Sierra Vista, Arizona

As evidenced by several neolithic sites,[6] which include the Murray Springs Clovis Site and known archeological sites like the Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site, Paleo-Indians,[7] along with other unique animals to include mammoths, horses, tapir, bison, and camels occupied the area more than 11,000 years ago (9000 BCE). Both the Murray Springs Clovis Site and the Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site are now National Historic Landmarks. This area was the home to a large Sobaipuri[8] Pueblo near Fairbank[9] which had several smaller pueblos and settlements[10] throughout the valley,[11][12] a Spanish Fort, Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate [10][13] between modern Huachuca City , Whetstone and Tombstone, on the Western bank of the San Pedro River.[8] along with sparse Spanish settlers supporting the route to Tucson's Mission San Xavier del Bac and Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón.[14][15][16] Coronado National Memorial was established in the southern Huachuca Mountains to commemorate the expedition of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado utilizing the nearby San Pedro River in his northward search of the Cities of Cíbola, often referred to now as the mythical Seven Cities of Gold.

Montezuma Pass at Coronado National Memorial. The United States / Mexican border fence can be seen in the middle of this photograph. Mexico is on the right / south side of the fence.

Like most of Cochise County, this area was part of the Gadsden Purchase of 1854.[17] At the end of the Apache Wars in 1886, with the protection of Fort Huachuca[18] and the completion of the Southern Pacific and El Paso & Southwestern railroads, the San Pedro Valley began to be populated by American settlers.[19][20]

The first business that opened just outside the east gate of Fort Huachuca was a saloon and "house of ill repute" owned by John and Ellen Reilly, which opened in 1892. In 1911, Margaret Carmichael[21] bought the Reilly homestead and business. By 1913, Margaret Carmichael had leased the business back to the Reillys. Also in 1913, a group of dry land farmers settled in the local area and named their settlement Buena. Buena was located east of Garden Canyon, between Lewis Springs and Fort Huachuca, east of the junction of present-day Hwy 90 and Hwy 92.[8] At this site was a post office and a school house that served children in Buena, Garden Canyon and outreaches of the local area. Oliver Fry[21] and his two oldest sons traveled from Texas on the railroad and settled on 320 acres (1.3 km²) just east of Fort Huachuca in January, 1913.[8]

By 1917, the Overton Post Office was established. This name came from the Overton Mercantile and Investment Company, which took option on the Carmichael property with plans to develop a townsite outside of Fort Huachuca. However, it is believed that the company was unable to persuade anyone to move to the area so when the option expired, the Carmichaels took back the property with a general mercantile store and the post office.

In 1918, the Carmichaels changed the name of the store and named it after the Garden Canyon Sawmill.[8] They also called their Post Office where Carmichael was the postmaster Garden Canyon.[8] In addition, the Carmichaels built a home across the street from Garden Canyon store, as well as 18 rock houses, on Garden Avenue. From 1927 to 1938, the Frys rented the Carmichael store and ran the post office. The Frys established their own general store and the first official federally recognized post office established in 1938 as Fry post office, so the name of this settlement changed to Fry.[8] By World War II, Fry's reputation was less than salubrious. According to the "Employment of Negro Troops" (CMH), "Because it was surrounded by a desert with no nearby communities and because it was located in a part of the country with practically no Negro population, Fort Huachuca, since the days when it was a frontier post garrisoned with Negro soldiers of the old regiments, had considered Fry a quasi-necessary adjunct.... In Fry lived women.... As the post commander described it in 1942: The small town of Fry is dirty, unsanitary and squalid. It has been so for many years. It was made worse in these respects during the construction of the cantonment...." (p. 282)

Fort Huachuca in 1918

When the base was reactivated on February 1, 1954, the base commander Brigadier General Emil Lenzner pushed for incorporation as both a way to solve the on-base housing problems as well as to distance themselves from reputation of "The White City" and Fry Town Settlement, hoping to encourage people to want to live off base in a more family-friendly community, away from undesirables like the minorities allowed to live unsegregated in Fry Town.[8] Petitions for incorporation began to be filed in 1955 and were legally accepted in 1956, which included what had been Garden Canyon and Buena but did not include most of Fry Town. This was in part to keep a Federal Housing Authority (FHA) housing project contacts for housing off post away from the Fry Town area, and was used as a rationale to incorporate and begin getting a share of tax revenues without having to pay the Fry family for the parts of Fry Town considered desirable and wholesome.[8]

In 1955, the first attempt to incorporate and rename the area was rejected, as Fry opposed both incorporating and renaming the town that bore his family name. In 1956, the ballot issue failed 76 to 61. People who owned land outside of Fry's property in the area of Garden Canyon/Overton and Buena, as well as parts of Fry[8] went forward with incorporation and renaming by petition on May 26, 1956, excluding the half-square-mile owned by Fry that included the local red light district called "the White City" as well as off base housing of the African-American "Buffalo" soldier officers' families,[22][23] and other minorities and groups they considered undesirable in the 1950s.[8][24][25] They were described as the "Fry People."[22]

Sierra Vista was incorporated in 1956. The proposed town council held a radio contest[22] asking for names of the proposed town. Marie Pfister, the city clerk, asked her friend Nola Walker to store the suggestions. When the town was approved, they called Nola for the contest winner, but without counting the votes she told them her personal entry of "Sierra Vista" was the winner. On July 13, 2006 at a special ceremony during the city's 50th anniversary, Nola was granted "clemency" for her misrepresentation of the vote.[24]

In 1961 the community had grown large enough to be classified as a city, allowing the establishment of a community college.[8] In 1973 Ethel Berger became the first female mayor in Arizona.[8][24][25] In the 1970s the Art in the Park Festival was established by a committee of Army Wives, with it proceeds benefiting the Huachuca Arts Association, and college scholarships.[8][25] Sierra Vista annexed Fort Huachuca, a U.S. military base, one of the largest employers in Arizona, and the adjacent community, in 1971.

Sierra Vista was the site of the first McDonald's drive thru, which opened in 1975.[26] The owner, Dave Rich, drove the innovative approach to gain the business of the soldiers from nearby Fort Huachuca. At that time, soldiers were not allowed to wear their military fatigues off of the military base.[27][8]

Sierra Vista has a population of over 43,000 today. The city is the economic and commercial center of Cochise County, and northern Sonora, Mexico.

Known historical names for the area:[8][22][24]

• 1878 Papingo
• 1898 Overton
• 1909 Garden Canyon
• 1915 Buena
• 1938 Fry, Frytown, Fry Township, Fry Settlement
• 1942–1945 "The White City", "Green Top" or "The Hook"
• 1955 Town of Sierra Vista
• 1961 City of Sierra Vista

Ramsey Canyon

Sierra Vista is located in southwestern Cochise County at 31°32′44″N 110°16′35″W (31.545498, −110.276500).[28] It is bordered on the northwest by the much smaller town of Huachuca City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 152.5 square miles (395.1 km²), of which 152.3 square miles (394.4 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²) is water. It is located 4,623 feet (1,409 m) above sea level. Sierra Vista is flanked on the southwest side by the Huachuca Mountains, with Miller Peak rising to 9,466 feet (2,885 m) and Carr Peak to 9,236 feet (2,815 m), both south of the city limits. The city is accessible via Arizona State Routes 90 and 92. The San Pedro River flows just east of the city limits.

Geography surrounding Sierra Vista

Climate

Huachuca Mountains in the winter

In the Köppen climate classification system, Sierra Vista falls within the typical cold semi-arid climate (BSk) of mid-altitude Arizona. Fall and spring, like most other parts of Arizona, are very dry. Winters are cool to cold with frosts which can occasionally be hard freezes; frost can be expected to stop in mid- to late April. Spring, like fall, spends about half of itself within the frost season. Summer starts off dry, but progressively gets wetter as the monsoon season approaches. The city has a fairly stable climate with very little humidity. However, the North American Monsoon can bring torrential rains during the months of July and August and will produce almost half the yearly rainfall in just those two months alone. Due to the dry climate the rest of the year and the city's high elevation, daily winter low temperatures range from 20 to 30 °F (−6.7 to −1.1 °C) on average and up to 50 °F (10.0 °C) on rare occasions when moist fronts bring warm air from the Gulf of California. Snow is not a common sight on the streets of Sierra Vista though some years the city can receive several inches of snow and other years it will receive none. However, a snow-capped Miller Peak and Carr Peak in the Huachuca Mountains is a common sight for four to five months every year.

The highest recorded temperature was 110 °F (43 °C) on June 20, 2017.
The lowest recorded temperature was 4 °F (−16 °C) on February 3, 2011.
The maximum average rainfall occurs in August.

Climate data for Sierra Vista, Arizona
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	81 (27)	86 (30)	91 (33)	97 (36)	102 (39)	110 (43)	108 (42)	103 (39)	99 (37)	96 (36)	86 (30)	81 (27)	110 (43)
Average high °F (°C)	61.2 (16.2)	64.4 (18.0)	69.7 (20.9)	76.9 (24.9)	85.1 (29.5)	92.9 (33.8)	91.6 (33.1)	88.7 (31.5)	86.8 (30.4)	78.8 (26.0)	69.5 (20.8)	61.6 (16.4)	77.3 (25.2)
Average low °F (°C)	34.2 (1.2)	37.2 (2.9)	41.5 (5.3)	47.1 (8.4)	54.9 (12.7)	63.3 (17.4)	66.3 (19.1)	64.9 (18.3)	60.3 (15.7)	51.0 (10.6)	40.9 (4.9)	33.9 (1.1)	49.6 (9.8)
Record low °F (°C)	12 (−11)	4 (−16)	22 (−6)	28 (−2)	35 (2)	46 (8)	51 (11)	53 (12)	43 (6)	26 (−3)	19 (−7)	15 (−9)	4 (−16)
Average rainfall inches (mm)	0.98 (25)	0.70 (18)	0.52 (13)	0.41 (10)	0.30 (7.6)	0.51 (13)	3.11 (79)	3.82 (97)	1.45 (37)	0.93 (24)	0.44 (11)	1.03 (26)	14.2 (360.6)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.3 (0.76)	0.2 (0.51)	0.2 (0.51)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.7 (1.8)
Average rainy days (≥ .01 Inch)	4	4	3	2	1	3	12	12	5	3	2	4	60
Source: National Weather Service, Tucson[29]

Sierra Vista is the largest of seven incorporated cities in Cochise County, accounting for one-third of the county's population.[40] The population at the 2010 census was 43,888, up from 37,775 at the 2000 census, for a growth rate of 16.2% over the decade. Sierra Vista is the 21st largest incorporated place in Arizona as of the 2010 census.

Also indicated in the CER 2009 Economic Outlook publication, the Arizona DEC estimates the Sierra Vista Area population is approximately 75,000, which includes outlying areas of the Sierra Vista Southeast Census Designated Place, Huachuca City, Tombstone, Whetstone, Hereford and unincorporated surrounding areas. The population of the Sierra Vista Area is estimated to reach nearly 100,000 by 2028.

Saint Andrew the Apostle Church

According to the 2000 Census figures, the Sierra Vista population consists of 14,196 households, and 9,993 families residing in the city. The population density was 246.1 people per square mile (95.0/km²). There were 15,685 housing units at an average density of 102.2 per square mile (39.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 10.9% Black or African American, 3.6% Asian, 0.8% Native American and 0.5% Pacific Islander. 6.1% of the population is from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. 15.8% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

There were 14,196 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 25.8% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,427, and the median income for a family was $44,077. Males had a median income of $30,053 versus $23,805 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,436. About 8.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2000 Census, of the population (37,775) 25 years and older 91.5 percent had at least a high school diploma or equivalent and an estimated 25.7 percent held a bachelor's degree or higher. The CER indicates that there has been an increasing trend for residents to attain a bachelor's degree or higher making the local area competitive in today's technological working environment. The estimated population of resident's educated at a post-secondary level (some college credit or more) in Sierra Vista is estimated to be higher than county, state, and national averages.[40]

Notable people

Vice Admiral Donaho

Don Frye

• Vice Admiral Glynn R. Donaho, World War II Submarine Commander awarded the Navy Cross four times.
• Patricia "Pat" Fleming, former Democratic member of the Arizona House of Representatives.
• Don Frye, mixed martial arts fighter, UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 2 champion.
• Major General David Parker Gibbs, former Chief of Communications and Electronics for the Department of the Army.
• Laurence Gibson, American professional National Football League player drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
• David Gowan, Republican Senator in the Arizona State Senate and the former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives.
• Vickie Hall, Miss Arizona 1975 who succeeded original Miss Arizona winner Stacey Peterson to crown when Peterson resigned.[41]
• Russ Klabough, American soccer player who currently plays for FC Arizona in the National Premier Soccer League.
• Yvonne Navarro, Bram Stoker Award Winning and Best Selling author of more than twenty five books and a core Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel contributors.
• Erin Nurss, Miss Arizona 2008.[42]
• Weston Ochse, Bram Stoker Award Winning and Best Selling author of more than thirty books.
• Nicole Powell, basketball player in the WNBA team New York Liberty.
• Adam Saathoff, American sport shooter for the National Running Target Team. Three time Olympic competitor for Team USA and silver and bronze medalists in 1998 and 2002 World Championships respectively.
• Audrey Sibley, Miss Arizona 2005.[43]
• Glenn Spencer, anti-immigration activist and operator of American Border Patrol.[44]
• David Stevens, form Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives.
• Young Seph, American music producer and songwriter. Has produced for artists such as 50 Cent, Jim Jones, Lloyd Banks, Troy Ave, Rocko, Young Buck, and Havoc.

The City of Sierra Vista is a council-manager municipality. The city council sets public policy while a professional city manager implements policy and oversees the day-to-day operation of the city.

Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army post, an active and historical military installation and a communications and information technology hub, was annexed into the city in 1971. In addition, the city has been actively working to annex Cochise County enclaves within city limits as outlined in the City Council's strategic plan "Our Future Vistas".[45]

Sierra Vista is the commercial center for Cochise County and parts of northern Mexico. Retailers such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, Target, Dillard's, and Marshalls are located in the community, along with three major supermarkets and dozens of smaller specialty shops. The Mall at Sierra Vista is a 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m²) mall located in Sierra Vista.

Sierra Vista has a substantial employment base due to Fort Huachuca — the community's major employer and primary driving economic force. Because of contracts with the Army, the professional, scientific and technical services sector is unusually large, but nearly half of all jobs in Sierra Vista are in the government sector.

Wick Communications, which publishes several dozen newspapers in some twelve states, is headquartered in Sierra Vista.

Sierra Vista Public Library

The Sierra Vista Unified School District includes one high school, Buena High School, one middle school, and six elementary schools. There are also several charter and private education opportunities. Higher education is available through the University of Arizona, College of Applied Science & Technology and Cochise Community College.

There is a 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m²) public library located within the city limits across from city hall.[46]

Pictographs in the Huachuca Mountains

Sierra Vista has a variety of cultural and family-oriented activities throughout the year. Some of the major events include the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering in February, the Festival of the Southwest in the spring, Independence Day celebration, the Southwest Wings Festival in August for bird watching enthusiasts, and Arizona's longest-running holiday parade in December. During the winter months, the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra presents three concerts of classical and popular music, including pre-concert seminars, and puts on special fund raising events. Throughout the year, the Art Discovery Series presents plays, concerts, and musicals, and in the summer, there are regular band concerts at Veterans' Park, as well as many activities at the Sierra Vista Public Library such as a film series, lectures, readings, and other programs for children and adults. Pictographs created by Native Americans can be found in certain areas of the Huachuca Mountains.

The Gray Hawk Nature Center offering nature education programs and housing live reptile and invertebrate exhibits is located nearby on the San Pedro River.

Sierra Vista is served by the Sierra Vista Herald since 1955.

In 2016 a Social Network Based News Agency was started called Sierra Vista News Network or SVNN. The Facebook page and other Networks SVNN operates include political coverage, Live Streamed High School Sports, and on demand Live News Coverage.

Television station KWBA-TV, channel 58, is licensed to Sierra Vista and serves the Tucson/Sierra Vista market.[47] The station has broadcast since 1996 and is an affiliate of The CW network. The station's transmission tower is located in the Santa Rita Mountains between Sierra Vista and Tucson. Other area television stations include KFTU-DT, channel 36, the Spanish-language UniMás affiliate, licensed to Douglas with a broadcast tower in the Mule Mountains near Sierra Vista; and community station K33CG, channel 33, a former TBN affiliate.

Radio station KZMK (K-101) serves as a Top 40 hits FM radio station covering Sierra Vista and most of Cochise County. The station provides live broadcasts for significant events occurring in and around the city.[48] Sister radio station KTAN (1420 AM) broadcasts a News Talk Information format. Both stations are owned by CCR-Sierra Vista IV, LLC., which also owns nearby Bisbee, Arizona radio station KWCD (92.3 FM), which broadcasts a country music format.

Radio station KWRB (formerly "The Spark") serves as a Christian FM radio station covering Bisbee and most of Cochise County, on the 90.9 MHz frequency. They also have an alternative station that serves Willcox, which repeats the station using the callsign K274CB, on 102.7 MHz frequency. Both radio stations are owned by World Radio Network, Inc.

The Cochise County Cavaliers have combined with the Bisbee Ironmen, both former members of the Arizona Football League (AzFL), to form the Cochise County Ironmen. The Ironmen began their first season of play in 2011.[49]

Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) and the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center (located on nearby Fort Huachuca) serve the community's health care needs. Medical personnel of all major specialties are available in the area. Canyon Vista Medical Center was recently completed adjoining an existing Ambulatory Surgery and Imaging Center on SR 90. A management agreement for long term operations of the hospital was signed with RegionalCare Hospital Partners. The US Department of Veterans Affairs opened a clinic in Sierra Vista to better serve the area's large retired military population.[50]

Vista Transit Building

Sierra Vista is supported by a public mass transit system called Vista Transit, operated by the city.[59] Huachuca City Transit operates between Huachuca City and Sierra Vista.[60] Cochise Connection runs between Douglas, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista.[61] Greyhound Lines offers service from Sierra Vista to Tucson and Phoenix.

There are two highways (SR 90 and SR 92) connecting Sierra Vista with neighboring communities. The city is also served by the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport (FHU) which is jointly operated by the U.S. Army as Libby Army Airfield. Currently there are no commercial flights arriving to or departing from FHU.

Sierra Vista established its Sister Cities program in 1989 with Resolution 2282 in order to promote a relationship with Cananea. Sierra Vista was later twinned with Radebeul on May 22, 1998 by Resolution 3956. Sierra Vista and Radebeul currently have a foreign exchange program with each other.[62]

• Cananea, Sonora, Mexico
• Radebeul, Saxony, Germany

• 
  Carr Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains
• 
  Ramsey Canyon
• 
  Snow-capped mountains outside Sierra Vista
• 
  Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes) in Huachuca Canyon
• 
  Bridled Titmouse (Baeolophus wollweberi) in Upper Miller Canyon
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  Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) in Upper Miller Canyon
• 
  Grace's Warbler (Setophaga graciae) at Reef Townsite in Carr Canyon
• 
  Olive Warbler (Peucedramus taeniatus) in Upper Miller Canyon
• 
  Virginia's Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae) in Carr Canyon
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  Whiskered Screech Owl (Megascops trichopsis) in Upper Miller Canyon
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  Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus) & Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) in Lower Huachuca Canyon
• 
  Cassin's Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) in Lower Huachuca Canyon
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  Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed Rockies-Great Basin-no bicolored bill) (Junco hyemalis) in Upper Miller Canyon
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  Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiventris) in Huachuca Canyon
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  Western Flycatcher in Huachuca Canyon
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  Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans) in Huachuca Canyon
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  Tachinid Fly (Tachinidae) in Huachuca Canyon
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  Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) in Huachuca Canyon
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  Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina) at the San Pedro House & River
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  Mallard (Mexican Subspecies) (Anas platyrhynchos) with ducklings at the San Pedro House and River
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  Nabokov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon) in Huachuca Canyon

• Sierra Vista Community Profile
• Sierra Vista Economic Development Foundation
• Arizona Department of Commerce Study

• City of Sierra Vista official website
• The Sierra Vista Herald

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sierra Vista.