Noise Levels in Westside Development, Tucson, AZ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across Westside Development
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,142
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
28% of Westside Development residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Westside Development at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 1,142 Westside Development residents, or 27.6%, live above that level. By land area, 34.2% of Westside Development is above 55 dBA.
65.8% below 55 dBA
34.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Westside Development compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Westside Development
Average noise levels for Westside Development residents, grouped by direction from the center of Westside Development. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Westside Development; the lowest is in southwestern Westside Development, where just 5% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Westside Development
54.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Westside Development
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern Westside Development
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Westside Development
52.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern Westside Development
49.3 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Westside Development sounds about 41% louder than in southwestern Westside Development, a 5.0 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from 10W~36TH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ST~~~~~~ do you need to be?
10W~36TH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ST~~~~~~ produces an estimated 57 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 1% of Westside Development sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 50% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
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Airport Noise
Tucson International (TUS) sits southeast of Westside Development. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Westside Development, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Westside Development
The bar chart below shows the share of Westside Development residents in each noise band. About 82% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Westside Development Compares
Westside Development sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Westside Development's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Santa Cruz Southwest, North University, Menlo Park, and Rincon Heights.
Average noise level (dBA)
Westside Development's 52.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Arizona as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Westside Development because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 27.6% of Westside Development residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 34.2% of Westside Development's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Arizona average of 28.3% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Westside Development
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from 10W~36TH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ST~~~~~~ and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 1% of Westside Development is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is medium-intensity developed land. Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. Tucson International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
