Sierra Vista Map
Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,044. The city is part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas Micropolitan Area with an estimated population of 129,518. Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army post, is included in City population estimates and is located in the northwest part of the city. Sierra Vista, which is Spanish for "Mountain View", is located 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Tucson and serves as the main commercial, cultural, and recreational hub of Cochise County. The city is accessible via Interstate 10 and State Highway 90. The city is surrounded by the Huachuca Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, Whetstone Mountains, Mustang Mountains, and Mule Mountains and is bordered on the east by the San Pedro River.
At the end of the Apache Wars, the protection of Fort Huachuca and the completion of the Southern Pacific and the El Paso & Southwestern railroads, the San Pedro Valley began to populate. Oliver Fry and his two oldest sons traveled from Texas on the railroad and settled on 320 acres (1.3 km2) just outside of Fort Huachuca around 1901.
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 opened in 1892. In 1911, Margaret Carmichael 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 on a railroad whistle-stop between Lewis Springs and Fort Huachuca. At this site was a post office and a school house that served children in Buena, Garden Canyon and outreaches of the local area.
Nearby cities include Tombstone, Huachuca City.