Myers - Tucson, AZ

Tucson's rich history dates as far back as 2100 B.C. The name "Tucson" comes from the original name of Sentinel Peak, where the area's first inhabitants grew crops. The O'odham word, "cuk son" means "base of the black hill." The peak is made up of 30-million-year-old volcanic rock. In the early 1900s, students from the University of Arizona constructed a 160-foot-tall "A" on the east face of the mountain. Because of this, the mountain is also called "A" Mountain. In 1900, Tucson had around 7,000 recorded residents, and by 1910, the population sat at about 13,000. Today, hundreds of thousands people occupy the Southwestern Arizona region.

Many of the original structures from the early 1950s, including Myers-Ganoung Elementary School, have been preserved due in part to the highly active Myers Neighborhood Association, which hosts monthly meetings. In 2005, Myers and the four neighboring communities came together to make the area a safer place to live. An annual celebration marks the anniversary of this successful effort, which saw a 54 percent decrease in violent crime throughout the region. Residents benefit from proximity to a number of retail centers, parks, the Arizona State Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The annual Tucson Folk Festival, held at a site seven miles outside of Myers, attracts tourists from all around the world.

Just an hour drive from the Mexican border, Myers has no shortage of authentic cuisine. It doesn't get more authentic than the Sonoran hot dogs at El Guero Canelo. Born in Magdalena, Sonora, Daniel Contreras, the owner of this establishment, began opening hot dog stands across Tucson in 1993. He now owns multiple restaurants in Tucson and a tortilla factory in Magdalena. The 22nd Street location seems small, but the menu proves big on flavor, with its Sonoran-style dogs stuffed in steamed bolillo rolls, breakfast burritos, carne asada, and chicken or ham tortas.

Mama Louisa's Italian-American Restaurant on Craycroft Road has served as a Tucson staple since 1956, and so have its traditional Italian recipes. Big, hearty entrees, such as chicken or veal piccata and fresh-made pasta and sauces, cemented Mama Louisa's reputation for filling food at reasonable prices. Make your own meal by choosing from a huge selection of pasta noodles and sauces, or try Joe's Special, made with linguine, hot peppers, garlic oil, and house sauce topped with melted cheese.

At Taco Giro, breakfast stays on the menu all day. Here, expect to find everything from barbecue T-bone steaks to grilled pulpo, or octopus. The cozy, casual atmosphere of the cushioned booths and tile floors draws relaxed locals and out-of-towners alike. Drop in anytime before 10 p.m. for a heaping helping of huevos rancheros or a stack of five pancakes for under $4.

Hoagie House, an old-school sandwich shop in the same strip mall as El Guero Canelo, slices fresh blocks of meat and cheese daily and gets its hoagie rolls delivered from a local bakery. In addition to 6- to 36-inch sub sandwiches, the restaurant serves up cheese steaks and burgers with sides of chips, onion rings, or macaroni salad.

Myers heats up after dark. Driftwood Pub and Kitchen on Craycroft Road has poker with cash prizes on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday nights; trivia on Thursdays; karaoke on Fridays; and live music on Sundays. If you want to get some exercise in while you drink, head to Home Plate — and bring some quarters. Open until 2 a.m., this 22nd Street location functions as a sports bar and training facility, where patrons down brews and try their hands at the batting cages.

Myers, widely considered a walkable neighborhood, has dedicated bike lanes on Swan Road, 29th Street, Craycroft Road, and 22nd Street. Residents often ride the trails around the Aviation Bikeway. Interstate 10, easily accessible by car, connects locals to downtown Tucson and the city of Phoenix about three hours north. Various shopping centers share parking lots, so spaces typically prove easy to find.

The Sun Tran bus line has stops up and down 22nd Street, Swan Road, and Craycroft Road. The Sun Link, also known as the Tucson Streetcar, zips across the Santa Cruz River from downtown Tucson to the University of Arizona campus. Uber and Lyft are also available.

Freedom Park, located on the southern outskirts of the Myers neighborhood on 29th Street, boasts basketball courts, covered ramadas, and softball, soccer, and Little League fields. This park also features an indoor recreation center with multipurpose weight rooms, cardio rooms, and computers open to the public. The center serves the community with programs for residents of all ages and hosts Marana Health Clinic on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One of Freedom Park's walking trails leads to Aviation Bikeway, four miles of unpaved trails also called a linear park, where locals jog and bike.

Swan Park, a big patch of green less than a mile from Myers, proves much smaller than Freedom Park, with covered picnic areas and swing sets. Palo Verde Park, eight minutes outside of Myers, has tennis courts and multipurpose fields but mostly draws in locals for the fenced-off gravel dog park with waste management cans and benches for pet owners.

The cost of living in Myers falls well below the city average, with one-bedroom apartments in Myers renting for around $430 per month. Gas prices run around nine percent less than the national average. Expect to pay $3 for a beer and $1.50 for one-way Sun Tran bus fare.

For regular weekly grocery runs, Myers residents usually load their carts at the Fry's Food and Drug on 22nd Street and Columbus Boulevard. While the area has no available farmers markets, you can find specialty and gourmet items at the eclectic mix of international food stores, such as Moan's Oriental Market on 29th Street and Craycroft Road, where locals go to purchase lemongrass and kaffir lime, or El Vaquero Meat Market, which has exotic meats, including sheep and lamb. Park Place Mall, an indoor mall about two miles outside of Myers, proves the go-to spot for recognizable stores, including Macy's, Dillard's, Forever 21, and Fossil. A one-stop shop, Park Place Mall allows locals to knock out their to-do lists with a variety of storefronts. End your day of retail therapy with a blueberry banana smoothie from Cold Stone Creamery, or catch a movie at the Century 20 Theater, conveniently located in the food court.