Tombstone (Tucson, Sierra Vista, Bisbee: relocate, travel, jobs)

[rick415]

anyone here live in tombstone and/or could tell me a little about living conditions there? looking for a small town, less populated area with great weather, hot and sunny year round is fine with me, and with low crime to relocate to from maryland......checked the info on the city data site and am familiar with the old west tourist stuff the town is known for a bit....also, are the illegals crossing the border having an effect in that area ? ......any info appreciated.....thanks in advance.........

[alpine]

Rick, read a couple of Joanna Brady novels by JA Jance to get an idea about the Bisbee area. Sierra Vista is a cute area away from the big city issues. We travel to & around there and it's great weather with nice people. Thombstone is a small town, blink & you missed it!
Illegals are nothing but a big sick bird so don't worry about that <g>.
HTH
John

[arizonabound]

I am moving to Hauchua City in February from California. I cant wait!!! Will be staying with a friend of mine for awhile. I know it will be hot, but Ihave got to get out of this state and I have always loved Arizona.

PS I have been looking in the Tombstone area as well.

[INPHX]

Tombstone is basically just a tourist town. It's fun to visit go through the saloons, stand in the OK corral, but I dont know about living. Bisbee or Benson would seem better off. Benson if a better choice. Small and only about 1 hour away from Tucson if the need of an emergency comes up.

[AzDreamer]

When we visited the town didn't impress me as a place to want to retire to, but everyone has different wants and needs. It was a tourist trap, and windy to boot.

Here's something that caught my eye a while back...

Tombstone marshal finds law in disorder
He says office is out of control

Susan Carroll
Republic Tucson Bureau
Feb. 2, 2006 12:00 AM

TOMBSTONE - Deputies in this Old West city are accused of drinking on duty, lying in court and trading police protection and drugs for sexual favors from women, according to an internal memo by the local marshal.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0202tombstone0202.html (broken link)

[JeepGirl118]

My husband and I went down for a weekend in Tombstone in September and we were out one evening mingling with the locals hearing their stories about the area (they love to gab on and on about the towns "events" - after a few drinks in them, that is all they seem to talk about) - one woman and her husband were telling us that Tombstone is a "Spousal Watch Community." Meaning, if something fishy is going on with your loved one with someone else in the community, they get their nose in it and will come right to you to inform you. The woman said, "I have no fears about not knowing if he does cheat, because I know it will only be a matter of hours or days before someone comes to tell me & who he did it with. Safest town to keep your spouse on a tight leash," she said. Other locals around agreed.

I think a neighborhood watch community is great - but heh! - being in a town where everyone is always watching and knows (or will go out of their way to know) every ounce of your business is not so appealing.

Katie's Cozy Cottages are a great place to stay in down there by the way if you are visiting.

[military spouse]

We used to live in Sierra Vista and used to go to Tombstone frequently. My husband always enjoyed it (liked to ride the Harleys out there), but I found it to be a sad, dusty place with little historical integrity. They were about to lose their historical status because they added buildings and misrepresented the years and some other stuff--just google it and you will have a better idea. If I were looking for a small town in that area, I would recommend Bisbee. Bisbee is an old mining town and now seems to have to retirees, artsy folks, and a few druggies thrown in for good measure. For whatever reason, the druggies aren't intimidating (like the Baltimore types), but more like those from the sixties or just kind of new-age type people. There is a great coffee shop and some interesting art stores with a variety of mediums. There are also some very good restaurants in that area. The weather isn't too bad because you are at a higher elevation. Always seemed a bit cooler than Sierra Vista. Everybody is different, but I think most people would tire of Tombstone quickly. Bisbee has a unique charm that reminds me of Grass Valley and Nevada City, CA, which is Gold Country.

[military spouse]

Oh, wanted to add a bit about the illegal problem in Cochise County. It is significant. Many illegals cross and leave tons of debris. When we left the area (1 1/2 years ago) many of the large land owners were taking the debris left from the illegals and stringing in along their fences that faced public roads. I believe this was to show what was being done to their properties. There was a film producer from LA that made a documentary on the county and the significance of the illegal problem. I bet a google search could reveal it. It really portrayed both sides quite well and seemed fairly balanced. There was also a large car accident in Sierra Vista while I was there that resulted in the death of several Americans and several illegals. The accident was caused by the illegals trying to outrun the Border Patrol. I was a nurse at the hospital and we would get illegals all the time. Very expensive to the hospital. You will see Border Patrol SUVs everywhere. In fact, the road to Tucson (Hwy 90?) has a Border Patrol stop where you will need to identify yourself as an American. That being said, the illegals seemed to "pass through" the area and didn't stay, probably not enough jobs. None of that ever made me feel uncomfortable. I did get a little "cautious" when hiking in the Huachucas and coming across obvious illegal junk. Once crossed, they would usually leave documents, Mexican currency, and clothing in the desert. Most of the illegals probably aren't armed, but the people that crossed them tended to be (according to BP). Oh, just googled the documentary. It is Cries From the Border and available for $17.98 on Amazon.com. Would HIGHLY recommend that movie to give anybody a better idea of the devastation and sadness of the situation.

[blur07]

Illegals are all thru AZ and this wont change until the governor quits passing it off to the US gov't