A Radio Contest and a Little White Lie: How Sierra Vista Got Its Name

I love local legends. In Southeastern Arizona, there's no tale more local than the slightly skewed saga of how Sierra Vista got its name.

Petition to Change the City's Name

In the early 1950s, the unincorporated area near Fort Huachuca was still unofficially referred to as Fry. In 1955, local citizens formed an interim city council that began the effort to officially incorporate the city and change its name.

The council created a petition and collected signatures from more than two-thirds of the taxpayers, which was filed with the county board of supervisors.

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Erwin Fry was the son of Oliver Fry. The family had arrived in Arizona in 1912 and played a key role in establishing the area outside Fort Huachuca. The family owned most of the land in the area, and Erwin Fry put up a bitter fight against both incorporation and the name change, preferring to keep his family's legacy intact.

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Fighting for Incorporation and a New Name

Locals felt the growing town needed to be incorporated to provide basic needs for the community. The city council was pushing for services such as improved sanitation, police and fire protection, recreational facilities, and enhanced street and street lighting. They could accomplish these goals by collecting local city taxes, which would not be possible until they were officially recognized by the state of Arizona.

The town needed an official name in order to move forward. After a lot of legal wrangling between Erwin Fry and the nascent city council, the fight went all the way up to the Arizona Attorney General's office.

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The dispute turned nasty, and thanks to the Frys, became about more than a formality on the road to incorporation. Eventually, the AG overrode the complaints filed by Erwin Fry, and the plan began to move forward.

Nola Walker Chooses a Name

Enter Nola Walker, a spirited resident with a vision and a radio station. During a local naming contest broadcast on the radio, Nola submitted the name “Sierra Vista,” Spanish for “Mountain View.” She felt the name was an elegant description of the area’s natural charm.

Her winning entry didn’t just rename a town—it reshaped its future. In 1956, Sierra Vista was officially incorporated, and Nola’s name choice became a lasting symbol of the community’s connection to its environment and heritage.

Was Sierra Vista's Naming Contest Rigged?

Nola Walker worked at the local radio station. The station held a radio contest and solicited suggestions from listeners on what they should name the town. Nola Walker liked the name "Sierra Vista". In an interview, Walker shared the story about how the name was ultimately chosen.

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Walker received a call from Phoenix asking for a name for their newly incorporated town. Pretending to look at the submitted cards, she lied and said the name was Sierra Vista.

Long-time radio host Grady Butler told me he interviewed Walker many years later about choosing the city's name. "Nola Walker told me she straight up admitted that she cheated. She never looked at the cards."