A Town that would rather die than improve.
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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.
Beth | Sierra Vista, AZ