East Coast to Sierra Vista or Tuscon or bust! (Phoenix: crime, new house)

[south_east2west]

I have been perusing the Arizon threads for quite some time because I know the golden rule for online forums which is "Search for the answer before posting your question to avoid asking questions that have already been answered". With that said, I have a few questions about Sierra Vista that has yet to be asked or answered (I think)


1. My wife and I have an opportunity to move to AZ because she have been offered a job at Ft Huachuca and more than likely I will land something in Tucson, AZ. We love living on the east coast but could definitely use a change of pace (i.e. ....nicer people, nicer weather, slower pace, less traffic, lower cost of living, etc) if she decides to accept the position. We have decided against living in Sierra Vista and would like to find something in the middle between Ft. Huachuca and Tucson. We would like to live someplace that has nice neighborhoods, a community feel (relative I know), amenities such as restaurants, shops, movie theaters, etc. Nothing extravagant but nice and safe. Is there such a midpoint?

2. If my first question is not feasible, how bad of a commute would Ft Huachuca to Tucson be every morning and every evening?

3. How does the job market look for defense contractors and cleared personnel? Specific where are those types of jobs?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[LordBalfor]

Well, Something in the middle would clearly be Benson (the general area where our land is). No movie theaters there though (there's a tri-plex in Sierra Vista) and it's small farming-type town with a Safeway, a large Walmart, a Denny's, a couple of fast food restaurants, some local eating joints, etc - basic kinds of stuff you'd expect in a town of 5,000 or so (compared to Sierra Vista's MUCH more abundant choices - again typical of what you'd expect in a town of 40,000 or so).

Benson is a pretty safe area as I understand it and is about 40 minutes or so from Tucson and nearly the same to Sierra Vista. At 3,500 feet it is a little warmer than Sierra Vista (just a couple of degrees) and at nearby Whetstone (5 minutes west of Benson) a substantial development was planned (and started) but I suspect the housing collapse has ground that to a halt now. What IS there looked pretty nice though (nice homes). Our lot is in J-6 Ranchettes (which is an older development with 1 acre lots (some homes nice custom-built, some nice doublewides, some not so nice singles etc) which is 5 minutes or so west of Whetstone (and thus 10 minutes west of Benson). We are at 4,200 feet and are a couple of degrees cooler than Benson (nearly identical to Sierra Vista). Since we don't live on our land yet I can't tell you much about the people but I can show you photos of the area.

Here are some shots of J-6 Ranchettes taken in January
Arizona (Our Property) pictures from home & garden photos on webshots

And here are some shots taken in July/August (the greenest time of the year) - photos 2/5:
Arizona (mostly July/August 2007) pictures from arizona photos on webshots

Ken

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by south_east2west

I have been perusing the Arizon threads for quite some time because I know the golden rule for online forums which is "Search for the answer before posting your question to avoid asking questions that have already been answered". With that said, I have a few questions about Sierra Vista that has yet to be asked or answered (I think)


1. My wife and I have an opportunity to move to AZ because she have been offered a job at Ft Huachuca and more than likely I will land something in Tucson, AZ. We love living on the east coast but could definitely use a change of pace (i.e. ....nicer people, nicer weather, slower pace, less traffic, lower cost of living, etc) if she decides to accept the position. We have decided against living in Sierra Vista and would like to find something in the middle between Ft. Huachuca and Tucson. We would like to live someplace that has nice neighborhoods, a community feel (relative I know), amenities such as restaurants, shops, movie theaters, etc. Nothing extravagant but nice and safe. Is there such a midpoint?

2. If my first question is not feasible, how bad of a commute would Ft Huachuca to Tucson be every morning and every evening?

3. How does the job market look for defense contractors and cleared personnel? Specific where are those types of jobs?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Probably Vail if you want her to drive the long way. ;-)

[south_east2west]

Ken,

Thanks for the reply and for sharing your pictures! Where were pictures 6023-6027 taken?

I will do a search for Benson and see what I come up with!

[south_east2west]

MikeC34,

HAHAHA!! What type of commute would that be to and from Fort Huachuca? We live in the DC metro area so we are use to a 30 minute plus commute to get just about anywhere. Everything is spread out and when you factor in traffic, you really get use to being in your car alot. A few years ago my commute to and from work was an hour and a half each way! The actual driving distance was 45 miles but the traffic made it a nightmare most mornings. After two years I moved closer to my job so now the distance is 14 miles and the commute is 35 minutes.

How does the job market look for defense contractors and cleared personnel? Specific where are those types of jobs?

Thanks!

[LordBalfor]

Those photos are of Marana - which is a suburb NW of Tucson. It's a VERY NICE town, pretty much all brand new. We looked at some property in that area well, but couldn't find anything with proper zoning in our price range. Marara would be a brutal commute to Fort Huachuca. Lower in elevation than Tucson (by a couple of hundred feet) it's the "hot spot" temperature-wise of the Tucson area. Some sections are in a flood zone.

Ken

Originally Posted by south_east2west

Ken,

Thanks for the reply and for sharing your pictures! Where were pictures 6023-6027 taken?

I will do a search for Benson and see what I come up with!

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by south_east2west

MikeC34,

HAHAHA!! What type of commute would that be to and from Fort Huachuca? We live in the DC metro area so we are use to a 30 minute plus commute to get just about anywhere. Everything is spread out and when you factor in traffic, you really get use to being in your car alot. A few years ago my commute to and from work was an hour and a half each way! The actual driving distance was 45 miles but the traffic made it a nightmare most mornings. After two years I moved closer to my job so now the distance is 14 miles and the commute is 35 minutes.

How does the job market look for defense contractors and cleared personnel? Specific where are those types of jobs?

Thanks!

About 50 minutes. It's a two lane highway the entire way and there isn't any traffic. 50 mins sounds long, but it's not a frustrating 50 mins at least. For you it will be 35 mins to Tucson. It's about 1 hour 15 mins total from Ft. Huachuca/Sierra Vista to Tucson.

Vail is basically just a housing community. Tucson is going to be warm/hot and vail is basically the ssame temps as Tucson. If you live in Sierra Vista you will have temps that are about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson as it is 5000+ft up in the mountains compared to nearly sealevel Tucson.

check out weather.com

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by mikec34

About 50 minutes. It's a two lane highway the entire way and there isn't any traffic. 50 mins sounds long, but it's not a frustrating 50 mins at least. For you it will be 35 mins to Tucson. It's about 1 hour 15 mins total from Ft. Huachuca/Sierra Vista to Tucson.

Vail is basically just a housing community. Tucson is going to be warm/hot and vail is basically the ssame temps as Tucson. If you live in Sierra Vista you will have temps that are about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson as it is 5000+ft up in the mountains compared to nearly sealevel Tucson.

check out weather.com

Tucson is not nearly sealevel.
Tucson is at around 2,400 feet (Vail about the same - some areas perhaps a little bit more)
Sierra Vista is around 4,200 feet - with areas towards the mountains indeed probably 5,000 or so, while areas to the east (downslope towards the San Pedro) a little bit less.

In Southern Arizona as you go from the west to the east there is a general gain in elevation (not entirely so, but generally so) - with Yuma at 200 feet, Phoenix at 1,000 feet, Tucson at 2,400 feet, Benson at 3,500 feet and Sierra Vista at 4,200 feet or so.

Ken

[drb85650]

Current Sierra Vista resident and employeed at Fort Huachuca here......

There is absolutely nothing between Tucson and Sierra Vista that comes near your criteria/wish list. Sounds negative, but just factual. Like Lord B said, Benson is a farming community, plus it's right on the Interstate. Shopping highlites there would be specials at Wal Mart and anything the feed store puts on special !!
Typical of many smaller communities, they just went thru a recall and big fight with the mayor/city council...you usual stuff. But the local radio station has a dj who thinks he's Rush Limbaugh/Geraldo combined...had hourly commentary about the whole mess. Quite funny really.
Southeast Tucson, part is nice, part is ghetto. I'm not a exresident of the old Pueblo so don't know alot about it, only what I see from the Interstate.
Alot of people do commute from Tucson to Fort Huachuca. Be advised there are 2 way's here, the interstate and a winding 2 lane thru Sonoita. Occasional fatalities on the Interstate close it for hours, plus it is the main route for large oversized loads and no, they don't pull over for traffic buildup.
Jobs with contractors are available, mostly specialty stuff. Other positions do come around, ie;blue collar, skilled craftsman etc. and they are good pay for this area.
Of course the Federal jobs are limited to exmilitary or spouses of same.
Jobs can be found on Azworkforce connection(state site)under Cochise County, or in the SVHerald.com , local 30page daily rag.
The housing LordB talked of was at the turn off from the Interstate to Sierra Vista(SV). Still available, new houses start at around 169,000. You've a spectacular view one way, the other is of the truckstop, downtown Benson at night and the Interstate. Lots of wind year round.
All that being said, it is a beautiful area around SV and the Fort. Hidden treasure in Arizona, most don't know it's here. As you noted, cleared personnel, intelligence post, lots of big jets coming and going at night....this isn't a recruit training depot and the personnel here, both active and retired/contractor/civilian are usually educated, well paid.
Have you been here at all?

[south_east2west]

First of all let me say, I belong to many message boards but this one has to be one of the most friendliest helpful boards of them all. I am not sure if this is indicative of the board itself or the Arizona connection. ;-)

Thank you all for your comments.

"There is absolutely nothing between Tucson and Sierra Vista......."

That's precisely what someone else told me.

So with that said, I guess living in the middle or even Tucson/Vail and working in Fort Huachuca isn't such a good idea. I have read alot about Sierra Vista and truthfully feel a lil uneasy about the crime, illegal immigrant situation, etc. I have never owned or used a gun in my life but after reading through many SV posts, it has almost made me want to explore the option of perhaps a permit if we decide to move to SV. Maybe I am a lil paranoid and I know crime is everywhere but geez, some folks have made SV sound like the wild wild west. LOL

Soooo if we decided to live in SV, where are the better communities to live? Any new housing developments going up?

The closest Ive been to SV is Albq, NM