Mountain View Neighborhood Profile

Cori Runyon, a 4 year resident of the neighborhood, says what she loves about living in Mountain View, is that “it’s walking distance from Guadalajara Grill, the neighbors are friendly, and the abundance of wildlife (I saw 3 bobcats in one morning!)". These bobcats and other wildlife were seen in the nearby neighborhood of Richland Heights West, which is just across the street from Ms. Runyon's house on Mountain Ave. The area is notable for its dirt roads and luscious desert landscape.  

Cori, like other residents,  lamented the erection of Mountain Enclave, a recent KB Homes development that managed to squeeze 76 homes onto a 6 acre lot that previously held just one. This development was the driving force that pushed most members of the current MountainView Neighborhood Association to get organized and involved. Many neighbors joined the Association to stop the development from going through, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.   

Asked why she moved into the neighborhood, Seven-year Mountain View resident Lisa Polito replied, "I liked the vibe of the house, and the neighborhood struck me as under-the-radar, with a few artistic touches here and there, a wide variation in construction styles (read: not cookie cutter), and a real socio-economic mix.  And before Mountain Enclave consumed the 6-acre heart of the neighborhood, it still had the actual-desert vibe that evoked the Tucson of my (now distant) youth. Since the development, I've come to know many of my neighbors, and I discovered the neighborhood is more eclectic, diverse, and creative than I could have expected. And there's still so many neighbors I haven't met yet!"  

Neighborhood Association Vice President Maria Voris, echoed this sentiment by saying, "What I loved about it then was the 6 acre lot that Imogene Russel owned which was primarily mesquite and creosote creating a wonderful habitat for urban wildlife. My property shared a line with hers so it was quite a respite. Back then in the mid 90s when we still had a proper monsoon you would hear coyotes and spade foot toads. I even saw a gray fox once! So different back then."  

Many neighbors are also concerned about how traffic will be affected as Mountain Enclave fills up. Only about half of the units - which are priced between $350,000 and $400,000 - have been sold so far. That said, Mountain View is comprised of almost entirely of dead-end streets, with Halcyon Road being the only road that goes all the way through the neighborhood.  

While Mountain View doesn’t contain any schools or parks, each of the neighborhood’s four corners boasts a fantastic Mexican restaurant. On the corner of North First and Fort Lowell sits easily one of my favorite restaurants in town, La Botana. Anything there with shrimp is delicious, and there are lots of other great options as well. Notably, they serve margaritas in what is essentially a glass bucket.  

The southeast corner of the neighborhood (at Fort Lowell and Mountain) features one of the finest taco trucks in the region, Tacos Los Compas. And the northeast corner at Mountain and Prince features Guadalajara Original Grill, where anything with their chile verde is amazing. If this weren’t enough, the northwest corner of the neighborhood, at First and Prince, has a little hole in the wall called Reyna’s. On Google Maps it’s just called Tortillas, but they sell Sonoran Dogs, too, which hit the spot.  

Reyna’s is just around the corner from the Pima County Health Department North Office. This is a wonderful neighborhood resource, especially to those without health insurance and those who are underinsured. The Health Department provides a variety of medical care, often on a sliding scale for those who need it. They also provide free contraceptives.   

Habitat for Humanity, the nationally recognized non-profit is located on Mountain Ave, just around the corner from Guadalajara Original Grill. Habitat for Humanity is known for bringing together volunteers to help build homes for those in need.  

Adjacent to Habitat for Humanity is a walled-off parcel belonging to Tucson Electric Power (TEP) that houses some of their infrastructure. The wall that separates it from the sidewalk contains one of the lovelier murals in the area, featuring a Gila monster, farmers, purple mountains, and more.