Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area is a federally designated
National Heritage Area
In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some ...
in south
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The national heritage area covers 3,300 square miles of the watershed of the
Santa Cruz River to protect and honor the areas natural environment, culture, and historic sites.
It includes land in both
Pima County
Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population ...
and
Santa Cruz County.
Plans for a National Heritage Area in the Santa Cruz watershed began in the early 2000s, and were first introduced to state legislature in 2007. The area was made official in 2019 after the passing of the
.
Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, Inc. is the non-profit entity that manages the programs and projects of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area.
References
External links
Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area official website
{{Protected areas of Arizona
National Heritage Areas of the United States
2019 establishments in Arizona
Protected areas established in 2019
Protected areas of Pima County, Arizona
Protected areas of Santa Cruz County, Arizona