Moving to Benson area?

[LordBalfor]

PS - We bought our acre (with power and phone on the lot - but no water or septic) for just under $30,000 back in January. Water is currently at about 350 feet.

Ken

[Laura Lamey]

The City of Benson is conveniently situated along Interstate 10 just 43 miles south-east of Tucson and 37 miles north of Sierra Vista. Benson is located in the upper San Pedro Valley with awesome 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains.
Benson has a lot to offer for every taste and price range. There are 21 RV parks in and around Benson with 1647 spaces as well as 2 campgounds within the city and numerous parks, monuments, recreation, and wilderness areas. With an elevation of 3585 feet, Benson has a beautiful climate year round that attracts many visitors.
Founded in 1880, Benson developed as a stopping point for the Butterfield Overland Stage mail delivery route. Soon thereafter, the Southern Pacific railroad came into Benson, and Benson became the rail shipping point for the booming new town of Tombstone 17 miles to the south.
In 1900 Benson was a transportation center, known as "The Hub City". It began as a Junction of the east/west railroad and north/south overland trails in the San Pedro Valley. By 1910 the natural development of the railroad system was attracted to the larger city of Tucson that eventually hurt Benson and forced her to turn attention to other sources of revenue. In order to remain in existence ranching and farming became improtant to Benson's economy.
In 1924 Benson incorporated, ranching and agriculture had formed "The Hub City" to the "Queen City of the San Pedro". Benson now had a municipal water system, city franchised electric power, and a jail. New elementary and high school buildings were constructed by 1929. Many homesteaders came to the region, and several large cattle ranches began.
In 1941 with the completion of the highway underpass Benson transformed into a highway city, and by 1962 there were thirteen motels and ten restaurants. Benson now called itself "The Gateway to the Land of Cochise" with many tourists coming to see the natural and historical points of interest.
In 1974 just 9 miles south of Benson two amateur cavers found a narrow crack in the bottom of a sink home, and followed the source to what ended up being over 2.5 miles of pristine cave passages. By 1988 the land owners sold the area to the state for a development as a state park now known as Kartchner Caverns the "Crown Jewel" of Arizona's state park systems located on 550 acres at the foothills of the Whetstone Mountains.
Presently Benson is best known as "The Home of Kartchner Caverns" it is a rural community that has grown into a sweet little town. Close enough to the big cities that have everything, yet far enough away to still have the fresh air, clean water, and country living. Benson in in "The Sun Belt" there are no hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes. Benson is a unique place with much diversity. We welcome you to come and see what all of us already know. Benson is a wonderful place to live.

[LordBalfor]

Laura -

Have to agree that the views down into the San Pedro Valley from Benson are pretty striking. You can see at bit further than "forever".

Looking forward to moving to the area (still a few years off, unfortunately).

Ken

[ruthnski]

Sierra Vista is where we live. It is the shopping center for a wide area including Tombstone and Bisbee and has pretty much anything you need. But it has a beautiful setting, up against the Huachuca Mountains. Fort Huachuca is within the city limits but occupies a huge area against the mountains so S.V. cannot expand into the views. Everything is within a ten minute drive. The Fort is the Army's Intelligence center and military and civilian personnel and their families are an asset to the community. For ex-military it has a great commissary and many amenities. It is a historic fort, once home of the Buffalo Soldiers (black cavalry units during the Indian Wars). We are at 4600 ft. elevation, 3000 ft. higher than Phoenix and much cooler in summer.

[oldtoughnut]

We visited Tombstone at Christmas time, found home prices to be fair. We looked at rentals through: Tombstone AZ Real Estate Listings, Homes, Properties, and Lots
oldtoughnut