western US base, DM was one of the finalists that lost out to Cannon.  If the A-10 is going to be retired, it seems like a win to.....everyone to move people and missions out of Cannon and put them at DM.

Its more of a general statement that this pattern of allowing local business committees to lobby pressure on congress to sustain unneeded basing is why you have shit holes like Cannon to begin with. Yes, it is a concern for the local population, but from a national strategy level its a big "not my problem" and maybe you shouldnt have thrown all eggs on your economy into a risk decision as volatile as DoD basing. 

Bigger picture, this attitude is preventing the DoD from streamlining infrastructure which is definitely needed to control spending. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by FLEA

[ViperStud]

28 minutes ago, FLEA said:

 

Bigger picture, this attitude is preventing the DoD from streamlining infrastructure which is definitely needed to control spending. 

Valid but I don’t think DM is really a good example of this problem. If the A-10 evaporated tomorrow, there are still EC-130s and plenty or rescue iron there. DM also houses an ACA Det, the 214th RG, an AOC, border patrol and this little thing called the boneyard - which has expanded its scope to essentially become a full-up maintenance depot. 
 

The town is also 1.3M+ and growing, tough comparison to some ~40K sh!thole remote NM dustbowl. Taking our busiest operators and cramming them into Clovis was always a big FU to them and their families, and the perfect example of your point. 

[SurelySerious]

Politicians treat it like everything would evaporate if the hawgs went away, though, to make it a political grenade. Even if that isn’t plain reality to everyone else.

[Danger41]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

If the A-10 is going to be retired, it seems like a win to.....everyone to move people and missions out of Cannon and put them at DM.

I’ll stomp this now and crush dreams that if DM goes AFSOC, it’ll be in addition to and not a replacement of Cannon. 
 

With the OA-1K coming online, DM is great because of the existing infrastructure for A-10 ops with weapons storage that isn’t present at other bases. Turns out you can’t just put AGR-20’s in a big bunker with all the Gunship stuff.

[FLEA]

20 minutes ago, Danger41 said:

I’ll stomp this now and crush dreams that if DM goes AFSOC, it’ll be in addition to and not a replacement of Cannon. 
 

With the OA-1K coming online, DM is great because of the existing infrastructure for A-10 ops with weapons storage that isn’t present at other bases. Turns out you can’t just put AGR-20’s in a big bunker with all the Gunship stuff.

Yup. Good range access as well.

Also, AMARG will keep DM there for a long time to come. Still plenty of space to fill on the used car lot. 

And EC-37 transition happening now, ensure basing for foreseeable future. The ECG buildings were all constructed in like the last decade. I don't see them picking up anytime soon.