November 26th, 2008 by Michael Oliver

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Obviously when you’re relocating to Tucson Arizona if you have never been here it can be extremely hard to figure out what side of town you want to live on, or what type of home you can get. Hopefully blogs like mine help you to shed light on what is available and to get a feel for the region months before you actually show up to town. Relocating to Tucson Arizona can (like all relocations) be stressful and complex. The toughest part of relocating to anywhere regardless if it’s Tucson (which hopefully it is) is finding a home you like in an area of town that works well for both you and your family. I figured I would give a basic rundown of the large mega communities that are very popular with relocating (and native residents) buyers. These neighborhoods are large in size and not necessarily for everyone, however the reason why they are large is because people find them well situated and well priced so they have a lot of demand. When relocating to Tucson as anywhere, everyone has opinions about “the best area” or “The best neighborhood” all of this is very, very subjective talk to 10 people and your bound to hear 10 different responses. Like I said this relocation guide post is simply to make potential relocation buyers aware of the Tucson area’s most popular large master-planned communities.

Rancho Sahuarita: Rancho Sahuarita due to its location just south (In the City Of Sahuarita) of Tucson and its affordability next to essentially all of Tucson’s major employers makes for a natural fit BEFORE you even see the neighborhood which somewhat feels more like a destination/attraction then a neighborhood (I’m sure that’s the actual idea.) Rancho Sahuarita offers new homes (and resale ones as well) from 150’s up to the mid 300’s. Many employees of Raytheon, IBM, Davis Monathan (DMAFB),and Citibank, live here due to the close commute that Rancho Sahuarita offers. Rancho Sahuarita is located off of exit 75 on I-19 Sahuarita exit. If relocating to Tucson I would highly recommend you look into Rancho Sahuarita.

Continental Ranch: Continental Ranch was in many people’s minds the first of the mega master planned neighborhoods in the Tucson area. Continental Ranch homes are seen as very contemporary and very affordable for homes on the NW (Northwest) side of Tucson. The Continental Ranch area was begun in the 1980’s by Charles Keating (well financing was arranged by him) and over the past 20 years has been 100% developed. The total number of homes in Continental Reserve number roughly 3500 plus there is an extension of Continental Ranch called Continental Reserve. (Technically they are different communities) In Continental Reserve there are roughly 1100 homes making for a grand total of 4400-4500 single family homes within Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve. Homes for sale in Continental Ranch, Continental Reserve range in size and price, homes are from 900sf through 3000sf, and home prices within Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve average $175,000-$400,000’s (low 400’s) The area has also grown significantly with lots of shopping, stores, and other commercial development. For those unaware relocating to Tucson, NW Tucson is by far the most demanded and popular side of town in which to live. I have heard figures that 6 out of 10 home buyers start their search for a home of Tucson’s NW (Northwest) side. The Continental Ranch, Continental Reserve corridor of homes is located essentially from I-10 west to Silverbell a mile north on Silverbell. If you’re relocating to Tucson and would like to live on the NW side of Tucson I would recommend relocating to Continental Ranch, Continental Reserve as one of Tucson’s most popular large neighborhoods its obvious many people think the same way about this neighborhood.

Rita Ranch/ Houghton Corridor: Rita Ranch (the land) was once owned by billionaire extraordinaire Howard Hughes. In fact at one point in time Hughes owned something like 10% of all the residential land within city limits! Rita Ranch (Named after Rita Hayworth) was a large piece of land on Tucson’s southeast side. After Hughes death his trustees sold almost all of his land holdings in Tucson to help pay the bill for his hefty estate tax due upon his death. Later on as Tucson’s growth pushed outward the land just off of Houghton with good access to I-10 become a viable place to have a large neighborhood for new housing. Rita Ranch was born as a very affordable new housing alternative for those people that lived wanted to live on the southeast side of town. Like Rancho Sahuarita Rita Ranch is very close to the major employment hubs of Tucson. Employees of Davis Monathan, IBM, Raytheon, and the other large employers for the most part are located within southeast Tucson. Rita Ranch homes range in size from 1100sf-3500sf and in price from $130,000-$325,000. I would be willing to go out on a limb and say Rita Ranch is Tucson’s most relocation dependant neighborhood, meaning that more people move in and out of Rita Ranch due to relocations then any other neighborhood in the Tucson region. I can say that because a great many soldiers in the Air Force choose Rita Ranch to live within and with all the relocation they do it’s a safe assumption. Rita Ranch while not as big as the NW’s Continental Ranch/ Continental Reserve is still one (maybe second largest) of the large neighborhoods within Tucson.

As an addition it is worth noting that the Houghton Corridor is being developed to become one of the most desirable places to call home in the Tucson Valley. The Houghton Corridor while for years ridiculed as “never going to happen” is happening. The idea is that along Houghton Road there was going to be a real nature feel and conservation movement, within all homes and new home development is actually occurring in a real way. If your relocating to Tucson and you would like to live within a “green” area of town along the Houghton Corridor is the medium sized community of Civano. Civano pushed the notion and convinced many developers of the validity of building “green” homes. The idea was always there but developers never thought people would pay the large sums of money to live in an extremely eco-conservative way. Well they did Civano, has some of the hardest building codes for what is allowed and all homes must meet a very rigid set of guidelines that ensures they are not wasting electricity, water, or any other natural resource that can be conserved.

Rancho Vistoso: Rancho Vistoso in the city of Oro Valley often gets forgotten because it is at the very northern part of the Tucson Valley. Oro Valley is just north (maybe more NW of the City of Tucson) Ranch Vistoso is Oro Valley’s largest neighborhood and with Rancho Vistoso there is also an 18 hole golf course that cuts through the neighborhood allowing many homes to have golf course views and property. If your into golf the actual Rancho Vistoso Golf Club is a very good course every year it ranks highly in Golf Digest’s “Top Public Courses in America” I have played it many times and I have to say that I like it better then a lot of the even “World Class” golf course destinations Tucson offers. The course itself is always in mint condition and its also very challenging with incredible views. The Rancho Vistoso Neighborhood also lives up to this same standard. Homes here are on the upper end; ranging in size from 1400sf-5000sf and in price from $225,000-$1,000,000 however most homes fall in the 275k-400k range. For residents relocating to work for employers such as Honeywell, and the NW Medical Center Rancho Vistoso should be highly considered. The community is impeccable and Oro Valley is a top destination for retirees and those that can afford the area due to its many high end golf clubs and resort style living. Every year thousands of residents from Tucson and worldwide relocate to Oro Valley (and a lot of those end up in Rancho Vistoso) due to the unique lifestyle and world class destination that Oro Valley has become over the past 25 years.

Dove Mountain: Dove Mountian located in Marana Arizona on Tucson’s NW side would not have been on my list of “Top Large Neighborhoods To Relocate To” a couple of years ago, however the neighborhood has grown a lot and the entire area has become the “IT” place to be. Don Diamond a world class real estate developer, developed Dove Mountain at least a decade ago to become a high end destination for people wanting to relocate to Tucson for the “rugged Arizona experience”, having built Dove Mountain at the base of the Tortolita Mountains gives the neighborhood a very inspirational and “implausible” feel. Homes here range in size from 1100sf-6000sf, home prices within Dove Mountain are also across the board starting in the low $200k’s to in excess of $3 million. At the top of Dove Mountain sits “The Gallery” this course has hosted the World Match Play Championship for the past 2 years. The entire Dove Mountain area is ongoing an ultra high end feel and I predict that this area will in time become the “New Foothills” and become along with The Foothills the high end living place to own a home. So for those wanting to relocate to the Tucson area Dove Mountain should be considered due to its current affordability and prospect to become the “Place” to live within the Tucson region.

The Catalina Foothills: The Catalina Foothills long revered as the “high end home local” is just that. For residents who are relocating or want to be in the middle of it all The Foothills is exactly that. The Catalina Foothills sit at the base of The Santa Catalina Mountain Range, the homes in this area are the most expensive in Southern Arizona (on the whole) the average sale price for a home in The Foothills is roughly $575,000 so while the homes are not cheap the value you receive for lining in this location I think is a great deal. Residents can get to and from Downtown Tucson is 15-25 minutes and also within The Foothills there are several world class destination resorts Ventana Canyon, Caynon Ranch, and La Paloma to name a couple of them. This gives residents access to lots of world class golf, spas, restaurants, and all the additional benefits that world class resorts bring to an area. The Foothills has always carried with it certain “cache”, and many relocation residents to Tucson soon catch on to The Foothills as being the place to live within. Assuming you can afford this area there is no doubt that living within the district will allow you to be located close to about everything going on in Tucson or Oro Valley.