..I might be able to add the Rim back on the list of places to move..
Definitely. If you work from a home office, like my son does, there's lots of advantages to living here on the Rim - especially for those who enjoy trail riding and outdoor life year round.
..My grandfather built his 7th and last house in Overgaard in the early 90's..
Is he still around. I hope so. If so does he still have the house he built?
..I was really surprised when that Bison Ranch plaza opened years ago. Seems out of place and I never expected it to survive..
Bison Ranch has not only survived but prospered over the years. I remember seeing it take shape years ago and wondering, like you did, what in the world was someone thinking if they thought building it was a good idea. Goes to show what we obviously didn't know at that time!
Heber/Overgaard, including Bison Ranch, has seen its ups and downs over the decades like everyplace else. Considering its pioneer Arizona roots, Mormon, Christian and otherwise, and the never-say-die attitude of old settlers who anchored its development in the realities of daily life in this rugged White Mountain Rim Country, there's a stick-to-it-no-matter-what spirit that enables this place to succeed in spite of obstacles which would seem too large to deal with to a great many people these days.
Through the winters we have between 2000 and 2500 full time residents in the community. Come summertime in the Valley, with its blazing heat and overpowering congestion, Heber/Overgaard and the Bison Ranch area literally explodes with summer people, weekenders and summer long residents alike.
Come the 4th of July week we'll typically have between 25,000 to 35,000 people visiting here, many with massive trailers and toy haulers pulled by show-off high dollar trucks intent on 'conquering the wilderness', often by brute alcohol fueled force. This huge summertime influx of visitors is what our business people depend on to make their year profitable.
To our law enforcement officers summers are their busiest time with people going places and doing things they'd never think of doing in their own communities. Rude, lude, and stupid is how the 'bad apples' in this group come across, speeding through town, insisting on preferential treatment, and crying in their beer when a DPS Officer, a Navajo County Sheriff's Deputy or a Forest Ranger pulls them over and cites them for infractions they simply have no concern for and can't believe they're being called out about.
Bottom line: this is a great place to live and raise a family full time, especially for those who work from their home office. On the other hand it has its drawbacks if you spend time mixing with the thoughtless element of the summertime crowd, those who come up the hill thinking they own the place while caring nothing for the health and well being of the community at large.
Fortunately these often retreat down the hill with their tail between their legs after being brought up short, cited into court for their own stupidity. Unfortunately the damage they do isn't always repairable, with kids killed while riding unsafely in off-road vehicles or on ATVs, and stupid people losing their lives and taking others with them while speeding on a forest road only to go over the edge of a cliff and land in a deadly heap 400 feet below in the rocks.
Natural selection is a fact of nature, and nature doesn't care what you paid for your high dollar toys - she'll chew you up and spit you out just the same if you don't respect her and the physical laws she lives by.
You can buy 'em books and lecture them on the dangers they face in this area as well as the responsibilities they assume while here on the Rim, but many simply refuse to listen and learn.
On the other hand most visitors do the right thing, treat others respectfully, obey the laws, take part in community projects, enjoy their neighbors. All in all it's as nice a place to live and be as you're likely to find anywhere!..