Raising a 14 yr. old in Bisbee? (Tucson, Sierra Vista: work, house, college)

[Hytenla]

Can anyone tell me about Bisbee as far as a place to live? I visited there for a weekend and enjoyed it. Not sure what would look like thought to be a single parent raising a 14 year old. I am liberal minded and looking for a small town w/ sunshine. Tired of dreary Bloomington IN winters.

[kjtar]

I used to live in Hereford, which is just south of Sierra Vista and about (from there) a 35 minute or so drive from Bisbee. Bisbee is the county seat of Cochise County and is likely to stay the county seat, regardless of what Sierra Vista might want. There is a sizeable gay community influence in Bisbee, and it's also an area where there is a lot of liberal thinking mixed with old mine town and Hispanic influence. The infrastructure of Bisbee had been falling apart in various pieces, so I'd investigate that and any taxing expenses that might be a result of it. I don't know about the schools. The climate is wonderful, the Vuelta de Bisbee is a great weekend series of bicycle races usually held in the month of April. Tombstone is up Hwy 80, I believe and not that far away, all things considered. I liked to visit and ride my bike in Bisbee, but I haven't been there since 2004, so I'm only going by past experience. I don't think there's much if any new construction going on in Bisbee, but if you don't need a 2000 sq.ft. house, I think you should be okay.
Good luck
Tom
Tulsa

[RajaDin]

Bisbee has turned into a tourist mecca, and is populated by lots of old and aging hippies.There is lots of early history, but most people dont care about history anyway. Is history still taught in schools? Bisbee is a great place for a $6.00 hamburger and expensive gas. Go once, buy the postcards,and just pull out the postcards if you ever have the urge to go again.

[Steve97415]

Don't confuse liberalism with bohemianism. However attractive Bisbee may be to the bohemian-minded, I think that many liberal-minded people will find it too small for intellectual nourishment, and too touristy and too insular for their needs. "Family-friendly" isn't a qualifier that comes to mind when thinking about Bisbee. In terms of natural beauty, Cochise County is one of the most magnificent areas in the country, but when it comes to social infrastructure, it has a long ways to go. If it's southern Arizona you want, I would look around the northern outskirts of Tucson...the Catalina foothills...Oro Valley...Marana.

[Ernestine]

Rampant meth abuse, lousy schools, and nothing to do...that's what the average 14-year-old finds in Bisbee with predictable outcomes. I think the parents who live here are automatically guilty of child abuse just by not leaving.

[.45acp]

I would'a been bored outta my skull if I'd lived in Bisbee at 14. Think Marana!

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by .45acp

I would'a been bored outta my skull if I'd lived in Bisbee at 14. Think Marana!

Me too, I personally don't think it would be a good experience for a teen.

[mystiss]

Folks I have lived in Bisbee for 11 years. I am a single mom and have a wonderful well adjusted 15 year old son. Bisbee has been very good for him in many aspects. Bisbee as a community has provided him with a sense of family, safety and tolerance. I never worried about where he was or what he was doing when he was out and about down town as a child. As far as the schools go...any public school is not the best choice for your child to spend the majority of their day with. As a parent you have to supplement a childs education unless they are going to a private specialized school. Bisbee can be a great place to live if you make it that way. Just like any where else on the planet. It was the perfect place to raise my son. He works at a local restaurant and is attending Buena Highschool in Sierra Vista for preparation for college. He swims, acts, enjoys his social life, plays video games, plays guitar, is still in Boyscouts and is overall a really wonderful guy. It is not really where you raise your child but how you get them involved and excited about their life.

[military spouse]

The best thing about Bisbee? The man with a mouse, sitting on a cat, sitting on a dog. The man walks the dog with the cat on the dog's back and the mouse on the cat's back. Sometimes my husband and I wonder why we try so hard and, yet, he looked so happy.

[blur07]

I liked bisbee....but I'm not 14!


Everyplace is only what you make of it.