Yep, it's a heckuva drive to Red Rock from Tucson. That fact comes up repeatedly in conversation with people who have moved to the area in the past couple years. But they also say it's worth it.
And despite the distance, construction in Red Rock Village — the Pulte Homes master-planned community in Red Rock — has moved along steadily even as other builders closer to town have gone into bankruptcy and new neighborhood development has screeched to a halt elsewhere.
Red Rock is just over the Pima/Pinal county line from Marana, easily a good 20- to 30-minute drive up Interstate 10 from the Arizona Pavilions business district toward the southern end of Marana.
Many Red Rock residents consider Arizona Pavilions to be the nearest shopping to where they live. They can go there or get off I-10 at West Tangerine Road and head east to the Dove Mountain area, which has sprouted some new grocery stores. It's about the same distance either way.
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Until March, Shawn Ryden, her husband Pat and their children lived near East Broadway and Houghton Road. They had been trying since last year to sell their home so they could move to Red Rock Village.
Ryden goes to Phoenix regularly, she said, and the move lopped an hour off her drive time.
And she works near East 22nd Street and South Columbus Boulevard, but she has found no change in her time commitment to get to work in the morning because now she takes the freeway instead of driving on surface streets as before, she said.
"When I go into town, I just do everything when I go in," she said. And she's gotten to know her neighbors better than anywhere else she's lived because they depend on each other for small errands sometimes.
They'll check to see whether anyone needs anything before heading out to the store, she said.
It puts a new spin on the notion of borrowing a cup of sugar.
Of course, Ryden once drove 44 miles round-trip to Starbucks because she didn't realize how far West Ina Road really is — she only remembered that it was toward the beginning of her morning travels when school was still in session and she was driving her son to Sahuaro High School every day.
The separation from more populated areas has fostered an entrepreneurial spirit for some.
Susan Arriens and her husband Darrin moved to Red Rock Village with their two children about two years ago.
They were the ninth family to move in, she said. Pulte has closed on about 400 homes since then.
When Arriens was laid off not long after moving, she began babysitting a few children in her home for friends in the neighborhood.
By the end of this month, she plans to open the Red Rock Child Care and Pre-K Center in the building that housed Red Rock Elementary until recently.
"The demand has just gone out of control out here for child care and for preschool," she said.
With a staff of seven and an initial capacity for 75 children, Arriens is leasing two classrooms — one for child care and one for preschool. She's waiting for Pinal County to do the final inspections and give her the go-ahead, which she expects will be within the next couple weeks.
"We're just about ready to go. The classrooms are all set up, and we're very excited. I have my staff, and we're just waiting to hear the word," Arriens said.
Her husband — who worked for 96.1 KLPX radio in Tucson — also was laid off and has since found work in Colorado, but Arriens is staying put with their two children, ages 6 and 9, with hopes that Darrin will be able to return home soon.
"I'm planting roots with this business. I'm done. I love this neighborhood. I have some of the best friends in this neighborhood that I've ever had," she said.
Such stories are not surprising to Pulte representatives who work in the community.
Sales manager Lori Galbrecht said in 20 years of working for Pulte, she hasn't seen a group of neighbors become so close so quickly.
She was surprised to see Sunday block parties pop up, she said.
And consumers have gotten good at the "value equation," said Shawn Chlarson, Tucson division president for Pulte.
In other words, they calculate the extra cost for gas for their commutes and compare that to other savings — for example, having a lower house payment than people who live closer to or in town.
The distance situation is a matter of perception, he said. Once people visit, they realize it's manageable and they often decide to buy.
The continued growth is evident in the school district. Red Rock Elementary District — which has one K-8 school, with plans for another down the road — moved to a new, bigger school building this past school year.
Superintendent Myke Hitchcock said enrollment will have roughly tripled in the last three years, by the time school opens this year.
When school starts again, there will be about 300 students and 14 teachers.
There's no high school yet, but high-school-age students can catch a bus to Santa Cruz Valley Union High School in Eloy or apply for open enrollment at other schools.
New residents have blended well with the people who lived in Red Rock before Red Rock Village opened, Hitchcock said.
"It's growing gradually. Not as fast as Pulte expected it, and not as fast as we expected it, but it does continue to grow," he said. "We've really come together as a community."
On StarNet: View a slideshow about Red Rock Village online at www.azstarnet.com/slideshows
About Red Rock Village
Size: 1,008 acres.
Total homes: 3,964 on completion.
Homes so far: About 400.
Schools: One existing K-8 school on a new 16-acre campus that opened in August.
New child care center
For information on the Red Rock Child Care and Pre-K Center, call Susan Arriens at 529-1350.
