A Town that would rather die than improve. - 3/17/2024

I've lived in Sierra Vista for 22 months. It has positives and negatives. Bisbee, Tombstone, being close to Tucson, are positives. The views are beautiful. There's lots of hiking. There are a couple of good grocery stores here and the necessary retail establishments are here. Healthcare is sorely lacking with the worst hospital imaginable. Doctors refer you to Tucson for any serious issues. A lot of people drive all the way to Bisbee to go to the ER. There are also some very nice people in this town but then there are the cliquish ones. They don't like the snowbirds even though they bring in a ton of revenue to the area. Fitting in here if you're different - outspoken, educated, energetic, talented, etc. instead of the quiet retirees who are happy to just plod along. Most folks are stuck in their ways and don't like innovation or new ideas. The city wastes money trying to make a "downtown" area and forgets about what kind of businesses are around that "downtown" area. Instead of buying up those buildings and leasing out for coffee shops, eateries, gift and art shops, souvenir shops, etc. there are tattoo parlors and other typical "gate of a base" stores that no tourist or anyone attending a festival would want to shop. Buildings sit empty all over the town. It doesn't seem that any effort is being made to get those buildings filled. Restaurants, car dealerships, junky buildings on Fry and other parts of the tow. Really low income areas that need to be cleaned up. Sierra Vista could benefit from an "Our Town" makeover but there has to be something to "makeover". They don't seem to want the tourists to come to Sierra Vista. Tourism keeps Bisbee and Tombstone ticking - but not Sierra Vista. A very "red" town politically. High speed chases across the border & car wrecks are weekly occurrences. Stray dogs that keep getting out and no one makes the owners fix the way they are getting out. Puppy mills all over the place. No bowling alley, few activities for kids, few festivals of any interest, the mall is dying, and Dollar General stores keep popping up. Life support - that's how I'd describe Sierra Vista. A town on life support. Changing - but not necessarily for the better.

[Comment on this Posting]

Nice place - 4/22/2022

Nice town, quite, huge military community and snowbirds in winter. If you want to live where you can not be mugged and have beautiful views for miles, this is the place.

[Comment on this Posting]

Sunny Days, Breezy Eves - 4/21/2022

I have lived in Sierra Vista 3 years and for 6 months, in the town north of S.V. sierra Vista lives up to its name with gorgeous mountains encircling you and sunrises and sunsets are God's daily canvases. As an Orgenian it is far less green, but the sunny days make up for it. Your step will be more spritely and your mood, oh so bright. In the late afternoon, begore sunset, there is the most refreshing breeze that flows over you to wash away the heat of June and dress you for a cooler night.

[Comment on this Posting]

Nothing to do illegals drug cartel activty - 10/7/2021

I'm writing to warn you no to move here there are ton of illegals and drug cartel activity the police presence is bad and border patrol everywhere did I mention this town has nothing to do .people here are uptight kinda racist. You will probably become a alcoholic after a while you live here ..it's not what it seems alot of bad evil goes on in this city.sucks worst place in america

[Comment on this Posting]

A place I dislike but somehow I keep moving back - 8/30/2021

I moved to the Sierra Vista area in 2005 and have lived in almost all the surrounding towns since then. Key considerations for Sierra Vista: popular retirement destination, small town with a lot of seasonal fluctuations in population, not enough storefronts to support the amount of people shopping, homes are drastically overpriced, only one public middle school and one public high school, only two public schools in the district rated over 5/10, higher than average for the county in property taxes, lots of outdoor recreational activities for those that can do it, not enough youth recreation, the only hospital in the area is rated one of the worst in the state, and the job pool is limited to retail/food service unless you get a job with the city, county, or fed. Sierra Vista is the largest town in SE Arizona and is also very close to the Mexican border. Closely surrounding towns include Hereford, Palominas, Huachuca City, Tombstone, Whetstone, Elgin, Sonoita, and Canelo. All of the surrounding towns depend on Sierra Vista for groceries and other basic necessities (unless you count any of the roughly 30 Dollar General stores that plague the area). We also get a large influx of "snow birds" (people that migrate South to escape the cold) that come in the Fall and stay until mid-Spring, as well as a large amount of people crossing the Mexican border to do their shopping. With all of these people, there are only three grocery stores, a small Super Walmart, and a Target that has a small grocery section with limited produce. Any of the mentioned stores above can have line wait times exceeding 10 minutes at any given time. The public schools here are poor at best. There is only one middle school because the town closed the other school, and one high school unless you want to drive out of the way to Tombstone. Buena High School is rated 4/10, Joyce Clark Middle School is 5/10, and most of the elementary schools are rates 5-6/10. Homes in the area are now drastically overpriced due to a massive influx of out-of-state buyers coming in with full cash offers over listing price. This is making it extremely hard for first time home buyers and lower income buyers to find adequate housing. Homes that used to cost $190k just a year or two ago are now going for $300k+. There is very little to nothing for the younger population to do. Any attempts at bringing in activities such as mini golf and roller skating get squashed or they don't last long. There are a few recreational sports leagues and one or two travelling teams for certain sports, so that's a plus. The city just closed off all the sports fields unless you pay to use them. Something to do with protecting the turf they recently put in. Ft Huachuca is the locally attached Army base that shares it's population with Sierra Vista and has a large amount of IT-related positions available that pay well, but most require a security clearance, bachelors degree, and 3+ years relevant experience. If you don't have or can't obtain one of the prereqs, you're most likely going to be stuck with retail, food service, or laboring. Traffic in Sierra Vista is terrible in some areas, decent in others. Southbound on Hwy 92 you better expect to be going 10-20 mph slower than posted limits in both of the lanes. People like to lane camp and control the flow of traffic. Local police and sheriffs deputies don't seem to care that there is a state law dictating that traffic must flow in the righthand lane unless passing or turning left. Buffalo Soldier Trail and the Hwy 90 Bypass are the complete opposite. If you aren't going 10 over you better pucker up or move right because you'll get rear ended in a heartbeat. Loads of elderly drivers in the area that do not have the appropriate reaction times to drive and cause a ton a accidents. Gas is more expensive here than it is in Tucson for some reason. You can expect gas prices to be 10-30 cents more per gallon on average. Cox is the only cable provider and is a money pit, but what do you expect from a cable provider? Electric and water are pretty cheap, which is nice during the summer when temps get 95+ (this year we had multiple weeks of 105+...) My electric cost about $120 to run a/c at 68 and have multiple tvs/computers/appliances all running throughout the day. Overall Sierra Vista is an alright place as long as you're willing to get complacent with the negatives. Don't expect the mentality to change much here and you'll get along fine. Somehow this place has a weird pull on people that always causes them to come back. I've tried moving away four times and each of those times end up moving back within a year.

[Comment on this Posting]

Sierra Vista is great!! - 7/31/2019

I’ve lived here for 4 years now. It is easy to get around. Sierra Vista does not get the brunt of the sun due to the mountains by that are close. There is a need for smoother roads. People are relaxed and friendly as compared to other places that I have lived. It is also a bird haven, and don’t expect to see Cactus like Saguaro as there are more trees and bushes being it’s the high desert!

[Comment on this Posting]

The great and not so great life in Sierra Vista... - 5/12/2019

I've only been here a very short period of time. Here's what I like: It's small and easy to get around. There's choices for a small community with a population of +/- 40,000. I can even see myself buying a motorcycle again and possibly surviving without getting hit by mountains of traffic. I love the bicycle trails, keep this up Sierra Vista. Cost of food is a little high but hey, we're in a dessert, I can live with some things being high. On balance the weather is amazing and the life style is great. Here's what I hate: You're housing sux. It's overpriced for what it is, a piece of dirt in the dessert. Can't afford a 1 acre lot because it's $100K. Yes, you can buy into one of the small communities. Purchase a tiny home (2BR, 1BTH) for $100,000 and then pay perpetual fee's of $500 a month for the rest of your life. Good for the developer / investor, not so great for the home owner that wants to retire here and live the rest of their 20 or 30 years. Yep, I've got just over 7 figures to retire on. I've like to offer a sizable portion of that to my wife and son when I die, not the investor. Too bad Sierra Vista, I really do like what you have to offer, you're just a bit to greedy.

[Comment on this Posting]

This town is a complete turn off - 2/8/2019

This is my fourth month living here in Sierra Vista and it is one-thousand times better than the previous city I lived in. But because the military base is treated as a holy shrine and everyone asking you the stupid question:

[Comment on this Posting]

Small Snow Bird Haven - 4/19/2014

Less than a week below freezing and less than a week above 100-degrees. Close to several wineries, old mining town (Bisbee) and Tombstone. Within 75-minutes of Tucson and airport. Close by military base. Great night sky. Quiet! Nature preserves are local or close by. Mountain views in all directions. Easy to get around town and area. New hospital under construction, should be completed in late 2015.

[Comment on this Posting]

Life in Arizona from a the big city - 2/10/2013

To all that are planning to make the big move. I am not going to type “proper”, but I hope not to offend anyone by literally speaking to you as I would to a friend. I have lived in Toronto, Montreal, Miami and Amsterdam. Sierra Vista was never a plan to move or a thought, however my job landed me here for a month. Initially I was not pleased with this slow pace, dry heat, quiet, small town area. Life toke place and I met my husband 2 days later. Needless to say, I have not left and it’s been 7 years to the date of this note to you. My experience here has been good. However it toke awhile to get use to the slower pace. The culture difference was a shock. There are A LOT of Mexicans, Whites, and seldom blacks. So there’s a lot of Mexican food. Very little Asians and I haven’t seen an Indian here. Coming from Canada there is a lot more diversity than there is here. Customer Service here..sucks. People are rude, however if you’re not trynna get approval from others you will survive. THe cost of living is affordable; jobs are hard to come by. You either work with the state (azstatejobs.gov) the pay rate is poor and you will barely if ever get a raise. However, health benefits make it up for your loss. THen you can work for the county (cochise.az.gov). They both pay poorly and the Cochise jobs are located a half hour out of Sierra Vista. Shopping here...is SLOW. We have a mall that has been upgraded ( I think its a plaza compared to other malls I have been to). We have a Marshall, ross, Cato, Sally, Tiny Super Wal-Mart (lol), chipotle, Lowes, etc. Schools are not the greatest. The main high school here in Sierra Vista is Buena where a large majority of teens are. Then there is Berean academy, and Tombstone high school (which is new and improved). Small town issues, everyone is nosey and wants to be in your business. The town thrives on Fort Huachuca which is the army base but TOP NOTCH for military intelligence. Thats where the majority of jobs are, however you need to be a US Citizen in order to get a secret clearance to get paid the big bucks. ANd of course there are your locals jobs around town.

[Comment on this Posting]

Couldn't wait to leave - 10/18/2012

I live in Sierra Vista for 13 months and after 6 months started looking for ways to get out. While a lot of post on SV concern taxes, I didn't find them to be outrages. What I hated about Sierra Vista was the lack of activities for single people in their mid-50's. If your single or not an active duty Sierra Vista offers nothing. Almost all restaurants are national chains that are bland in taste and atmosphere. Starting Labor Day prices take a huge jump do to the "Snowbirds" that winterize in the area. Traffic becomes bad for the size and you might as well plan for long lines everywhere you go. Forget about local medical care, you will have to go to Tuscon for anything more serious than a hang nail. Locals tell you to stay away from the local hospital. I was told when I move there I would either love or hate Sierra Vista and as I stated I couldn't wait to leave.

[Comment on this Posting]

Beautiful View - 7/13/2012

It has not topped a 100 which is very good for AZ. It is so beautiful, and nice temps.

[Comment on this Posting]

If you have children read this....... - 5/15/2011

All in all Sierra Vista looked to be perfect place to live despite closeness to Mexico and slightly higher property taxes. It has very low violent crime, cheap houses, amazing views, perfect weather yet seasonal changes and all the large city businesses in a smaller town. We had already reserved hotels for trip there ourselves until we discovered the dirty secret they don't want you to know. Who is they? City officials, city businesses, realtors, landlords, and residents who live in denial and need to suck others in to comfort themselves. Where did WE discover dirty secret? On United States government website and then went to families support website and onto the vast public knowledge available online. So WHAT is the dirty little secret? Childhood Leukemia ! The government admits the rate to be more than 3 times normal and this is despite negating several victims from study such as girl who was diagnosed 2 weeks after moving from there so the gov't said she doesn't count since she moved. Kinda duh duh on that one. I have made a living crunching numbers and processing statistics and the bottom line here is, if your child is born and raised in Sierra Vista they have "at least" a 1 in 200 chance of Leukemia. THAT is scary, and THAT should be told to anybody and everybody who considers moving there with children. In my opinion any realtor who does not tell someone this should be subject to license suspension and civil suit, but then I tend to believe we all should be honest too. Silly me. If you are thinking to retire there, great, it is a definite candidate for Eden. Just don't take any children there. SOME suggest the cause is a gene, but as I said I crunch numbers and statistics for a living and the gene very well may be reason to make you more vulnerable but not the cause. The gene is found in 25% of USA population and not all who have gene got sick. The other suggested cause is the very high level of tungsten found in soil, air, and water. The armchair scientists however have suggested possible causes being military fuel line that runs under city, something with military base nearby, or related to over consumption of groundwater by residents (more water is sucked from earth than nature can replenish which is primary cause of river going dry EVERY year).

[Comment on this Posting]

taxes, utilities, etc. - 5/13/2011

So it seems many "claim" higher taxes in Sierra Vista yet upon checking the facts don't back that up. HOWEVER, one tax that I have found to actually be higher is property tax. The odd thing is it is set by the county and I am confused as to why a $200k house in Sierra Vista has $200+ higher tax than seem priced house in other cities in the same county. Anyone know why? I have researched over 20 homes in Sierra Vista in the $170-250k range based on present listing price, sale within last 2 years, or tax appraisal value which looked accurate and all but 2 had higher property tax per $10,000 in value than other cities in same county and 2 other counties I was looking at in Arizona (Yavapai & Mohave). It is more than houses simply being appraised higher. The tax per appraised value is actually higher by about 13%.

[Comment on this Posting]

Sierra Vista is beautiful, but buy property there - 9/22/2009

Sierra Vista is beautiful and there is so much natural beauty there... but the taxes are not reasonable for services provided or proportionate with other similar sized communities in the rest of the country. The property taxes and local zoning make property ownership a bit difficult there. First planning and zoning seems to have vague guidelines that change depending on who you present paperwork to. We ended up hiring a hispanic man to turn in the paperwork we had attemted to turn in 3 different times, and it passed when he presented it. That never really sat well with us. Planning and zoning hand out new building permits pretty freely, in spite of the water issues, so not much in the way of considering growth regulation seems to be going on. Roads within the city limits, and taxed as such, do not recieve any kind of maintenance. All in all, there are a lot of great people on City Council and in the community, but the taxes, and neither county or city taking on any accountabilty for what they tax us for is a bit of a downer to say the least.

[Comment on this Posting]

High Desert - 9/4/2009

Sierra Vista has a great climate. Sitting at 4500 ft elev, it typically has temps 10-15 cooler than Tucson. It does get below freezing, but only snows 0.5-1.0" once or twice a year and melts the same day. Windy in the spring, hot and dry in the early summer, hot and humid in the late summer, fall is perfect. Extremes never last more than 6-8 weeks, so weather here is very palatable. Great for retirement if you can handle the peak of summer heat and dry conditions!

[Comment on this Posting]

Weather - 8/14/2008

Can anyone tell me how often there are dust storms? How often does it rain in the summer? The weather forecast always indicates thunderstorms. How is the humidity in the summer? Thank you.

[Comment on this Posting]

Nothing To Do? Pshaw!!! - 10/15/2007

I have lived in Sierra Vista for over 25 years, and I think is funny when people say that there is nothing to do.There are two movie theatres,a small mall, and several chain restaurants-Applebee's,Chili's,El Paso,Outback. There is a small indoor mall,Target,Wal-Mart,Blockbuster,Hastings,Lowes,Home Depot and many other retail stores.There is one library,small Community Center,City Park with fairly large indoor swimming pool with tube slide,wave machine and beach entrance.There are many annual events, like:Art in the Park,Cars in the Park,Oktoberfest,US Army Soldier Show,Homeshow,National Riding and Rodeo competitions,4th of July,Cinco de Mayo,small parades and Street Dance to name a few.There are shows and plays at the High School by Alma Delores Dance studio,Limelight Productions, and traveling shows.You can also go catch a football or basketball game at the high school(Go Colts!).Nearby towns are Bisbee(30min,historic,artsy, bohemian),Tombstone(15 min,gun fight shows),Douglas(45 min,Annual County Fair, Mariachis), and Nogales-Mexico(60 min,shopping).Also, a day trip could be taken to the Chiracahua Mountains(beautiful)and located in the Willcox area(75 Min), there's Apple Annie's Orchard-which features hayrides,pumpkin,& apple picking.I believe there is still horseback riding available on Ft Huachuca, and the city of SV has put in several bike paths in different neighborhoods throughout the town for riding or walking.Picnic and hiking areas include Garden Canyon(on Post), Miller Canyon, Carr Canyon and Coronado National Memorial.There are many other groups that meet and classes offered-martial arts, ballroom dance, nude painting, whatever..!Night life is what you want it to be, there are a few bars(ranging from country western to hip-hop),the Palms has a dressy Valentines and New Years dance for couples,there are comedy shows a few times a year up on post with out of town comics, there's karaoke at Famous Sam's once a week,and the happy hours at the restaurants are pretty popular.Pretty much, you make your own fun here, it's not really prefabricated for you,like metro areas.There are plenty of activities to keep any family, single, or retiree busy, if they want to something beside sit around and complain that there is nothing to do.:-)

[Comment on this Posting]

A visitor's view - 6/5/2007

My wife and I recently visited Sierra Vista to evaluate it as a possible retirement site. What initially interested me was some climate analysis I did to try to find the best climate that would be nearly snow-free in winter but not too hot in the summer. I think this city has about the best climate you can find except for expensive coastal areas which are moderated by the ocean. There is a lot we like about SV: small enough to avoid traffic, crowding, and other big city problems but big enough to have essential services and stores. We saw that the town appeared prosperous and growing but the cost of living and housing struck us as low. We really found only one drawback - it is remote and isolated and there isn't alot of interest around the area apart from the outdoors and nature themes. Our family does not live nearby and the distance to a popular airport is a drawback. However, if we were from the Phoenix area, SV would be attractive as a place to retire and escape the extreme heat. If you love the out-of-doors and being a long haul from family is not a concern, (and if you are open to adjusting to the arid surroundings) SV has a lot to offer.

[Comment on this Posting]

John from Long Island, NY - 7/22/2006

Am interested in feedback concerning the quality of life, property taxes, crime, etc, in Sierra Vista. Am considering relocating there. thanks all.

[Comment on this Posting]