Sierra Vista area

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We are a husband wife RN team (always work at same hopital) looking to relocate to Arizona in the Sierra Vista area. We currently live in the Pacific Northwest and have never lived in AZ. However, we want to move to a warmer area, but not too hot like Phoenix. We think Sierra Vista will work for the climate we are seeking and smaller size town. We like animals, biking, camping, and outdoors.

However, we don't know what to expect from the professional aspect. We both work in critical care areas (ICU, ER, CICU, etc) and will likely seek that type of position. We may try a travel assignment before listing our house for sale and buying in AZ, but we're not sure since we have 2 kids.

Has anyone worked in that area? What kind of wage can we expect? What sort of issues/ irritants might we face living in that area that we might not have considered coming from the north?

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We left Sierra Vista about 4 years ago. I thought it was too hot, but now I'm in PHX and have no idea why I was complaining back then!! I worked at Sierra Vista Regional Hospital which is a small hospital of about 80 beds (if I remember correctly). They have a webpage and seemed to be current on the current nursing needs. I believe I made $25/hour and then switched to prn and made $31.50. I worked with good people and feel that I was treated fairly. They have mostly M/S beds, Tele, small ICU, L&D, and ED. Housing prices have come down (my parents still live there) and the town is mostly military, Border Patrol, and retirees. Our daughter attended a private school (First Baptist), so I don't know anything about the public schools.

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First, you will want to visit! We have family there and went down for the 4th of July. We really enjoyed it. Very small town though. Diverse enough for my liking too. But, it is literally in the middle of nowhere....or at the "End of Nowhere". Not sure if I could live there, but we did enjoy ourselves! Sorry I don't have answers to your nursing job questions.

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Thank you both. That actually was helpful. I've never lived so close to the border. Is is going to be a safe place to raise kids? I've looked at the crime statistics and the theft is much higher than in our area.

We work in a 300 bed hospital and have worked at a 30 bed hospital, so we think we will deal with the size OK. The wage seems about average doesn't it?

But the housing is much cheaper than where we are at. Also, it looks like land must be cheap because the houses all come with acreage. Even in a neighborhood it looks like many have an acre+. Does anyone grow grass there? Are there water restrictions on that? Are utilities higher than normal? I can't imagine how often our central air would have to run in a place like that! Is central air better than swamp coolers?

It does seem "at the end of nowhere" and that was well said! But it is only an hour or so from Tuscon, which is just what we are looking for (near the big city but not IN the big city). It sure is different from where we are at though!

Thank you for your input, it is very appreciated.

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Thank you both. That actually was helpful. I've never lived so close to the border. Is is going to be a safe place to raise kids? I've looked at the crime statistics and the theft is much higher than in our area.

We work in a 300 bed hospital and have worked at a 30 bed hospital, so we think we will deal with the size OK. The wage seems about average doesn't it?

But the housing is much cheaper than where we are at. Also, it looks like land must be cheap because the houses all come with acreage. Even in a neighborhood it looks like many have an acre+. Does anyone grow grass there? Are there water restrictions on that? Are utilities higher than normal? I can't imagine how often our central air would have to run in a place like that! Is central air better than swamp coolers?

It does seem "at the end of nowhere" and that was well said! But it is only an hour or so from Tuscon, which is just what we are looking for (near the big city but not IN the big city). It sure is different from where we are at though!

Thank you for your input, it is very appreciated.

I'm not sure about the acreage. Maybe if you lived in Hereford or some of the surrounding cities. The majority of houses in Sierra Vista would not have acreage. They would be more of a typical subdivision. Many people have grass in their backyards for the pets/kids. I felt safe there. We lived in a neighborhood by the mall in a new house and we liked it. The city seemed a little small to me at the time, but now it would hold more appeal.

If you don't mind a true border city, you might also consider the Westside of El Paso, TX. Good wages, decent schools, inexpensive housing. There was a true nursing shortage when we were there. Of course, it does really have that border town feel that you won't experience in Sierra Vista.

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Honestly, I couldn't believe that my brother in-law actually left his front door unlocked. I was NOT ok with that. But apparently, they feel very safe. He works for law enforcement too. I did notice his inlaws have atleast an acre for a backyard, so it just might be that homes come with a little more than the average acrerage. Can I ask where you are currently living?

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We are in the Spokane,WA area. Prices for homes have really escalated in the past 5-6 years. Fortunately we bought before that so our home is worth more. However, we really want land and warmer weather. We can afford the land here, we just dont WANT to afford the land here, you know? We don't want a HUGE mortgage each month and be slaves to it. And I'm tired of shoveling snow.

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Yeah, makes sense. The scenery is much different here than WA. I moved from N.Cal. 7 years ago, it was an adjustment. If your kids are young, than you will be fine. There are some bad parts of SV so do your homework(I know you are already)and take a couple of trips before you move. I never recommend a blind move....to much of a shock! But all in all, it's a nice little town.

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There are some bad parts of SV so do your homework(I know you are already)and take a couple of trips before you move. I never recommend a blind move....to much of a shock! But all in all, it's a nice little town.

Bad parts? Ugh. :confused: There are no bad parts where we live currently. What areas should we avoid? We have looked at an area called Hereford. Is that ok? I don't see how we can make a good decision about this unless we try to get a travel assignment there and spend time checking it out. Anyone have any idea how easily 2 nurses can get such an assignment? I'm sure we could get one in Tuscon, but it would be better to be south of that.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

How about small towns that are just south of Tucson, and not as far? Like Vail, Tubac, Green Valley or even the outskirts of tucson? Or Marana up north? You'd have to commute to work, but it's not so far out.

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Specializes in Acute Rehab.

Overall Sierra Vista is a safe environment. I went to the majority of high school and part of college there. Most of the population consists of retirees and military families. Hereford is a nice area as well, but most of Sierra Vista is safe. Never had any issues with crime and i lived there for four years. And like another poster mentioned, we left our doors unlocked half the time. It's a hundred times safer than Tucson. You have nothing to worry about....

-Matthew

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Bad parts? Ugh. :confused: There are no bad parts where we live currently. What areas should we avoid? We have looked at an area called Hereford. Is that ok? I don't see how we can make a good decision about this unless we try to get a travel assignment there and spend time checking it out. Anyone have any idea how easily 2 nurses can get such an assignment? I'm sure we could get one in Tuscon, but it would be better to be south of that.

When I worked at the hospital there, we had a couple of travelers. I would try for something starting in Oct. or Nov. That's when we started getting really busy. I believe the bad part was called Fry Town. I would say that "the bad part" is nothing in comparison to most places. Hereford can be nice. Just depends on what you want.

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