Ft Huachuca Army Post Review

Your Name (if you would like it to appear): Seasoned Army Spouse

Post Name:  Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Post Location:  Southern Arizona, 1 hour south of Tucson, located outside the towns of Sierra Vista and Huachuca City.  The post is at the base of the Huachuca mountains at the 5,000 ft level.  Airport is located in Tucson.  Phoenix is 3 hours north.

How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present)   2001-2003 and 2007-2010

What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy?

Lots of new housing for enlisted soldiers and their families, more being built every day.  Top of the line housing, two car garages, granite countertops!  There is a waiting list and there are available units in the community.  Housing is privatized and run by Michael’s Military Housing, you will have to sign a lease if living on post.  They do a great job and have events each month for the families.   Fort Huachuca is a historic post and has an Old Post section where the senior officers live.  Those houses were built in 1887-1915 and are designated as historic, there are also newer housing built within the last 5 years for officers.

Rate the PX & Commissary.

PX is small but “shopable.”   Rumors are a new store will be built in a few years.  Lots of sales.  Commissary is medium size but carries most everything you need.  Commissary is closed on Mondays.  What you can’t find on post you can find in the surrounding area.  Sierra Vista has a Target, Wal-Mart (a super Wal-Mart will be opening in the fall), Marshalls, Tuesday Morning, Ross, a medium size Shopping Mall with Best Buy, Dillards, JC Penny and many stores.  Two movie theaters.  Lots of restaurants (local and chain).   SAMS Club and COSTCO are located in Tucson.

Activities on base?

Fort Huachuca has many different events each month.  MWR hosts wrestling, comedy clubs, Chess/Bunco/trivia tournaments, All Army boxing, musical groups, Missoula Children’s Theater, Carnivals, Rodeos, Volksmarch, they partner with the community and there is always something going on.  No on-post library – there is a partnership with Sierra Vista where resources were combined for a wonderful library.  Active religious community through Main Post Chapel.   Youth Services just opened up a new building, many sports activities for children.  Arts and Crafts Center – many classes to sign up for.  Bowling Alley (Desert Lanes) is being renovated and will reopen in the fall, they have a good eating place Jeannie’s Diner.  Post Movie Theater shows films on Thur, Fri & Sat nights and Sun afternoon.  Buffalo Corral offers horseback riding rentals, trail rides, riding lessons and has stables for those who own horses.  Two pools – indoor & outdoor, swim lessons.  Thunder Mountain Activity Center (TMAC) is the place for large events and offers lunch during the week.  They also offer Right Arm night monthly with music, food and prizes.  Barnes Field House, Eifler Gym, and a facility for spouses only.  The Sportsman’s Center has local hunting information and a paintball course.  Outdoor Recreation Center offers lots of stuff for rental and now has tours to local sites.  Many hiking trails in the mountains.  Lots of wildlife on post to observe (some to stay away from – rattlesnakes and mountain lions).  One of the biggest “Bird Watching” areas in the Southwest – over 350 species of birds fly thru the Huachuca mountains.

Active Spouses Club?  Yes, the Fort Huachuca Community Spouses Club (FHCSC) meets monthly Sep thru May.  Open to all spouses of active duty (officer/enlisted), reserve, National Guard, retired, civilian or community resident.  Lots of fun events each month – luncheons with a guest speaker, bunko, bingo, travel advice, trips to local towns, fundraising (a big Holiday bazaar in the fall, golf tournament in the spring), friendships, and networking.  Many active FRGs in the units.  Murr Community Center has an internet café, ticket office, CYS signup and has bingo weekly.

Things to do in area?  This is the Wild West so there are lots of historic sites to visit – ghost towns, OK Corral in Tombstone, quirky town of Bisbee for antiques and hippies, Sonoita for wineries, a lake for fishing nearby, many clubs (hiking, caving, horses, political, you name it, I’m sure there’s a group for it).  Small town atmosphere, safe for families.  Hiking, bike riding, camping, horseback riding are popular.  Kartchner Caverns – a living cave – is 20 miles north.  The Cove Aquatic Center in Sierra Vista has swimming classes, exercise classes, a wave pool, swim teams and waterslide.  If you need a bigger city, Tucson is about an hour away and Phoenix only 3 hours north.

School System?  Fort Huachuca has the best school system in the area – the Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District.  There are two elementary schools and one middle school on post.  Both elementary schools are in new buildings and the middle school building will be replaced within a year.   Sierra Vista has a large district and has the one High School locally.  Tombstone also has a High School (about ½ hour northeast).   There are four Charter schools and three private religious schools in Sierra Vista.

Any colleges in area?  Post Education Center has classes from Wayland Baptist University, University of Phoenix, Cochise College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  There are more classes available at the Cochise College location in Sierra Vista.

Jobs? (on post and off)  There are Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) jobs available, many defense contractors are looking for qualified people, visit ACS for local jobs.   ACS can help you with your resume and they host job fairs from time to time.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?  The post is located in a beautiful part of the state – high desert, mountains surrounding the area.  Small hometown atmosphere in a town of 45,000 people.   Great relationship between post and local community.  Great people.  Pro military.  Great weather!  Beautiful sunsets and rainbows during the summer monsoon season.  Temperatures range in the daytime from the 90’s in the summer, to 50’s in the winter.  We do get snow in the winter a few times but it is usually melted by the afternoon.  Temperature does drop at night, as much as 20’s degrees when the sun goes down.

Least favorite aspect?   Illegal aliens coming across the border – especially the drug runners.  On post has a Health Center, Sierra Vista has a hospital but lacks specialty doctors – you may have to travel to Tucson.

Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.)

Fort Huachuca Visitor page

https://www.fhasd.org/ Fort Huachuca Accommodation Schools

http://sierravistapublicschools.com/ Sierra Vista Public Schools

www.palominas.com Palominas Public Schools

www.tombstoneschools.org Tombstone Public Schools

www.sierravistaaz.gov City of Sierra Vista website

www.svherald.com Sierra Vista Herald Newspaper

Facebook Pages:  U.S. Army Fort Huachuca, Ft. Huachuca Community Thrift Shop, FMWR Fort Huachuca, Huachuca Hospitality House (The Hospitality House is a place for soldiers and their families to get away from post and relax, explore God, play games, eat good food, and have fun! )

Any other tips?  You are at a high elevation and in the desert so you will need to drink more water than normal.  There is also a low humidity, so you will need more moisturizers.   Monsoon Season (rainy season) happens during the July to September timeframe.  This area gets 90 percent of their water during this time (8-9 inches of rain).  There are usually daily thunderstorms with lightning.  Flash floods happen during thunderstorms, don’t cross roads with running water!  It may not be deep but can sweep your car off the road.  Arizona has the “Stupid Motorist Law” which is motorists can be held liable for the costs of any emergency response to rescue them.   If the road is barricaded or has a few inches of running water across the road DO NOT CROSS!!  If you are hiking in a dry wash and there is a storm nearby – get out of the wash.  Flash floods travel fast and fill up dry washes fast.