I moved to Tucson in 72. While I have seen this city increase in population it has not gotten too large. Phoenix comes to mind as an example of too much of everything with traffic being very tedious. Some have said traffic is bad here in Tucson. I would disagree as it flows nicely even when the streets are full with rush hour traffic. The worst is that you may encounter a few intersections where you may have to sit for a second cycle but that is only during rush hours.
There are not many high paying jobs here. Hopefully you son has already secured a job.
Few things the lame liberal city politicians have done ever seem to affect me or my friends. The only one that comes to mind are some of the poorly maintained roads. That is getting better as of late.
The city is large enough that every conceivable need can be met. Every area of Tucson has a cluster of stores nearby that will meet your needs. No need to go across the city for food, hardware, car care, entertainment etc. Naturally there are speciality shops that occasionally need to be driven a distance to visit. As for the southside it is fine except perhaps at night. Quite frankly ANY nighttime activity in any city contains some risk compared to daytime.
I am thinking the University area might be a nice place for your young son to live at first. Lots of young people to interact with. I began living there myself.
Tucson has a large artistic population. We even have a two glass blowing studios and even a school teaching glass blowing,
There are quite a few gun ranges, plus we can shoot on Forest Service or BLM lands lands which are closeby .
Bird hunting in Az may be the best in the country. We have long seasons for many species of birds. Az has what we call "the big 10" game animals too.
I have been hunting all over southern Arizona for decades and never had any issues with illegals even when I am hunting mearns quail along the border.
When comparing all the states, Az is number six in amount of public lands. There are hundreds of miles of jeep trails to explore. Hiking trails as well. There are mountain ranges with up to five ecosystems.
IMO Tucson's weather is some of the best in the country from October through April. Winters are mild and we often will be found hunting quail in shirt sleeves in January! Sure summers are a bit warm but that is mostly June and the early part of July. Once the monsoon begins things cool down and unless you are an outside laborer it is easy to endure.
I would venture to say your son will enjoy Tucson.
