Sierra Vista AZ

[kevink]

We’ve been living in Tucson the past few years and while we love the community, amenities and the hiking and biking from November through April the summers just keep getting more brutal and climate models say 5+ months of triple digit highs (and - much more important for actual comfort) mid-80’s lows are the new normal.

I’m wondering if anyone here lives in or around Sierra Vista AZ and could share experiences. Historically it has apparently been known as a conservative place attracting military retirees but my impression is that outdoors enthusiasts, including lots of birders and mountain bikers, as well as perhaps a more diverse group of retirees, have been moving there in recent years. The climate is pretty close to ideal for us - still hot in the summers but not unbearably so, with mild winters. Medical care looks to be decent, some good ethnic restaurants and smaller places we love to visit but wouldn’t want to live in (Bisbee, Douglas, Cochise Stronghold) are nearby, while Costco and Trader Joe’s once a month in Tucson (70 miles away) seems do-able.

Any feedback appreciated.

 

[grasshopper]

Sierra Vista is like the big city for us. 2 hours and 2 mountain ranges away. We get about half of our medical services in SV, and are happy with our providers.

Your view is pretty much right on as many gun shops as churches, can't say anything about the nightlife, I am usually home by dark.

Yes, you would be sporting binoculars all the time. SV has claimed the title humminbird capital of the US. My village would put up a fight for that title but we don't have a staffed PR dept.

Patagonia is 50 minutes away and sports a growing wine industry.

The San Pedro river flows north from Mexico and offers lots of outdoor activities.

The population is very diverse in age, heritage, and wealth.

 

[Another Reader]

We’ve been living in Tucson the past few years and while we love the community, amenities and the hiking and biking from November through April the summers just keep getting more brutal and climate models say 5+ months of triple digit highs (and - much more important for actual comfort) mid-80’s lows are the new normal.

I’m wondering if anyone here lives in or around Sierra Vista AZ and could share experiences. Historically it has apparently been known as a conservative place attracting military retirees but my impression is that outdoors enthusiasts, including lots of birders and mountain bikers, as well as perhaps a more diverse group of retirees, have been moving there in recent years. The climate is pretty close to ideal for us - still hot in the summers but not unbearably so, with mild winters. Medical care looks to be decent, some good ethnic restaurants and smaller places we love to visit but wouldn’t want to live in (Bisbee, Douglas, Cochise Stronghold) are nearby, while Costco and Trader Joe’s once a month in Tucson (70 miles away) seems do-able.

Any feedback appreciated.

Apparently, the immigration problems are substantially worse now. Crime has gone up significantly and the park and forest rangers are handing out warnings about not traveling in some areas. There is a Home Depot but not a lot of other chain stores. A lot of military retirees. Housing prices have shot up there, anong with the rest of Arizona. I would look north, not south of Tucson.

 

[beowulf]

If Sierra Vista is like a big city, I'd hate to know where you live. Having been stationed at Fort Huachuca, I can honestly say that it rivals the most remote places I've been too. It's old, restaurants are meh. lack of large chain stores, older population and pretty hot. Illegal immigration was not a big problem when I was there. Unless you are retired military, I can't see what's there that would be better than Tucson. And, even then, Tucson has a huge AF base with lots of amenities for retirees. Certainly not medical facilities, shopping or dining. I can't give you any advice on the best place to live for you, but I will tell you Sierra Vista isn't a good choice.

 

[Ian S]

I would look north, not south of Tucson.

The problem is that north of Tucson, it actually gets hotter until you are well north of the Phoenix area.

The O.P.'s thinking is where we were a couple of years ago except we were in Phoenix and it's future livability is probably even more questionable than Tucson's. We ended up In the Village of Oak Creek (Sedona) and are very happy with that choice. But real estate in this area was already expensive and now it's even worse - our home has gone up in value probably 40-50% in two years.

The Prescott area would be an alternative as well but again housing prices are high there too. Perhaps the O.P. could consider a place like Summerhaven which is near Tucson but is far cooler due to the elevation. Gold-plated real estate there too though.

 

[beowulf]

That's a great suggestion, Ian. I don't know anything about Summerhaven, but cooler is better when it's still near a large city. Sedona is great also, but may be too pricey. We just sold our winter place in Scottsdale and were pleasantly surprised with the results. Could have had a bidding war, but just wanted sell after 16 years of using it 4 to 5 months a year and a 2,100 mile drive each way. Got real old. Plus the 8 month quarantine there during covid really made us unhappy.

 

[wompo]

My wife and I lived in Sierra Vista for 8 years leaving a few years ago. I worked at the fort and my wife did not work. We liked it but certainly did not love it there. We loved hiking year round and there were enough things to do to keep us happy. Having to drive to Tucson for some things we like was a bit of a pain but not terrible. I did see that one mom and pop restaurant we used to go to weekly did not survive the pandemic so I’m not sure how things are there now. Heath Care was ok but ok pretty much describes everything there. Some of my coworkers hated it there though but they were not really outdoors people.

 

[zinger1457]

Apparently, the immigration problems are substantially worse now. Crime has gone up significantly and the park and forest rangers are handing out warnings about not traveling in some areas.

I've been living in the Sierra Vista area for 24 years and this is all news to me. An entrance to the National Forest is 1/4 mile up the street from me and the only warning I've seen is a sign that immigrants may be encountered while hiking, the sign has been there for ~20 years. Plenty of birders/hikers/bikers visiting everyday. We've had a wall along our immediate boarder for years, unless you own a ranch directly on the boarder the chances of encountering any of them is close to zero. There are no jobs in the local area for them, those that make it across are heading to the bigger cities or looking for farm jobs.

Back to the OP. Yes it is a conservative leaning area but not hard core. The surrounding economy depends heavily on the Army base, the Army has a very good relationship with the city. Plenty of good hiking and road/mountain biking, Parker Canyon lake not too far away to do some fishing/kayaking. As far as housing goes you will likely get more for your $ then Tucson, depends on what you want, in the city, acreage, 55+ community. June is usually the hottest month out here, we had a few days in the low 100's this year. The monsoon season usually runs from July-Sept, regular cloud cover during the afternoon helps keep temperatures down, usually high 60's at night, high 80's-low 90's during the day.
Let me know if you have any specific questions, can also PM me if you want.

 

[Arizona1]

The problem with southern AZ is unless you go to Mexico every trip you go on is a trip to Phoenix first. Decent lakes, Snow skiing, and ocean are past Phoenix. The mountains west of Sierra Vista have oaks and some nice cactus but to get to town you have to drive through the base.
With the mistletoe invading the mesquite and polo verde trees the foliage is burning up because of hotter days and drought.
If you drive through sonoita on highway 83 you get to see some grasslands and go over a 5100ft pass. Going East it’s really 1000 miles of nothing until you hit Corpus Christi. Going west it’s about 500 miles of desert to San Diego.
Sorry to seem negative. When I was in the Air Force we built a long runway in Sierra Vista as a space shuttle alternate landing spot.

 

[ivinsfan]

Is your heart set on AZ and how much winter are you willing to live with?



Wait for it... because anyone that knows me knows I would ask if you have any interest in extreme Southern Utah..lots of choices from bigger SGU to smaller towns in that area. Lots of retired relocating there so the demographics are changing, changing slowly but changing...

 

[QuinnB]

Had a relative that lived in Sierra Vista for his entire adult life. He served in the armed forces based there, then when he got out, he liked the area so much he stayed. Got the chance to visit he and his wife there, they were just southwest of town and at about 5000 elevation on a small acreage. They had a beautiful view to the south of the mountains which ran east to west (forget the name of that range). As the crow flies, from their house over that mountain range to the Mexico border he said was thirteen miles. I asked if they had ever seen illegal immigrants coming out of those hills and he said never. He said his favorite part of the day was mornings. He would sit on the deck on south side of his home, with full view of the mountains, and drink his morning coffee and read the paper. He loved it there.

 

[kevink]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

None of the further north AZ options appeal to us for year-round living. Sedona is expensive and overwhelmed by tourism, Prescott also expensive and over-run by wealthy Californians, Flagstaff lovely but after many years of living in Boulder, Colorado 100 inches of snow no longer has the slightest appeal.

We’ll most likely continue to be Tucson-based and look for an affordable mountain escape for the summers.

 

[SmallCityDave]

We’ve been living in Tucson the past few years and while we love the community, amenities and the hiking and biking from November through April the summers just keep getting more brutal and climate models say 5+ months of triple digit highs (and - much more important for actual comfort) mid-80’s lows are the new normal.

I’m wondering if anyone here lives in or around Sierra Vista AZ and could share experiences. Historically it has apparently been known as a conservative place attracting military retirees but my impression is that outdoors enthusiasts, including lots of birders and mountain bikers, as well as perhaps a more diverse group of retirees, have been moving there in recent years. The climate is pretty close to ideal for us - still hot in the summers but not unbearably so, with mild winters. Medical care looks to be decent, some good ethnic restaurants and smaller places we love to visit but wouldn’t want to live in (Bisbee, Douglas, Cochise Stronghold) are nearby, while Costco and Trader Joe’s once a month in Tucson (70 miles away) seems do-able.

Any feedback appreciated.

You have a great understanding of Sierra Vista, it's big enough for almost everything you need and Tucson is only an hour away.


Crime is substantially lower (50%?) than Tucson, illegal migration has spiked this year for some odd reason but it's not illegal anymore so no problem. There are plenty of chain stores such as HD, Lowe's, Ace, Walmart, Target, Marshals, Dillard's etc. Median home price in SV is about $100k lower than national average.


SV is that type of place you'd like to raise a family or retire in, I'm not sure it would be the best place for nightlife but that may not be a bad thing.

 

[ivinsfan]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

None of the further north AZ options appeal to us for year-round living. Sedona is expensive and overwhelmed by tourism, Prescott also expensive and over-run by wealthy Californians, Flagstaff lovely but after many years of living in Boulder, Colorado 100 inches of snow no longer has the slightest appeal.

We’ll most likely continue to be Tucson-based and look for an affordable mountain escape for the summers.

That's a good plan, we had a great summer mountain getaway in Brian Head UT. That would be much cheaper then Park City or Colo.