Sierra Vista (Tucson, Prescott, Nogales: renting, crime, attorneys)

[Chi-AZ]

Moving to Sierra vista in summer 2012 (my mom lives there, thats why Im going there.) I currently have 5 and 2 year old boys, dont know yet if thats it or not. So I was wondering what its like there. Schools? Activities for children (sports?)? What are some good mini vacations (long weekend trips somewhere)? What are some other vacations (other then visiting family and stuff)? Whats the weather like (like monsoon season?)? Anything else? Well be coming from Chicago. Thanks.


EDIT:Also what are some areas that I should look into/avoid. etc? Im not exactly sure how the areas in SV and Chicago are different, but in Chicago the neighborhhods tend to be divided by race and stuff, like some neighborhoods are more white, black, hispanic, asian, etc. Is that like in Sierra Vista too? If so my family is white, but were currently living in an area in Chicago that has grown more and more hispanic, not that Im against that, I just perfer it if we live in a white area in SV, that way my family can actually talk with our neighbors and stuff. Im not racists or anything by the way.

[saffordpastor]

Originally Posted by Chi-AZ

Moving to Sierra vista in summer 2012 (my mom lives there, thats why Im going there.) I currently have 5 and 2 year old boys, dont know yet if thats it or not. So I was wondering what its like there. Schools? Activities for children (sports?)? What are some good mini vacations (long weekend trips somewhere)? What are some other vacations (other then visiting family and stuff)? Whats the weather like (like monsoon season?)? Anything else? Well be coming from Chicago. Thanks.


EDIT:Also what are some areas that I should look into/avoid. etc? Im not exactly sure how the areas in SV and Chicago are different, but in Chicago the neighborhhods tend to be divided by race and stuff, like some neighborhoods are more white, black, hispanic, asian, etc. Is that like in Sierra Vista too? If so my family is white, but were currently living in an area in Chicago that has grown more and more hispanic, not that Im against that, I just perfer it if we live in a white area in SV, that way my family can actually talk with our neighbors and stuff. Im not racists or anything by the way.

Sierra Vista is a very nice town...probably some of the best weather in AZ if not in the country...not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter....a very nice monsoon usually with a good amount of rain...more than most of AZ but still majority sunshiny.

My experience with SV is that it is a diverse community because of the Base, but not divided along racial lines...
Another thing...although it is fairly close to the border it does not have the strong illegal presence that Douglas and Nogales has....so you will hear primarily English spoken there.

The countryside around is beautiful, the people are nice I hear the schools are good, decent shopping and restaurants.... and lots and lots of places within a days drive to visit...(Tucson, Tombstone, Bisbee, etc)

Not many complaints about it....the only thing I am not crazy about is that outside of the Base and Fry Township it is a fairly new city...and is laid out in a way that doesn't quite have the "Hometown" feel.

But other than that it is a fine place.

[LordBalfor]

Saffordpastor has it exactly right. In general Arizona has very few Blacks. There are a lot of Hispanics of course but few members of other minorities. In regards to SV specifically - well, you can look at the specifics of the city here:

//www.city-data.com/city/Sierra-Vista-Arizona.html

As you can see, SV is 65% White, 7% Black, 19% Hispanic, etc, etc, etc. The town has greater mix of non-White & non-Hispanic members than Arizona overall because of the base - and nearly all non-White & non-Hispanic folks are those stationed at the base. As near as I can tell there are NO "Black" parts of town. As mentioned, Fry Town is the least desirable part of SV. This is not unusual since it's the area nearest the base entrance and such places always tend to have more bars, pawn shops etc.

Now having said that, I do have to add that in my opinion Fry Town is much better than similar places in other towns that have military bases - it's less seedy and smaller. My guess is that this is because the base in SV is a very specialized base that houses the army's military intelligence center so the average soldier stationed there probably tends to be a bit older (ie more mature) and better educated than your average infantry trooper.

As I mentioned, Saffordpastor is pretty much on target with his comments. The town is very clean, generally very new with no real run down areas of any significance (as mentioned, even Fry Town - while not great - is not awful (certainly not by Chicago standards)). The major drawback - as mentioned - is the fact that the entire town seems like a suburb of a larger city and really doesn't have much of a traditional "small town" appearance. This is a pretty minor complaint - though a legitimate one. Crime there seems relatively low and the town "feels" pretty safe.

Anyone coming from Chicago will find it VERY DIFFERENT in nearly every way. You will find FAR less amenities and choices in entertainment, shopping, dining etc. Remember - SV is a relatively small town (tiny compared to Chicago) so you are NOT going to have the multitude of options available to you that you are used to. The trade off of course is the generally safer environment such a small town offers and easy access to nature and the outdoors. The views in the area (especially to the south and east) are nothing short of breathtaking.

Also - as mentioned - SV TRULY has perhaps the best climate (aside from some areas of SoCal) in the entire continental US. Coming from Chicago you will feel that there is essentially NO WINTER in SV at ALL but rather that fall more or less simply melds into spring.

Ken

[JAinAZ]

I moved here a year ago, so I have experienced all the seasons, and you will not find better weather in many other parts of the country. The winter was very nice, only a few days I would call cold at all. Some wind, but not too bad, a couple of "snows" that left an inch or so and was gone by noon. The sun stays warm right through the winter. The summer, even with the monsoon humidity, was a piece of cake compared to the hot, humid weather in NY and Chicago.

Sierra Vista is a typical military town in many ways-lots of fast food, tatoo parlors, etc. But when you get away from the main gate of the post, it is a mix of new and older houses and shopping centers. Don't expect too much, though, in the way of shopping and entertainment. Tucson is where you will end up going for that if you want more than Walmart, Ross, Marshals, and Dillards.

The area west of 7th St. is kinda rough, especially some of it, east of 7th isn't bad. South on 92 is quite nice, with new housing developments if you like them. Farther south is Hereford, an area of 2-5 acre lots, lots of mobile homes and modulars, but fantastic views of the mountains.

Race does not seem to be an issue here. People are accepted or rejected based on their personality and actions, not what color they are.

I don't have school age kids, so I don't know much about the schools.

If you want to, PM me and I can give you the name of a realtor that can help whether you are buying or renting.

If you come here expecting it to be totally different than where you are from, and are OK with that, you will be fine. It is definately NOT a big city, but like Safford Pastor said, it doesn't quite have the small town charm, either. For me, the weather , scenery, and outdoor opportunities more than make up for any shortcomings the city has.

[Headin4AZ]

[quote=JAinAZ;16390579 Tucson is where you will end up going for that if you want more than Walmart, Ross, Marshals, and Dillards.
[/quote]

I moved here 2 months ago. Where is there a Marshal's?

[JAinAZ]

Originally Posted by Headin4AZ

I moved here 2 months ago. Where is there a Marshal's?

The Marshals is next to Ross's by Walmart. Over next to Southerlands.

[desertdetroiter]

There are lots of racial minorities here...especially Hispanic and African American. More Asians than the average American town too. As an African American, i can't say that race has ever been an issue here, and i've been here for 12 years. My wife is white, son is mixed. Not a big deal. Most everyone gets along and neighborhoods are divided by economics (though everyone here is typically middle class), not race. So if you're looking for a "white neighborhood" as such, you won't find it here.

It's a wonderful town, and most neighborhoods are pretty quiet. Even FryTown, the neighborhood with the worse rep in the city, is tame by Chicago standards.

As for activities, there are plenty here and lots of daytrips for a family. The schools aren't the best, but they're far from bad. The highschool is overcrowded because the town grew faster than school construction. If you're an involved parent, your child will do fine.

As for the monsoon...well, i'm in the minority here, but i hate the monsoon season. Most S'Vistans absolutely LOVE the monsoons. But then, i hate rain, so i'm not very objective on the topic. LOL!

[desertdetroiter]

Originally Posted by Headin4AZ

I moved here 2 months ago. Where is there a Marshal's?

Yea...in the old Walmart Plaza. I'd go as early as i can...preferrably when it opens because the Mexicans coming over the border to shop make an absolute mess of the place...not to mention that they buy up all the good stuff!!

[Ritchie_az]

Sierra Vista is a nice small town. I really like it there--it's beautiful with great weather. A surprising amount of shopping/dining, etc, for a town it's size. Close to Tombstone, Bisbee, even Tucson, so there is plenty to do as long as you don't mind driving a little. Be sure to check out The Cove. You're kids will love it.
City of Sierra Vista - Aquatic Center

[keninaz]

I lived in the county just south of SV for about 6 years. My wife was born in Tombstone many years ago so we are very familiar with the area.
The county in general has one of the highest illegal immigration problems in the nation. This is due to a lot of open federally controlled property like the Army base, Fort Huachuca and the Coronado National Forest and Monument. The low population on those lands near the border makes it pretty easy to cross over for illegals and drug dealers.
A few years ago the federal lands were posted with this sign on legal advice of the staff attorneys trying to avoid lawsuits I will assume.
If I remember the figures correctly from 2006 they arrested and returned some 262,000 illegals. They don't catch them all by all means. The figures seem to indicate about 1 in 4 or 6. Those that are recycled into Mexico return here and try it again sometimes within hours. Just the facts.
This sign was posted very near our home on the edge of the Forest.


The town of Sierra Vista and surrounding area is not too bad other than that to live in. It can get very windy at times like many areas of AZ but with relatives there you know that already.
The town is a typical military town with a very wide variety of people in it. I live in and worked in many during my military time and jobs I had.
We relocated to Prescott to get cooler WX and a true 4 seasons. And in our case we were located on the east end of the Huachuca Mountains up near the top of the valley and it was very windy there.
As we got older we tired of the 100° temps that can occur there and the winds.
The town of SV has really grown since I first was stationed there with the Army in 1967. Then we called it Sorry Gulch as GIs. In fact, they renamed the one bar there from Kelly's to the Sorry Gulch as few years back.