Relocating to Sierra Vista AZ (Tucson: apartments, renting, crime rates) - Arizona - City-Data Forum

mzjojo1955 · 07-07-2017, 07:39 AM

After much research and prayer I have made the decision to relocate to Sierra Vista AZ. I have an arthritic condition and it is aggravated by the erratic weather we have in Oklahoma. My Physicians agree that a hot dry climate would be best for me. I visited Tuscon in February. I had a nice time but I did not feel like that was where I should go. I came back and started looking for somewhere a little smaller but not too far off "the grid". My question is : does Sierra Vista welcome relocated folks? I am a 62yr old African american woman. I am a widow. I had a hard time here in Oklahoma when i first moved here from New York 25 years ago

. There was a wall because I was not local and there seemed to be a problem because I was from New York. Also as far as housing goes are there any areas I need to avoid? I would like an apartment until I become more familiar with the city. Any suggestions will be welcome. Thank you for your time. Joeette

Colt AZ · 07-07-2017, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mzjojo1955

After much research and prayer I have made the decision to relocate to Sierra Vista AZ. I have an arthritic condition and it is aggravated by the erratic weather we have in Oklahoma. My Physicians agree that a hot dry climate would be best for me. I visited Tuscon in February. I had a nice time but I did not feel like that was where I should go. I came back and started looking for somewhere a little smaller but not too far off "the grid". My question is : does Sierra Vista welcome relocated folks? I am a 62yr old African american woman. I am a widow. I had a hard time here in Oklahoma when i first moved here from New York 25 years ago

. There was a wall because I was not local and there seemed to be a problem because I was from New York. Also as far as housing goes are there any areas I need to avoid? I would like an apartment until I become more familiar with the city. Any suggestions will be welcome. Thank you for your time. Joeette

Hi, Jojo.

Arizona has been welcoming people from all over the USA and the world for a long time. We have plenty of relocated ex-New Yorkers all around. Indeed we do have a much hotter and dryer climate than other states, and many people come to Arizona due to their health. Sierra Vista is definitely a smaller community which is next to a military facility (Fort Huachuca), and is not necessarily off the grid.

I'll leave it to the ones who actually live in or near Sierra Vista or other smaller communities to chime in. If and when you decide to move to Arizona, welcome!

mzjojo1955 · 07-07-2017, 08:45 AM

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the welcome. I will do my part to make this work. I am friendly and outgoing.When I get to SV, I hope to connect with a place of worship as well as Senior Citizen groups. I was just hoping for some advice from the forum. The decision has been made to move. I am working on clearing out my house and preparing for that drive. Thank you again and have a great weekend. Joeette

Colt AZ · 07-07-2017, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mzjojo1955

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the welcome. I will do my part to make this work. I am friendly and outgoing.When I get to SV, I hope to connect with a place of worship as well as Senior Citizen groups. I was just hoping for some advice from the forum. The decision has been made to move. I am working on clearing out my house and preparing for that drive. Thank you again and have a great weekend. Joeette

Joeette, you may already have looked through this Sierra Vista government website, but if not, just thought I'd include it now for your perusal. Best wishes to you. ~ Colt

gemstone1 · 07-07-2017, 12:21 PM

Beware....don't let the word "desert" fool you....while it may seem dryer at times, there are others, particularly during the monsoon season, when it is downright "midwest" humid. I swore it was as bad as Indiana in July....

Regards
Gemstone1

Colt AZ · 07-07-2017, 09:17 PM

Home - Sierra Vista, Arizona

lvmensch · 07-07-2017, 09:26 PM

My mother and her significant other moved there 25 years ago. They liked it fine. Mother was a hard core Democrat...not exactly the smartest thing to be in that part of the world. Ended up heading the Democratic party in the county. She was at home there but after the SO passed she went back east.

SO was retired military which is a good thing to be in Sierra Vista.

The climate was fine. Gets a little hot but mostly the swamp coolers work.

Nice people. Mother got into taking classes at the local college. Got to the point she could at least read Spanish.

Bygeorge · 07-08-2017, 09:35 AM

With Fort Huachuca there are always people moving in an out. SV is a compact community meaning you do not have to go far for any needs unlike Tucson which is awful with traffic. SV has a small bus system. I do not know how difficult it might be to get a doctor to take you on. I always look at that aspect before settling in. There is a decent hospital with an ER. Serious cases are flown to Tucson. I do not think you will have any difficulties socially. People typically respond favorably to friendly people. I did know a lady who moved there years ago with serious arthritis and in six months she was a "new" person. I hope it works for you.

As for areas to avoid, I think if you drive around you will spot those. Like everywhere SV has a drug problem. Violent crime is usually connected to drugs somehow.

SV is on average cooler than Tucson. That also means winter temps are colder.

For my part, I think SV is the best destination in AZ all things considered.

SDHYDE17 · 07-11-2017, 12:54 PM

Hello mzjojo,
Welcome to Sierra Vista! I hope you like it here and I think you will. This community is centered around retirement/ Active Military. Which is odd because those are typically very different segments of society but SV seems to make it work OK.

Lots of churches, Doctors, Restaurants etc...There are plenty of paved walking/ biking paths. There is an aquatic center and the City complex has several buildings with different types of classes like pottery, writing etc.

As far as praying before you move, that is smart. If we all did that we'd be better off. As far as the climate, 90% of the time this place is dry. Right now through the middle of August however is the Monsoon and so its pretty heavy humidity during the day.

Does Sierra Vista welcome retired folks? YES.
Overall I would say that if you are looking for a slower pace of life then Sierra Vista will probably suit you just fine. I personally am just shy of 40 and have young children. For me the town is a little bit boring but there is no arguing that it is a good place to raise kids. The crime rates are low. Though I find that I miss many of the big city amenities. Tucson is 1.5 hours away and there is nothing closer...

Renting an apartment first is another good idea you mentioned. There are a lot of different type of landscapes here since we are so close to the mountains and you should be able to find one that suits your liking and budget.

I might ask you a couple questions and then provide my honest feedback:
1. What type of leisure activities do you enjoy?
2. Do you have a car and do you like to drive?
3. Do you enjoy the outdoors?

Chefjoeette1955 · 11-12-2017, 10:17 AM

I cannot believe so much time has gone by since I originally posted this. I will be leaving the day before Thanksgiving. 16 hr drive !whew! I am excited about the move. I am hoping to get an apt in the Pueblo apartments. They have an ad on Craigslist. It looks like it is close to a lot of services. I have a car and I do enjoy the outdoors. My condition requires me to walk with a cane. I am open to ideas about leisure activities. I enjoy learning about new things.I am looking forward to becoming a part of this community.