Is Oro Valley a good place to live? (Pros and Cons)
We relocated to the Tucson area in late 2005 and in 2006 purchased a home in Oro Valley. While there are many areas in the Greater Tucson area that we considered, the jaw-dropping mountain views we encountered while first driving up Oracle Road absolutely blew our minds. We drove all around the town that day, noticing how tidy and well-planned everything seemed to be. That evening, reading accolades and statistics about the town sealed the deal for us—we were determined to find a home here. While I can say that we never regretted the choice, it isn’t for everyone.
Pros to living in Oro Valley
Oro Valley has been on the receiving end of so many flattering accolades and news articles that I can’t even list them all here. Some highlights include being named the safest town in Arizona by Safewise in 2019, one of the ten best towns for families by Family Circle magazine in 2008, the best place in Arizona to raise kids by Bloomberg Business week in 2013, and the safest and wealthiest retirement town in America by Travel + Leisure in 2024.
Safety
The Town of Oro Valley is not fooling around when it comes to safety. Their well-funded and trained police force has kept Oro Valley one of the safest cities in Arizona for decades. The police are known for their efforts in community outreach and their popularity with the citizens here is pretty legendary.
Active lifestyles
If you have an active lifestyle, the Town of Oro Valley is loaded with things to do. Its proximity to Catalina State Park offers outstanding hiking opportunities—while snaking throughout the Town are over 20 miles of multi-use pathways for residents to walk, jog, bike or skate on and 44 miles of natural paths for mountain biking or hiking. In addition, you can access the famous Tucson “Loop” from several points in the town. Feel like hitting the tees instead? Oro Valley is home to some excellent golf courses and within close driving distance to many more. There are also several large parks, an archery range, a stunning aquatics center that is open year-round and a beautiful community center with many amenities (including tennis and pickleball courts). There are also several gyms and yoga places in town.
Nature lovers
The recipe of closeness to the Catalina Mountains and an abundance of open space in Oro Valley means that you will be able to really enjoy some of the Sonoran Desert wildlife we have here. In our neighborhood we have seen everything from aerial predators like hawks, owls and ravens; large bobcats, packs of coyote, javelina, raccoons, rabbits, snakes, lizards, gila monsters, road runners, antelope squirrel and more. And I never get tired of it!!! 😊 We set up cameras all around our home—not for security but to capture wildlife on cam. You can read more about the local wildlife here.
Beauty
As I mentioned at the top of this article, we were really impressed with the appearance of Oro Valley from the get-go. I don’t know if everyone the town employs to keep it up has OCD or what, but whatever they are doing is working. Oro Valley is by far the cleanest town overall I have ever lived in (including time spent in Europe and Canada). Pair that with the incredible mountain views and the lush Sonoran desert open spaces around town and it is easy to see how people become enchanted with the area.
Health Care
It seems like there are healthcare options everywhere in Oro Valley. Anchored by the Oro Valley Hospital, the town has a plethora of health care providers of all different specialties. There are also several urgent care clinics, physical therapy clinics and natural healing options like acupuncture in town. There is also easy access to NW Hospital at Orange Grove and La Cholla in Northwest Tucson.
Arts and Culture
Throughout the year there are live music concerts, art shows, classic car shows and a wine festival to enjoy. Dotted throughout the town are works of public art, and the Town has a robust historical society as well. And like any picture-perfect town, we have Independence Day celebrations and charming holiday tree lightings open to the public.
Cons to living in Oro Valley
While I don’t think there are a lot of cons to living here, there are a few big considerations to take depending on your financial situation and lifestyle.
Expense
Get ready to open your wallet—Oro Valley home prices are more than the Tucson average by 40-45% on average. But it is the price you pay for the “pros” listed above. Apartment rentals are also higher than Tucson on average, mainly due to the smaller inventory of apartment rentals available (and the ones that are here are mainly touted as “luxury rentals”.
Nightlife (or lack thereof)
Do you love nightlife? Chances are, you will be driving to find it. I think the Town has a bedtime of 9 pm—because it is pretty quiet and dark after that, seven days a week. There are some great restaurants and a few of them have bars that are open later—but this is not the place for clubbing.
Job Opportunities
Don’t get me wrong—there are jobs in Oro Valley. We have several large companies here such as Roche, Simpleview and Honeywell here— and while there are many opportunities in the medical, tech and service industries, Tucson is considerably larger and has more diversity as far as employment goes. However, that is picking up year by year and the town government is doing its part to bring more business to the town. Many people in Oro Valley commute to Tucson to work.
Transit and Walkability
Oro Valley is a great place to walk for pleasure—but homes that have grocers and restaurants within walking distance are few and far between. There are a few public transit options (you must reserve space to use the Sun Shuttle Dial-a Ride) and before Uber you would be hard-pressed to find a taxi that would come from Tucson, pick you up and drive you around. You will need a car (or access to a car and driver) to conveniently live here.
Growth
With all the articles praising Oro Valley of the last many years (including some that hit the international news) we have more people moving and visiting here. That has translated into some growing pains like higher housing costs, grocery stores and restaurants that are jam-packed most months of the year and MUCH more traffic. Many of these newcomers are staying year-round, and the noticeable summer slowdowns we had 15-20 years ago are disappearing. I really don’t see this stopping—and since there is a limited amount of space to build more housing/infrastructure I think these issues will get worse as time goes on.
Will we stay here? Yes, as long as we are in the Greater Tucson area we will live in OV. It has become home and while on occasion I wish we could easily walk to restaurants (and I have had to get used to leaving earlier to get places than I did years ago), I would not trade it. If you are thinking of moving to Oro Valley, there are more resources out there to help make your decision. The Town has an excellent website (https://www.orovalleyaz.gov/Home) and there are facebook groups, like the popular Oro Valley Community of Women (men are welcome as well, according to the page) dedicated to connecting residents of the town. If you are looking for a home in Oro Valley, Marana or NW Tucson, please feel free to reach out anytime! We would love to assist you!
