, "(at the) base of the black
ill ILL may refer to:
* ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom
* Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland
* Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility
* Interlibrar ...
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map outlining Tucson
, image_map1 = File:Pima County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Tucson highlighted.svg
, mapsize1 = 250px
, map_caption1 = Location within Pima County
, pushpin_label = Tucson
, pushpin_map = USA Arizona#USA
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Arizona##Location within the United States
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_type1 =
State
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
, subdivision_type2 =
County
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_name1 =
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 ...
, subdivision_name2 =
Pima
Pima or PIMA may refer to:
People
* Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico)
Places
* Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County
* Pima County, Arizona
* Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = August 20, 1775
, established_title1 = Incorporated
, established_date1 = February 7, 1877
, founder =
Hugo O'Conor
, seat_type =
, seat =
, parts_type =
Ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, parts_style = coll
, parts = 6 Wards
, p1
Ward 1, p2
Ward 2, p3
Ward 3, p4
Ward 4, p5
Ward 5, p6
Ward 6, government_type =
Council-manager government
, governing_body = Tucson City Council
, leader_party =
D
, leader_title =
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, leader_name =
Regina Romero
Regina Romero (born September 20, 1974) is an American politician. She is mayor of Tucson, Arizona, having been elected after previously serving on the city council. She is the first woman and first person of Mexican descent to hold the office s ...
, leader_title1 =
Vice Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected dep ...
, leader_name1 = Lane Santa Cruz
, leader_title2 =
City Manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...
, leader_name2 = Michael Ortega
, leader_title3 =
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
, leader_name3 =
, area_total_km2 = 625.04
, area_total_sq_mi = 241.33
, area_land_km2 = 624.22
, area_land_sq_mi = 241.01
, area_water_km2 = 0.82
, area_water_sq_mi = 0.32
, elevation_ft = 2389
, elevation_m = 728
, population_total = 542629
, population_as_of =
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, population_footnotes =
, population_rank =
33rd in the United States
2nd
A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI).
Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to:
Mathematics
* 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'')
* Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...
in Arizona
, population_density_sq_mi = 2251.44
, population_density_km2 = 869.29
, population_metro_footnotes =
, population_metro = 1043433 (
53rd)
, population_demonym = Tucsonian; Tucsonan
, timezone =
MST
The Master of Studies or Master in Studies (M.St. or MSt; ) is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of St Andrews, the Australian National University, University of Dublin and the University of Ne ...
(no
DST
Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typicall ...
)
, utc_offset = -07:00
, postal_code_type =
ZIP Codes
, postal_code = 85701-85775
, area_code =
520
__NOTOC__
Year 520 ( DXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Vitalianus (or, less frequently, ye ...
, area_code_type =
Area code
A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...
, coordinates =
, blank_name =
FIPS code
The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...
, blank_info = 04-77000
, blank1_name =
GNIS
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
feature ID
, blank1_info = 43534
, website =
, footnotes =
1 Urban = 2010 Census
, unit_pref = Imperial
, area_footnotes =
, pop_est_as_of =
, pop_est_footnotes =
, population_est =
, named_for =
Oʼodham for "(at the) base of the
black hill”
Tucson (; es, Tucson, ood, Cuk-Ṣon) is a city in and the county seat of
Pima County, Arizona
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 ...
, United States,
and is home to the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. It is the second largest city in
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 ...
behind
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, with a population of 542,629 in the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
,
while the population of the entire Tucson
metropolitan statistical area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
(MSA) is 1,043,433. The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
(CSA). Both Tucson and
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
anchor the
Arizona Sun Corridor
The Arizona Sun Corridor, shortened Sun Corridor, is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of Arizona. The Sun Corridor is comparable to Indiana in both size and population. It is one of the fastest growing c ...
. The city is southeast of
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and north of the
U.S.–Mexico border.
Tucson is the
34th largest city and the
53rd largest metropolitan area in the United States (2014).
Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include
Oro Valley
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Te ...
and
Marana Marana may refer to:
* Maraña, a village in León, Spain
* Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death
* Marana, Arizona, a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States
* Marana, Estonia, a village in Estonia
* Marana, Syria, a village in Syria
...
northwest of the city,
Sahuarita
Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of the Tohono O'odham Nation and abuts the north end of Green Valley, 15 miles (24 km) south of Tucson. The population was 34,134 at th2020 census
His ...
south of the city, and
South Tucson
South Tucson is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States and an enclave of the much larger city of Tucson. South Tucson is known for being heavily influenced by Hispanic, and especially Mexican, culture; restaurants and shops which sell tr ...
in an enclave south of downtown. Communities in the vicinity of Tucson (some within or overlapping the city limits) include
Casas Adobes,
Catalina Foothills
Catalina Foothills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Situated in the southern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Catalina Foothills had a po ...
,
Flowing Wells,
Midvale Park
Midvale Park is a master planned community in the southwest part of Tucson, Arizona. Originally developed in 1982, Midvale Park officially comprises 3550 homes, two parks, and a public elementary school. The development is bordered by Interstate ...
,
Tanque Verde,
Tortolita, and
Vail
Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...
. Towns outside the Tucson metro area include
Benson Benson may refer to:
Animals
*Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain
Places Geography
Canada
*Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality
*Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet
United Kingdom
* Benson, Oxfordshire ...
to the southeast,
Catalina
Catalina may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''The Catalina'', a 2012 American reality television show
* ''Catalina'' (novel), a 1948 novel by W. Somerset Maugham
* Catalina (''My Name Is Earl''), character from the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl''
...
and
Oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
to the north, and
Green Valley to the south.
Tucson was founded as a military fort by the Spanish when
Hugo O'Conor authorized the construction of
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón was a presidio (Spanish colonization of the Americas, colonial Spanish fort) located within Tucson, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States. The original fortress was built by Spanish Empire, Spanish soldiers du ...
in 1775. It was included in the state of
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
after Mexico gained independence from the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
in 1821. In 1853, the United States acquired a region of present-day southern
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 ...
and
southwestern New Mexico
Southwestern New Mexico is a region of the U.S. state of New Mexico commonly defined by Hidalgo County, Grant County, Catron County, Luna County, Doña Ana County, Sierra County, and Socorro County. Some important towns there are Lordsburg, Si ...
from Mexico under the
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...
. Tucson served as the capital of the
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
from 1867 to 1877. Tucson was Arizona's largest city by population during the territorial period and early statehood, until it was surpassed by
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
by 1920. Nevertheless, population growth remained strong during the late 20th century. In 2017, Tucson was the first American city to be designated a "City of Gastronomy" by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
The Spanish name of the city, ''Tucsón'' , is derived from the
O'odham
The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham, the Pima people, Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are indigenous people of the Americas, indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and ...
''Cuk Ṣon'' , meaning "(at the) base of the black
ill ILL may refer to:
* ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom
* Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland
* Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility
* Interlibrar ...
, a reference to a basalt-covered hill now known as
Sentinel Peak. Tucson is sometimes referred to as "The Old
Pueblo
In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
", and "Optics Valley," the latter referring to its optical science and telescopes known worldwide.
History
![Tucson Stone Ave year 1880](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Tucson_Stone_Ave_year_1880.jpg)
The Tucson area was probably first visited by
Paleo-Indians, who were known to have been in southern Arizona about 12,000 years ago. Recent archaeological excavations near the
Santa Cruz River found a village site dating from 2100 BC.
The floodplain of the Santa Cruz River was extensively farmed during the
Early Agricultural Period, c. 1200 BC to AD 150. These people hunted, gathered wild plants and nuts, and ate corn, beans and other crops grown using irrigation canals they constructed.
The Early Ceramic period occupation of Tucson saw the first extensive use of pottery vessels for cooking and storage. The groups designated as the
Hohokam
Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree about ...
lived in the area from AD 600 to 1450 and are known for their vast irrigation canal systems and their red-on-brown pottery.
The Spanish
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
missionary
Eusebio Francisco Kino
Eusebio Francisco Kino ( it, Eusebio Francesco Chini, es, Eusebio Francisco Kino; 10 August 1645 – 15 March 1711), often referred to as Father Kino, was a Tyrolean Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer and astronomer born in ...
first visited the Santa Cruz River valley in 1692. He founded the
Mission San Xavier del Bac
Mission San Xavier del Bac ( es, La Misión de San Xavier del Bac) is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 16 ...
in 1700, about upstream from the site of the settlement of Tucson. A separate Convento settlement was founded downstream along the Santa Cruz River, near the base of what is now known as
"A" mountain.
Hugo O'Conor, the founding father of the city of Tucson, Arizona, authorized the construction of a military fort in that location, ''
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón was a presidio (Spanish colonization of the Americas, colonial Spanish fort) located within Tucson, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States. The original fortress was built by Spanish Empire, Spanish soldiers du ...
,'' on August 20, 1775 (the present downtown
Pima County Courthouse
Pima County Courthouse is the former main county courthouse building in downtown Tucson, Arizona. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Roy Place in 1928 in Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival sty ...
was built near this site). During the Spanish period of the presidio, attacks such as the
Second Battle of Tucson
The Second Battle of Tucson or the May Day Attack was a battle in Tucson, Arizona, and the neighboring pueblo. It occurred during the Mexican Apache Wars on May 1, 1782, between a small garrison of Spanish soldiers and hundreds of Apache warri ...
were repeatedly mounted by the
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
. Eventually the town came to be called ''Tucsón,'' a Spanish version of the O'odham word for the area. It was included in the state of
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
after Mexico gained independence from the
Kingdom of Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and its
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
in 1821.
During the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
in 1846–1848, Tucsón was
captured by
Philip St. George Cooke
Philip St. George Cooke (June 13, 1809 – March 20, 1895) was a career United States Army cavalry officer who served as a Union General in the American Civil War. He is noted for his authorship of an Army cavalry manual, and is sometimes called ...
with the
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...
, but it soon returned to Mexican control as Cooke proceeded to the west, establishing
Cooke's Wagon Road
Cooke's Wagon Road or Cooke's Road was the first wagon road between the Rio Grande and the Colorado River to San Diego, through the Mexican provinces of Nuevo México, Chihuahua, Sonora and Alta California, established by Philip St. George ...
to California. Tucsón was not included in the
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession ( es, Cesión mexicana) is the region in the modern-day southwestern United States that Mexico originally controlled, then ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 after the Mexican–American War ...
to the United States following the war. Cooke's road through Tucsón became one of the important routes into California during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
of 1849.
The US acquired those portions of (modern day) Arizona that lay south of the
Gila River
The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...
via treaty from Mexico in the
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...
on June 8, 1854. Under this treaty and purchase, Tucsón became a part of the United States of America. The American military did not formally take over control until March 1856. In time, the name of the town became standardized in English in its current form, where the stress is on the first syllable, the "u" is long, and the "c" is silent.
In 1857, Tucson was established as a stage station on the
San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line. In 1858 it became 3rd division headquarters of the
Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...
and operated until the line was shut down in March 1861. The
Overland Mail Corporation attempted to continue running; however, following the
Bascom Affair, devastating Apache attacks on the stations and coaches ended operations in August 1861.
Tucson was incorporated in 1877, making it the oldest incorporated city in Arizona.
From 1877 to 1878, the area suffered a rash of
stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
robberies. Most notable were the two holdups committed by masked road-agent
William Whitney Brazelton.
Brazelton held up two stages in the summer of 1878 near Point of Mountain Station, approximately northwest of Tucson.
John Clum
John Philip Clum (September 1, 1851 – May 2, 1932) was an Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory. He implemented a limited form of self-government on the reservation that was so successful that ot ...
, of
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a historic city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1877 by prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last boomtowns in the American frontier. The town grew si ...
fame, was one of the passengers. Pima County Sheriff
Charles A. Shibell
Charles A. Shibell (August 14, 1841 – October 21, 1908) was a teamster, miner, hotel owner, customs inspector, recorder, and Pima County, Arizona County Sheriff and a contemporary of Wyatt Earp and his brothers. Shibell promised a job as Depu ...
and his citizen posse killed Brazelton on August 19, 1878, in a
mesquite
Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus ''Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas.
They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under grou ...
bosque
A bosque ( ) is a type of gallery forest habitat found along the riparian flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for 'woodlands'.
Setting
In the predominantly ar ...
along the Santa Cruz River south of Tucson. Brazelton had been suspected of highway robbery in the Tucson area, the
Prescott region, and the
Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704.
History
...
area. Because of the crimes and threats to his business,
John J. Valentine, Sr.
John Joseph Valentine Sr. (November 12, 1840 – December 21, 1901) was an American expressman. He was the first president of Wells Fargo & Company who had not been a banker and served from 1892 until his death in 1901.
Early life
He was born i ...
of
Wells, Fargo & Co. had sent
Bob Paul, a special agent and a future Pima County sheriff, to investigate.
The US Army established Fort Lowell, then east of Tucson, to help protect settlers and travelers from Apache attacks.
In 1882,
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp (April 24, 1851 – March 18, 1882) was an American sheriff and lawman. He served as Tombstone, Arizona's Special Policeman when he helped his brothers Virgil and Wyatt, as well as Doc Holliday, confront the outlaw Cochise C ...
was fatally shot, in what was later referred to in the press as "the Earp-Clanton Tragedy".
Marietta Spence, wife of
Pete Spence
Pete Spence (born Elliot Larkin Ferguson; 1852–1914) was a small-time criminal known for his association with outlaw Cowboys Frank and Tom McLaury, and Ike and Billy Clanton, of Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Spence was also a suspect in the a ...
, one of the
Cochise County Cowboys
The Cochise County Cowboys is the modern name for a loosely associated group of outlaws living in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona in the late 19th century. The term "''cowboy''", as opposed to "''cowhand''," had only begun to come into wider ...
, testified at the coroner's inquest on Earp's killing and implicated
Frank Stilwell
Frank C. Stilwell (1856 – March 20, 1882) was an outlaw Cowboy who killed at least two men in Cochise County during 1877–82. Both killings were considered to have been self-defense. For four months he was a deputy sheriff in Tombstone, ...
in the murder. The
coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
's jury concluded Pete Spence, Stilwell, Frederick Bode, and Florentino "Indian Charlie" Cruz were the prime suspects in the assassination of Morgan Earp.
Deputy U.S. Marshal
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...
gathered a few trusted friends and accompanied
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp (July 18, 1843 – October 19, 1905) was both deputy U.S. Marshal and Tombstone, Arizona City Marshal when he led his younger brothers Wyatt and Morgan, and Doc Holliday, in a confrontation with outlaw Cowboys at the Gunfig ...
and his family as they traveled to Benson to take a train to California. They found Stilwell apparently lying in wait for Virgil Earp at the Tucson station and killed him on the tracks.
After killing Stilwell, Wyatt deputized others and conducted a
vendetta
Vendetta may refer to:
* Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight
Film
* ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke
* ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes
* ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...
, killing three more cowboys over the next few days before leaving the Territory.
Jim Leavy had built a reputation of having fought in at least 16 gunfights. On June 5, 1882, Leavy had an argument with
faro dealer John Murphy in Tucson. The two agreed to have a duel on the Mexican border, but after hearing of Leavy's exploits as a gunfighter, Murphy decided to ambush Leavy instead. Together with two of his friends, Murphy ambushed Leavy as he was leaving the Palace Hotel, killing him. According to Wright, the three co-defendants in Leavy's murder later escaped from the Pima County Jail, but were later recaptured. Murphy and Gibson were found in Fenner, California living under assumed names and retried for the murder before being found not guilty. Moyer was captured in Denver and sentenced to life in Yuma Territorial Prison, but was pardoned in 1888.
[Jim Levy – The Jewish Gunfighter](_blank)
/ref>[Rosa, Joseph G. ''Jim Leavy, Gunfighter'' True West Magazine]
Post-frontier life
As other settlers tried to overcome violent frontier society, in 1885 the territorial legislature founded the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
as a land-grant college
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
on what was over-grazed ranch land between Tucson and Fort Lowell.
In 1890, Asians made up 4.2% of the city's population. They were predominantly Chinese men who had been recruited as workers on the railroads.
By 1900, 7,531 people lived in Tucson. By 1910, the population increased to 13,913. At about this time, the U.S. Veterans Administration
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...
had begun construction of the present Veterans Hospital. The city's clean, dry air made it a destination for the many veterans who had been gassed in World War I and needed respiratory therapy
A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare professional, healthcare practitioner trained in Intensive care medicine, critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical condi ...
. In addition, these dry and high altitude conditions were thought to be ideal for the treatment of tuberculosis, for which there were no known cures before antibiotics were developed against it.
The city continued to grow, with the population increasing to 20,292 in 1920 and 36,818 in 1940. In 2006, the population of 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 ...
, in which Tucson is located, passed one million, while the City of Tucson's population was 535,000.
In 1912, Arizona was admitted as a state. This increased the number of flags that had been flown over Tucson to five: Spanish, Mexican, United States, Confederate, and the State of Arizona.
During the territorial and early statehood periods, Tucson was Arizona's largest city and commercial center, while Phoenix was the seat of state government (beginning in 1889) and agriculture. The development of Tucson Municipal Airport increased the city's prominence. But between 1910 and 1920, Phoenix surpassed Tucson in population, and has continued to outpace Tucson in growth. In recent years, both Tucson and Phoenix have had some of the highest growth rates of any jurisdiction in the United States.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, as of 2010, the City of Tucson has a land area of .
The city's elevation is above sea level (as measured at the Tucson International Airport). Tucson is on an alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
in the Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...
, surrounded by five minor ranges of mountains: the Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...
and the Tortolita Mountains
The Tortolita Mountains are a modest mountain range northwest of Tucson, Arizona, USA, at the northern boundaries of Oro Valley and Marana, two suburbs of Tucson. Peak elevation is 4,696 feet (1,431 m). Much of the mountain range is protected wit ...
to the north, the Santa Rita Mountains
The Santa Rita Mountains (O'odham language, O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastw ...
to the south, the Rincon Mountains
The Rincon Mountains (O'odham: Cew Doʼag) are a significant mountain range east of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, in the United States. The Rincon Mountains are one of five mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley. The other ranges include ...
to the east, and the Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...
to the west. The high point of the Santa Catalina Mountains is Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of , is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who ...
, the southernmost ski destination in the continental U.S., while the Tucson Mountains include Wasson Peak. The highest point in the area is Mount Wrightson
Mount Wrightson (O'odham: Ce:wi Duag) is a peak in the Santa Rita Mountains within the Coronado National Forest, in southern Arizona, United States.
It was named for William Wrightson, a miner and entrepreneur in the region killed by Apaches in ...
, found in the Santa Rita Mountains at above sea level.
Tucson is southeast of Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and north of the United States - Mexico border
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
. The 2010 United States census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 980,263. In 2009, Tucson ranked as the 32nd-largest city and 52nd-largest metropolitan area in the United States. A major city in the Arizona Sun Corridor, Tucson is the largest city in southern Arizona, and the second largest in the state after Phoenix. It is also the largest city in the area of the historic Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...
. As of 2015, The Greater Tucson Metro area has exceeded a population of 1 million.
The city is built along the Santa Cruz River, formerly a perennial river. Now a dry river bed for much of the year, it regularly floods during significant seasonal rains.
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
runs northwest through town, connecting Tucson to Phoenix in the northwest (on the way to its western terminus in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
), and to Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern New ...
and El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
in the southeast. (Its eastern terminus is in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
).
I-19 runs south from Tucson toward Nogales and the U.S.-Mexico border. I-19 is the only Interstate highway that uses "kilometer posts" instead of "milepost
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
s." However, speed limits are marked in miles per hour and kilometers per hour.
Neighborhoods
Downtown and Central Tucson
Similar to many other cities in the Western U.S.
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
, Tucson was developed by European Americans on a grid plan
In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.
Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...
starting in the late 19th century, with the city center at Stone Avenue and Broadway Boulevard. While this intersection was initially near the geographic center
In geography, the centroid of the two-dimensional shape of a region of the Earth's surface (projected radially to sea level or onto a geoid surface) is known as its geographic centre or geographical centre or (less commonly) gravitational centre. I ...
of Tucson, the center has shifted as the city has expanded far to the east. Development to the west was effectively blocked by the Tucson Mountains. Covering a large geographic area, Tucson has many distinct neighborhoods.
Tucson's earliest neighborhoods, some of which were redeveloped and covered by the Tucson Convention Center
The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts Theat ...
(TCC), include:
* El Presidio, Tucson's oldest neighborhood
* Barrio Histórico, also known as Barrio Libre
* Armory Park
Armory Park was a minor league baseball park in Toledo, Ohio. It was the home of the Toledo Mud Hens and their predecessors from 1897 until mid-season 1909 when Swayne Field opened.
Armory Park is the first Toledo ballpark for which any photogra ...
, directly south of downtown
* Barrio Anita, named for an early settler and located between Granada Avenue and Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
* Barrio Tiburón, now known as the Fourth Avenue arts district, was designated in territorial times as a red-light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...
* Barrio El Jardín, named for an early recreational site, Levin's Gardens
* Barrio El Hoyo, named for a lake that was part of the gardens. Before the convention center was built, the term ''El Hoyo'' (Spanish for 'pit' or 'hole') referred to this part of the city. Residents were mostly Mexican-American citizens and Mexican immigrants.
* Barrio Santa Rosa, dating from the 1890s, is now listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
Other historical neighborhoods near downtown include:
* Feldman's, just north and northwest of the University of Arizona. The neighborhood is named for Alther M. Feldman (1833–1906) an Eastern European immigrant who arrived in Tucson circa 1878. Neighborhood streets Helen and Mabel are named for his daughters. Feldman owned a photographic studio known as the Arizona Tent Gallery.
* Menlo Park, situated west of downtown, adjacent to Sentinel Peak
* Iron Horse, east of Fourth Avenue and north of the railroad tracks, named for its proximity to the railroad, informally known by that term
* West University, between the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
and downtown
* Dunbar Spring, west of West University
* Pie Allen, west and south of the university near Tucson High School
Tucson High Magnet School , commonly referred to as THMS, THS, or Tucson High, is a public high school in Tucson, Arizona. It is part of the Tucson Unified School District with magnet programs in Technology, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. Th ...
and named for John Brackett "Pie" Allen, a local entrepreneur and early mayor of Tucson
* Sam Hughes, east of the University of Arizona, named after a European-American pioneer in Tucson
At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, city planners and the business community worked to redevelop the downtown. The primary project was Rio Nuevo, a large retail and community center that had been stalled in planning for more than ten years. Downtown is generally regarded as the area bordered by 17th Street to the south, I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
to the west, and 6th Street to the north, and Toole Avenue and the Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
(formerly Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
) railroad tracks, site of the historic train depot on the east side. Downtown is divided into the Presidio District, the Barrio Viejo, and the Congress Street Arts and Entertainment District. Some authorities include the 4th Avenue shopping district, northeast of the rest of downtown and connected by an underpass beneath the UPRR
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
tracks.
Historic attractions downtown with rich architecture include the Hotel Congress
The Hotel Congress is a federally-recognized historic building located in downtown Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. It was built in 1918 and designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm William and Alexander Curlett as part of an expansion of Congress ...
designed in 1919, the Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
Fox Theatre designed in 1929, the Rialto Theatre opened in 1920, and St. Augustine Cathedral completed in 1896. Included on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
is the old Pima County Courthouse
Pima County Courthouse is the former main county courthouse building in downtown Tucson, Arizona. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Roy Place in 1928 in Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival sty ...
, designed by Roy Place
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
in 1928. The El Charro Café, Tucson's oldest restaurant, operates its main location downtown.
As one of the oldest parts of town, Central Tucson is anchored by the Broadway Village shopping center, designed by local architect Josias Joesler
Josias Thomas Joesler was a Swiss-American Tucson, Arizona architect.
Life and work
Joesler was born in 1895 in Zurich, Switzerland. His architectural legacy would come to articulate the romantic revival Tucson style of the first half of the 20t ...
at the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and Country Club Road. The 4th Avenue Shopping District between downtown, the university, and the Lost Barrio just east of downtown, also has many unique and popular stores. Local retail business in Central Tucson is densely concentrated along Fourth Avenue and the Main Gate Square on University Boulevard near the UA campus. The El Con Mall
El Con Center is an open-air shopping mall in the city of Tucson, Arizona, United States anchored by Cinemark Theatres, Target, The Home Depot, Walmart, Ross (30,220 ft.2), Burlington (65,680 ft.2), and Marshalls. There is 1 vacant anch ...
is also in the eastern part of midtown.
The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
, chartered in 1885, is in midtown and includes Arizona Stadium
Arizona Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is the home field of the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference.
Original ...
and McKale Center
McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena in the Southwestern United States, southwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As the home of the university's Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Wi ...
(named for J.F. "Pop" McKale).
The historic Tucson High School
Tucson High Magnet School , commonly referred to as THMS, THS, or Tucson High, is a public high school in Tucson, Arizona. It is part of the Tucson Unified School District with magnet programs in Technology, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. Th ...
(designed by Roy Place in 1924) was featured in the 1987 film ''Can't Buy Me Love.'' The Arizona Inn (built in 1930) and the Tucson Botanical Gardens
The Tucson Botanical Gardens is a 5.5 acre (2.2 ha) collection of sixteen residentially scaled urban gardens in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Paths connect these gardens, which include a Zen Garden, a Prehistoric Garden, a Barrio Garden, a B ...
are also in Central Tucson.
Tucson's largest park, Reid Park
Gene C. Reid Park is a 131-acre urban park in central Tucson, Arizona that includes a 9,500-seat baseball stadium, an outdoor performance center, two man-made ponds, public pools, and a 24-acre zoo along with playgrounds, gardens and picnic areas. ...
, is in midtown and includes Reid Park Zoo
The Reid Park Zoo, founded in 1967, is a city-owned and operated non-profit zoo located within Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona. The zoo features more than 500 animals. It was unofficially established in 1965 by Gene Reid, the parks and recreation d ...
and Hi Corbett Field
Hi Corbett Field is a baseball park in the southwestern United States, located in Tucson, Arizona. With a seating capacity of approximately 9,500, it was the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians of Major League Ba ...
. Speedway Boulevard, a major east–west arterial road in central Tucson, was named the "ugliest street in America" by ''Life'' magazine in the early 1970s, quoting Tucson Mayor James Corbett.
In the late 1990s, Speedway Boulevard was awarded "Street of the Year" by ''Arizona Highways
''Arizona Highways'' is a magazine that contains travelogues and artistic photographs related to the U.S. state of Arizona. It is published monthly in Phoenix by a unit of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
Background
The mag ...
.'' According to David Leighton, historical writer for the ''Arizona Daily Star'' newspaper, Speedway Boulevard was named after an historic horse racetrack, known as "The Harlem River Speedway", and more commonly called "The Speedway," in New York City. The Tucson street was called "The Speedway," from 1904 to about 1906, when "The" was removed from the title.
In the early 21st century, Central Tucson is considered bicycle-friendly
Bicycle-friendly policies and practices help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic. The level of bicycle-friendliness of an environment can be influenced by many factors including town planning and cyclin ...
. To the east of the University of Arizona, Third Street is bike-only except for local traffic; it passes by the historic homes of the Sam Hughes neighborhood. To the west, E. University Boulevard leads to the Fourth Avenue Shopping District. To the North, N. Mountain Avenue has a full bike-only lane for half of the to the Rillito River Park
Rillito River Park is a 12-mile-long linear park in Tucson, Arizona, that runs along the north and south banks of the Rillito River from Interstate 10 to North Craycroft Road.
The park is part of The Loop, a network of linear parks serving Tucs ...
bike and walk multi-use path. To the south, N. Highland Avenue leads to the Barraza-Aviation Parkway bicycle path.
Southern Tucson
South Tucson
South Tucson is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States and an enclave of the much larger city of Tucson. South Tucson is known for being heavily influenced by Hispanic, and especially Mexican, culture; restaurants and shops which sell tr ...
is the name of an independent, incorporated town of south of downtown, and which is surrounded by the city of Tucson. South Tucson has a colorful, dynamic history. It was incorporated in 1936 and reincorporated in 1940.
The population is about 83% Mexican-American and 10% Native American, as residents self-identify in the census. South Tucson is widely known for its many Mexican restaurants and architectural styles. Bright murals have been painted on some walls, but city policy discourages this and many have been painted over.
The South side of the city of Tucson is generally considered to be the area of approximately south of 22nd Street, east of I-19, west of Davis Monthan Air Force Base and southwest of Aviation Parkway, and north of Los Reales Road. The Tucson International Airport
Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson
south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airp ...
and Tucson Electric Park
Kino Sports Complex is a multiple-use sports complex in Tucson, Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox formerly utilized the complex's main ballpark, Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, for Cactus League games each March and had their ...
are here.
Western Tucson
The West Side has areas of both urban and suburban development. It is generally defined as the area west of I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
. Western Tucson encompasses the banks of the Santa Cruz River and the foothills of the Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...
. Area attractions include the International Wildlife Museum and Sentinel Peak. The Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa serves travelers and residents. As travelers pass the Tucson Mountains, they enter the area commonly referred to as "west of" Tucson or "Old West Tucson". In this large, undulating plain extending south into the Altar Valley
The Altar Valley is a 45-mile (72 km) long north–south valley, trending slightly northeast from Sasabe, Arizona on the Mexico border to the Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains. It is delimited by Arizona State Route 86, from east-to-w ...
, rural residential development predominates. Attractions include Saguaro National Park West, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre (40 ha) zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths ...
, and movie set/theme park developed at the Old Tucson Studios
Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie ''Arizona'' ...
.
On Sentinel Peak, just west of downtown, a giant "A" was installed in honor of the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
, resulting in the nickname "A" Mountain. Starting in about 1916, an annual tradition developed for freshmen to whitewash the "A", which was visible for miles. The top of Sentinel Peak, which is accessible by road, offers an outstanding view of the city looking eastward. A parking lot near the summit of Sentinel Peak has been a popular place to watch sunsets or view the city lights at night.
At the beginning of the Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in 2003, anti-war activists painted the "A" black. Competition ensued, with various sides repainting the "A" in different colors until the city council intervened. It is now painted white. Another color may be decided by a biennial election. With the tri-color scheme, some observers complain the shape of the A is hard to distinguish from the background of the peak.
Northern Tucson
North Tucson includes the urban neighborhoods of Amphitheater and Flowing Wells. Usually considered the area north of Fort Lowell Road, North Tucson includes some of Tucson's primary commercial zones (Tucson Mall
Tucson Mall is the largest shopping mall in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson Mall features over 170 stores and two levels of indoor shopping. It is anchored by Forever 21 (formerly Mervyn's), J. C. Penney, Macy's (formerly Goldwaters Foley's and Robinsons ...
and the Oracle Road Corridor). Many of the city's most upscale boutiques
A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse".
The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...
, restaurants, and art galleries are also on the north side, including St. Philip's Plaza. The Plaza is directly adjacent to the historic St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church
Saint Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church is a historic church at 4440 N. Campbell Avenue in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It was built in 1936 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. John and Helen Murphey, residents ...
(built in 1936).
The north side also is home to the suburban community of Catalina Foothills
Catalina Foothills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Situated in the southern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Catalina Foothills had a po ...
, in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of the city limits. This community includes many of the area's most expensive homes, sometimes multimillion-dollar estates. The Foothills area is generally defined as north of River Road, east of Oracle Road and west of Sabino Creek. Some of the Tucson area's major resorts are in the Catalina Foothills, including Hacienda Del Sol
An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
, Westin La Paloma Resort, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and Canyon Ranch Resort. La Encantada, an upscale outdoor shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
, is also in the Foothills.
The DeGrazia Gallery of the Sun is near the intersection of Swan Road and Skyline Drive. Built by artist Ted DeGrazia starting in 1951, the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
and features an eclectic chapel, an art gallery, and a museum.
The expansive area northwest of the city limits is diverse, ranging from the rural communities of Catalina
Catalina may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''The Catalina'', a 2012 American reality television show
* ''Catalina'' (novel), a 1948 novel by W. Somerset Maugham
* Catalina (''My Name Is Earl''), character from the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl''
...
and parts of the town of Marana Marana may refer to:
* Maraña, a village in León, Spain
* Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death
* Marana, Arizona, a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States
* Marana, Estonia, a village in Estonia
* Marana, Syria, a village in Syria
...
, the small suburb of Picture Rocks, the affluent
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...
town of Oro Valley
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Te ...
in the western foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and residential areas in the northeastern foothills of the Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...
. Continental Ranch (Marana), Dove Mountain (Marana), and Rancho Vistoso (Oro Valley), and Saddlebrooke (N. Oro Valley) are all masterplanned communities in the Northwest that have thousands of residents.
The community of Casas Adobes is also on the Northwest Side, with the distinction of being Tucson's first suburb, established in the late 1940s. Casas Adobes is centered on the historic Casas Adobes Plaza
Casas Adobes Plaza is an upscale shopping mall located at the southwest corner of North Oracle Road and East Ina Road in Casas Adobes, Arizona (United States), just northwest of Tucson.
The attempted assassination of Representative Gabby Giffor ...
(built in 1948). Casas Adobes is also home to Tohono Chul Park
Tohono Chul (aka Tohono Chul Park) is a botanical garden, nature preserve, and cultural museum located in Casas Adobes, a suburb of Tucson, Arizona. The words "tohono chul" translate as "desert corner" and are borrowed from the language of ...
, which is now within the town of Oro Valley, (a nature preserve) near the intersection of North Oracle Road and West Ina Road. The attempted assassination of Representative
Representative may refer to:
Politics
*Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
*House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
*Legislator, someon ...
Gabby Giffords
Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned ...
, which resulted in the murders of chief judge for the U.S. District Court for Arizona, John Roll
John McCarthy Roll (February 8, 1947 – January 8, 2011) was a United States district judge who served on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona from 1991 until his murder in 2011, and as chief judge of that court from 20 ...
, and five other people on January 8, 2011, occurred at the La Toscana Village in Casas Adobes. The Foothills Mall is also on the northwest side in Casas Adobes.
This area is home to many of the Tucson area's golf courses and resorts, including the Preserve and Mountainview Golf Clubs at Saddlebrooke, Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Oro Valley, the Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa, and Westward Look Resort. The Ritz Carlton at Dove Mountain, the second Ritz Carlton Resort in Arizona, which also includes a golf course, opened in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains
The Tortolita Mountains are a modest mountain range northwest of Tucson, Arizona, USA, at the northern boundaries of Oro Valley and Marana, two suburbs of Tucson. Peak elevation is 4,696 feet (1,431 m). Much of the mountain range is protected wit ...
in northeast Marana in 2009.
Eastern Tucson
East Tucson is relatively new compared to other parts of the city, developed between the 1950s and the 1970s, with developments such as Desert Palms Park. It is generally classified as the area of the city east of Swan Road, with above-average real estate values relative to the rest of the city. The area includes urban and suburban development near the Rincon Mountains
The Rincon Mountains (O'odham: Cew Doʼag) are a significant mountain range east of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, in the United States. The Rincon Mountains are one of five mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley. The other ranges include ...
. East Tucson includes Saguaro National Park East. Tucson's "Restaurant Row" is also on the east side, along with a significant corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...
and financial
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
presence. Restaurant Row is sandwiched by three of Tucson's storied Vicinages: Harold Bell Wright Estates, named after the famous author's ranch which occupied some of that area before the depression; the Tucson Country Club (the third to bear the name Tucson Country Club), and the Dorado Country Club. Tucson's largest office building is 5151 East Broadway in east Tucson, completed in 1975. The first phases of Williams Centre, a mixed-use, master-planned development on Broadway near Craycroft Road, were opened in 1987. Park Place, a recently renovated shopping center, is also along Broadway (west of Wilmot Road).
Near the intersection of Craycroft and Ft. Lowell Roads are the remnants of the Historic Fort Lowell. This area has become one of Tucson's iconic neighborhoods. In 1891, the Fort was abandoned and much of the interior was stripped of their useful components and it quickly fell into ruin. In 1900, three of the officer buildings were purchased for use as a sanitarium. The sanitarium was then sold to Harvey Adkins in 1928. The Bolsius family – Pete, Nan and Charles Bolsius
Charles William Bolsius was born in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands on 23 June 1907. He studied art formally in Europe moving to New Mexico in the early 1930s. He settled in Tucson in 1934. In that year he was painting, printing, building, and ...
– purchased and renovated surviving adobe buildings of the Fort, transforming them into spectacular artistic southwestern architectural examples. Their woodwork, plaster treatment and sense of proportion drew on their Dutch heritage and New Mexican experience.
Other artists and academics throughout the middle of the 20th century, including: Win Ellis, Jack Maul
John C. Maul (1918–1998) was an artist, writer and architectural designer whose work contributed to the “early modern” period of art in Tucson, Arizona. He was called by University of Arizona scholar and professor Maurice Grossman “one of ...
, Madame Germaine Cheruy
Madame Germaine Rouget Cheruy (1896–1980) was a French costume designer, artist and intellectual who moved to the United States in 1924. She launched and taught art programs in private schools in Connecticut including the Loomis Chaffee School ...
and René Cheruy
René Cheruy (1880-1965) was a soldier, educator and artist who served as a secretary to French sculptor Auguste Rodin, was a professor of French language and literature, was decorated by the French and British governments receiving the Croix d ...
, Giorgio Belloli, Charles Bode, Veronica Hughart
Annie Verona "Veronica" Barry Hughart (1907–1977) was artist, architectural designer and journalist who lived in Tucson, Arizona and was an active part of the Old Fort Lowell art colony.
Life
Hughart was born in Idaho to Ernest Zimmerman Bar ...
, Edward H. Spicer and Rosamond Spicer
Rosamond Spicer (1913 - 1999) was an American anthropologist and a writer. She worked with her husband Edward Holland Spicer (known as "Ned") who was a very well known anthropologist who authored many books which included the book which she had j ...
, Hazel Larson Archer
Hazel Larsen Archer (April 23, 1921, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – May 18, 2001, Tucson, Arizona) was a twentieth-century American female photographer who attended and then taught at Black Mountain College. Her images and prints captured life at Black ...
and Ruth Brown, renovated adobes, built homes and lived in the area. The artist colony attracted writers and poets including beat generation Alan Harrington and Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian a ...
whose visit is documented in his iconic book ''On the Road
''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...
''. This rural pocket in the middle of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each year in February the vicinage celebrates its history in the City Landmark it owns and restored the San Pedro Chapel
The San Pedro Chapel is a historic chapel that was built in 1932 at 5230 E. Ft. Lowell Rd. in Tucson, Arizona. It replaced a chapel built in 1915 that was destroyed by a tornado in 1929.
The San Pedro Chapel was built over the ruins of the destro ...
.
Situated between the Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...
and the Rincon Mountains
The Rincon Mountains (O'odham: Cew Doʼag) are a significant mountain range east of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, in the United States. The Rincon Mountains are one of five mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley. The other ranges include ...
near Redington Pass
Redington Pass (el. 1310 m./4300 ft.) is a high mountain pass between the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Rincons in northeast Pima County, Arizona. It is located just east of Tucson. Historically, it was the connection between the farmi ...
northeast of the city limits is the affluent community of Tanque Verde. The Arizona National Golf Club, Forty-Niners Country Club, and the historic Tanque Verde Guest Ranch are also in northeast Tucson.
Southeast Tucson continues to experience rapid residential development. The area includes Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The area is considered to be south of Golf Links Road. It is the home of Santa Rita High School, Chuck Ford Park (Lakeside Park), Lakeside Lake
Lakeside Lake is located at Chuck Ford-Lakeside Park in east Tucson, Arizona, United States, on the northwest corner of Stella Road and Sarnoff Drive.
History
According to David Leighton, historian for the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, the orig ...
, Lincoln Park (upper and lower), The Lakecrest Vicinagess, and Pima Community College East Campus. The Atterbury Wash with its access to excellent bird watching is also in the Southeast Tucson area. The suburban community of Rita Ranch
Rita Ranch is a masterplanned community located in southeastern Tucson, Arizona. It is home to the Vail School District. It borders the small towns of Vail
Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The popula ...
houses many of the military families from Davis-Monthan, and is near the southeasternmost expansion of the current city limits. Close by Rita Ranch and also within the city limits lies Civano, a planned development meant to showcase ecologically sound building practices and lifestyles.
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of , is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who ...
, the highest peak of the Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...
, reaches an elevation of above sea level. It is one of the Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...
's 27 unique sky island
Sky islands are topographic isolation, isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated montane ecosystems, hi ...
s. The mountain is named after 19th century botanist Sara Lemmon
Sara Allen Plummer (September 3, 1836 – January 15, 1923) was an American botanist. Mount Lemmon in Arizona is named for her, as she was the first white (race), white woman to ascend it. She was responsible for the designation of the golden po ...
. She was the first documented European woman to ascend to the peak, accompanied by her husband and by local rancher Emmerson Oliver Stratton. The Lemmons botanized extensively along the way, including collecting the plant ''Tagetes
''Tagetes'' () is a genusSoule, J. A. 1996. Infrageneric Systematics of Tagetes. Pgs. 435-443 in Compositae: Systematics, Proceedings of the International Compositae Conference, Kew 1994, Vol. I, Eds. D.J.N. Hind & H.J. Beentje. of annual or ...
lemmonii'' which is now called the Mount Lemmon marigold.
Catalina Highway stretches and the entire mountain range is one of Tucson's most popular vacation spots for cycling, hiking, rock climbing, camping, birding, and wintertime snowboarding and skiing. Near the top of Mt. Lemmon is the town of Summerhaven
Summerhaven is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a permanent population of ...
. In Summerhaven, visitors will find log houses and cabins, a general store, and various shops, as well as numerous hiking trails. Near Summerhaven is the road to Ski Valley which hosts a ski lift, several runs, a gift shop, and nearby restaurant.
A variety of astronomical research telescopes are at Mount Lemmon's summit, including the Mount Lemmon Sky Center. The center is open for public visitation and operated by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory
Steward Observatory is the research arm of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona (UArizona). Its offices are located on the UArizona campus in Tucson, Arizona (US). Established in 1916, the first telescope and building were f ...
.
A major destination for cyclists, Mount Lemmon is ranked the second most difficult climb in the world by Bicycling Magazine.
Climate
Tucson has a hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BWh''), with two major seasons, a hot summer and mild winter. Tucson averages of precipitation per year, concentrated during the Pacific storms of winter and the North American Monsoon
The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern Uni ...
of summer. Fall and spring months tend to be sunny and dry. Despite being at a more southerly latitude than Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, Tucson is slightly cooler and wetter due to a variety of factors including elevation and orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
in surrounding mountains—though Tucson does occasionally see warmer daytime temperatures in the winter.
Summer is characterized by average daily high temperatures between and low temperatures between . Early summer is characterized by low humidity and clear skies; mid-summer and late summer are characterized by higher humidity, cloudy skies and frequent rain. The sun is intense in Tucson during part of the year, and those who spend time outdoors need protection. Recent studies show the rate of skin cancer in Arizona is at least three times higher than in more northerly regions. Additionally, heat stroke
Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...
is a concern for hikers, mountain bikers, and adventurers who explore canyons, open desert lands, and other exposed areas.
While monsoon season officially begins on June 15, the arrival of the North American Monsoon
The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern Uni ...
is unpredictable, and it varies from year to year. On average, Tucson receives its first monsoon storms around July 3. Monsoon activity generally persists through August and often into September.[NWS Tucson Office Monsoon tracker](_blank)
. Retrieved March 12, 2010. During the monsoon, the humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
is much higher than the rest of the year. It begins with clouds building up from the south in the early afternoon followed by intense thunderstorms and rainfall, which can cause flash floods
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
. The evening sky at this time of year is often pierced with dramatic lightning strikes. Large areas of the city do not have storm sewer
A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, U.S. and Canada), surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain ( Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surface ...
s, so monsoon rains flood the main thoroughfares, usually for no longer than a few hours. A few underpasses in Tucson have "feet of water" scales painted on their supports to discourage fording by automobiles during a rainstorm. Arizona traffic code Title 28–910, the so-called "Stupid Motorist Law", was instituted in 1995 to discourage people from entering flooded roadways. If the road is flooded and a barricade is in place, motorists who drive around the barricade can be charged up to $2000 for costs involved in rescuing them. Despite all warnings and precautions, however, three Tucson drivers have drowned between 2004 and 2010.
The weather in the fall
Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Souther ...
is much like spring: dry, with warm/cool nights and warm/hot days. Temperatures above are possible into early October. Temperatures decline at the quickest rate in October and November, and are normally the coolest in late December and early January.
Winters in Tucson are mild relative to other parts of the United States. Average daytime highs range between , with overnight lows between . Tucson typically averages three hard freezes per winter season, with temperatures dipping to the mid or low-20s (−7 to −4 °C), but this is typically limited to only a very few nights. Although rare, snow occasionally falls in lower elevations in Tucson and is common in the Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...
. The most recent snowfall was on January 26, 2021, when a winter storm caused snow to fall throughout most of the southwest. Tucson airport recorded 1 inch of snow, while Summerhaven in the mountains received 25 inches.
Early spring is characterized by gradually rising temperatures and several weeks of vivid wildflower blooms beginning in late February and into March. During this time of year the diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...
normally attains its maximum, often surpassing .
Since records began in 1894, the record maximum temperature was on June 27, 1990, and the record minimum temperature was on January 7, 1913. There are an average of 158 days annually with highs of or higher and an average of 12 days with lows reaching or below the freezing mark. Average annual precipitation is . There is an average of 47.4 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1905 with and the driest year was 2020 with . The most precipitation in one month was in July 2021. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on July 29, 1958. Annual snowfall averages . The most snow in one winter was in winter 1971–1972. The most snow in one month was in December 1971.
Demographics
According to 2020 census, the racial composition of Tucson was as follows:
* Non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
: 43.6%
* African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
: 5.6%
* Native Americans in the United states
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States ( Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United State ...
: 2.9%
* Asian America
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peoples ...
: 3.2%
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.3%
* Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
: 42.2%
According to the 2010 American Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the racial composition of Tucson was as follows:
* Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
: 47.2%
* Black or African American: 5.0%
* Native American: 2.7%
* Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
: 2.9%
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%
* Other race: 17.8%
* Two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
: 3.4%
* Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
: 41.6%; Mexican American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
s made up 36.1% of the city's population.
As of the census of 2010, there were 520,116 people, 229,762 households, and 112,455 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,500.1 inhabitants per square mile (965.3/km2). There were 209,609 dwelling units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White (down from 94.8% in 1970), 5.0% Black or African-American, 2.7% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.6% of the population. Non-Hispanic Whites
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
were 47.2% of the population in 2010, down from 72.8% in 1970.
According to research by demographer William H. Frey
William Henry Frey (born 1947) is a noted American demographer and author. He is currently a Senior Fellow with Brookings Metro at the Brookings Institution and a Research Professor at the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center. Acc ...
using data from the 2010 United States census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, Tucson has the lowest level of black-white segregation of any of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.
There were 192,891 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the inner-city, the population has 24.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,981, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $28,548 versus $23,086 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $16,322. About 13.7% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Much of Tucson's economic development has centered on the development of the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
, which is the city's largest employer. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, on the city's southeastern edge, also provides many jobs for Tucson residents. Its presence, as well as the presence of the US Army Intelligence Center (Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, appr ...
, the region's largest employer, in nearby Sierra Vista), has led to the development of many high-tech industries, including government contractors. The city of Tucson is also a major hub for the Union Pacific Railroad's Sunset Route that links the Los Angeles ports with the South/Southeast regions of the country.
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
Missiles and Defense (formerly Hughes Aircraft Co.
The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace company, aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company was known for producing ...
), Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...
, IBM, Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is an American business software company that specializes in financial software. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and the CEO is Sasan Goodarzi. Intuit's products include the tax preparation application Tu ...
, Universal Avionics
Universal Avionics Systems Corporation, also known as Universal Avionics, is an international company headquartered in Tucson, Arizona in the United States. It primarily focuses on flight management systems (FMS) and cockpit instrument displays fo ...
, Honeywell Aerospace
Honeywell Aerospace is a manufacturer of aircraft engines and avionics, as well as a producer of auxiliary power units (APUs) and other aviation products. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, it is a division of the Honeywell International conglome ...
, Sunquest Information Systems
Sunquest Information Systems Inc. is a U.S. developer of medical laboratory and diagnostic information solutions, with a user base of hospitals and commercial laboratories.
In 1996, Sunquest acquired Antrim Corporation, a developer of turnkey l ...
, Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Syn ...
, Ventana Medical Systems
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. was a medical device company that develops, manufactures, and markets instrument reagent systems that automate tissue and slide staining in anatomic pathology laboratories. These products assist in the diagnosis and tr ...
, Inc., and Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...
all have a large presence in Tucson. Roughly 150 Tucson companies are involved in the design and manufacture of optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...
and optoelectronics
Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiatio ...
systems, earning Tucson the nickname "Optics Valley Optics Valley is a region in southern Arizona, centered on Tucson, that is home to a high concentration of optics companies spawned by research at the University of Arizona. Based on the idea of a technology cluster such as Silicon Valley, Optics ...
". Much of this comes from the Steward Observatory
Steward Observatory is the research arm of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona (UArizona). Its offices are located on the UArizona campus in Tucson, Arizona (US). Established in 1916, the first telescope and building were f ...
at The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
Th ...
, which is one of few locations in the world that can cast the enormous mirrors used in telescopes around the world and in space.
Tourism is another major industry in Tucson. The city's many resorts, hotels and attractions bring in $2 billion per year and over 3.5 million visitors annually.
One of the major annual attractions is the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase are gem and mineral shows that take place annually in late January and February at multiple locations across the city of Tucson, Arizona. Most of the shows are open to the public, except for certain tra ...
, and its associated shows, all held generally in the first two weeks of February. These associated shows (such as gems, jewelry, beads, fossils) are held throughout the city, with 43 different shows in 2010. This makes Tucson's the largest such exposition in the world. Its yearly economic impact in 2015 was evaluated at $120 million.
In addition to vacationers, many winter residents, or "snowbirds
The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...
", are attracted to Tucson's mild winters and live here on a seasonal basis. They also contribute to the local economy. Snowbirds often purchase second homes in Tucson and nearby areas, contributing significantly to the property tax base.
Top employers
According to Tucson's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events and fairs
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is one of the largest gem and mineral shows in the world and has been held for over 50 years. The Show is only one part of the gem
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...
, mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...
, fossil, and bead gathering held all around Tucson in over 45 different sites. The shows run from late-January to mid-February with the official Show lasting two weeks in February.
Tucson Festival of Books
Since 2009, the Tucson Festival of Books has been held annually over a two-day period in March at the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. By 2010 it had become the fourth largest book festival in the United States, with 450 authors and 80,000 attendees. In addition to readings and lectures, it features a science fair, varied entertainment, food, and exhibitors ranging from local retailers and publishers to regional and national nonprofit organizations. In 2011, the Festival Founders established an award to recognize exceptional literary achievement. The Founders Award Winners are:
* 2011 – Elmore Leonard
* 2012 – Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
* 2013 – R.L. Stine
* 2014 – Richard Russo
* 2015 – Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Sam Barry (author), Sam Barry, Greg Iles, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan & Scott Turow -''The Rock Bottom Remainders''
* 2016 – J.A. Jance
* 2017 – T.C. Boyle
* 2018 – Billy Collins.
*2019 – Luis Alberto Urrea
*2020 – Lisa See
Tucson Folk Festival
For the past 33 years, the Tucson Folk Festival has taken place the first Saturday and Sunday of May in downtown Tucson's El Presidio Park. In addition to nationally known headline acts each evening, the Festival highlights over 100 local and regional musicians on five stages and is one of the largest free festivals in the country. All stages are within easy walking distance. Organized by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians' Association, volunteers make this festival possible. KXCI 91.3-FM, Arizona's only community radio station, is a major partner, broadcasting from the Plaza Stage throughout the weekend. There are also many workshops, events for children, sing-alongs, and a popular singer-songwriter contest. Musicians typically play 30-minute sets, supported by professional audio staff volunteers. A variety of food and crafts are available at the festival, as well as local microbrews. All proceeds help fund future festivals.
Fourth Avenue Street Fair
There are two Fourth Avenue Street Fairs, in December and late March/early April, staged between 9th Street and University Boulevard, that feature arts and crafts booths, food vendors and street performers. The fairs began in 1970 when Fourth Avenue, which at the time had half a dozen thrift shops, several New Age bookshops and the Food Conspiracy Co-Op, was a gathering place for hippies, and a few merchants put tables in front of their stores to attract customers before the holidays.
These days, the street fair has grown into a large corporate event, with most tables owned by outside merchants. It hosts mostly traveling craftsmen selling various arts such as pottery, paintings, wood working, metal decorations, candles, and many others.
Tucson Rodeo (Fiesta de los Vaqueros)
Another popular event held in February, which is early spring in Tucson, is the Fiesta de los Vaqueros, or rodeo week, founded by winter visitor, Leighton Kramer. While at its heart the Fiesta is a sporting event, it includes what is billed as "the world's largest non-mechanized parade". The Rodeo Parade is a popular event as most schools give two rodeo days off instead of presidents Day. The exception is Presidio High (a non-public charter school), which does not get either. Western wear is seen throughout the city as corporate dress codes are cast aside during the Fiesta. The Fiesta de los Vaqueros marks the beginning of the rodeo season in the United States.
Tucson Meet Yourself
Every October for the past 30 years, the Tucson Meet Yourself festival has celebrated the city's many ethnic groups. For one weekend, the downtown area features dancing, singing, artwork, and food from more than 30 different ethnicities. The event is held at and around the Jacome Plaza, located in front of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library. All performers are from Tucson and the surrounding area, in keeping with the idea of "meeting yourself." The Records of the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival reside at the University of Arizona Special Collections Library.
Tucson Modernism Week
Since 2012, during the first two weekends of October, the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation hosts Tucson Modernism Week. The event includes more than 30 programs including tours, lectures, exhibits, films and parties. The events are in mid-century modern buildings and neighborhoods throughout the city and highlight the work of significant architects and designers who contributed to the development and history of southern Arizona including: Architect Arthur Brown, Jr., Arthur Brown, Fashion Designer Dolores Gonzales, Architect Bob Swaim, Architect Anne Rysdale, Textile Designers Harwood and Sophie Steiger, Architect Nick Sakellar, Architectural Designer Tom Gist, Furniture Designer Max Gottschalk, Architect, Ned Nelson, Landscape Architect Guy Green, Architect Juan Worner Baz and many others.
All Souls Procession Weekend
The All Soul's Weekend, All Souls Procession, held in early November, is one of Tucson's largest festivals. Modeled on the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), it combines aspects of many different cultural traditions. The first All Souls Procession was organized by local artist Susan Kay Johnson in 1990 and involved 35 participants; by 2013, participation was estimated at 50,000.
The Procession, held at sundown, consists of a non-motorized parade through downtown Tucson featuring many floats, sculptures, and memorials, in which the community is encouraged to participate. The parade is followed by performances on an outdoor stage, culminating in the burning of an urn in which written prayers have been collected from participants and spectators. The event is organized and funded by the non-profit arts organization Many Mouths One Stomach, with the help of volunteers and donations from the public and local businesses.[
]
Cultural and other attractions
Cultural and other attractions include:
* Arizona Historical Society
* The Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House, Fremont House is an original adobe house in the Tucson Community Center that was saved when one of Tucson's earliest barrios was razed as part of urban renewal.
* Fort Lowell, Fort Lowell Museum
* Mission San Xavier del Bac
Mission San Xavier del Bac ( es, La Misión de San Xavier del Bac) is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 16 ...
* Old Tucson Studios
Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie ''Arizona'' ...
, built as a set for the movie ''Arizona (1940 film), Arizona'', is a movie studio and theme park for classic Western movie, Westerns.
* The Tucson Museum of Art was established as part of an art school, the Art Center, which was founded by local Tucson artists, including Rose Cabat.[Regan, Margaret. "Ninety and Nimble". ''Tucson Weekly''. Tucson, Arizona. October 7, 2004.]
* The University of Arizona Museum of Art includes works by Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko as part of the Edward J. Gallagher Memorial Collection, a tribute to a young man who was killed in a boating accident. The museum also includes the Samuel H. Kress Collection of European works from the 14th to 19th centuries and the C. Leonard Pfeiffer Collection of American paintings.
* Center for Creative Photography, a leading museum with many works by major artists such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
* International Wildlife Museum maintains an exhibition of over four-hundred different mounted and prepared animal species hunted from around the globe.
* The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Historic District, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is an iconic Tucson landmark in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
* Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre (40 ha) zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths ...
is a combined zoo, museum, and botanical garden, devoted to indigenous animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...
.
* Titan Missile Museum is about south of the city on I-19. This is a Cold War-era Titan (rocket family), Titan nuclear missile silo (billed as the only remaining intact post-Cold War Titan missile silo) turned tourist stop.
* Pima Air & Space Museum has a wide assortment of aircraft on display both indoors and outdoors.
* Pima County Fair
* Trail Dust Town is an outdoor shopping mall and restaurant complex built from the remains of a 1950 western movie set.
* Museum of the Horse Soldier
* Jewish History Museum (Tucson)
* Centennial Hall (Tucson, Arizona), Centennial Hall opened in 1937 as the University of Arizona's campus auditorium, designed by architect Roy Place
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
.
* Tucson Chinese Cultural Center
Tucson Loop Shared Use Bike Path
* Arizona State Museum (on the University of Arizona campus)
*Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson
Shops in Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon offer such items as jewelry and other gifts, pizza, and fresh-fruit pies. The legacy of the Aspen Fire can be seen in charred trees, rebuilt homes, and melted beads incorporated into a sidewalk.
Fourth Avenue, near the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
, is home to many shops, restaurants, and bars, and hosts the annual 4th Avenue Street Fair every December and March. University Boulevard, leading directly to the UA Main Gate, is also the center of numerous bars, retail shops, and restaurants most commonly frequented by the large student population of the UA.
El Tiradito is a religious shrine in the downtown area. The shrine dates back to the early days of Tucson. It is based on a love story of revenge and murder. People stop by the shrine to light a candle for someone in need, a place for people to go give hope.
Biosphere 2 is a educational facility designed to mimic a tropical or sub-tropical climate-controlled environment.
Literary arts
The accomplished and awarded writers (poets, novelists, dramatists, nonfiction writers) who have lived in Tucson include Edward Abbey, Erskine Caldwell, Barbara Kingsolver and David Foster Wallace. Some were associated with the University of Arizona, but many were independent writers who chose to make Tucson their home. The city is particularly active in publishing and presenting contemporary innovative poetry in various ways. Examples are the Chax Press, a publisher of poetry books in trade and book arts editions, and the University of Arizona Poetry Center, which has a sizable poetry library and presents readings, conferences, and workshops.
Performing arts
Theater groups include the Arizona Theatre Company, which performs in the Temple of Music and Art, and Arizona Onstage Productions, a not-for-profit theater company devoted to musical theater. Broadway in Tucson presents the touring reproductions of many Broadway-style events. The Gaslight Theater produces musical melodrama parodies in the old Jerry Lewis Theater and has been in Tucson since 1977.
Tucson is home to the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the oldest performing arts organization in the state of Arizona.
The annual Tucson Fringe Festival, held in various local venues in and around Downtown Tucson, offers non-traditional artistic performances at low cost to the public. The festival is held in early January each year.
Music
Music of Tucson, Arizona, Musical organizations include the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1929) and Arizona Opera (founded as the Tucson Opera Company in 1971). The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, founded in 1939 and performing a wide-ranging repertoire that incorporates Trick roping, rope tricks, has represented the city as "Ambassadors in Levi's" at local, national, and international concerts. The Tucson Girls Chorus runs six choirs and numerous satellite choirs which perform locally, nationally, and internationally.
Tucson is considered an influential center for Mariachi music and is home to a large number of Mariachi musicians and singers. The Tucson International Mariachi Conference, hosted annually since 1982, involves several hundred mariachi bands and folklorica dance troops during a three-day festival in April. The Norteño (music), Norteño Festival and Street Fair in the enclave city of South Tucson
South Tucson is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States and an enclave of the much larger city of Tucson. South Tucson is known for being heavily influenced by Hispanic, and especially Mexican, culture; restaurants and shops which sell tr ...
is held annually at the end of summer.
Tucson is also known nationally for its Punk subculture, punk scene. Since the late 1970s punk subculture has flourished in Tucson. At present there are multiple punk bars downtown and house venues in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Prominent musicians based in Tucson or with ties to the city include Linda Ronstadt, Lalo Guerrero, The Dusty Chaps (band), The Dusty Chaps, Howe Gelb, Bob Log III, Calexico (band), Calexico, Giant Sand, Hipster Daddy-O and the Handgrenades, The Bled, AJJ (band), AJJ, Ramshackle Glory, and Tucson's official troubadour Ted Ramirez. The Tucson Area Music Awards, or TAMMIES, are an annual event.
Television and film
Tucson has been the setting and filming location for multiple films. Some notable films that have been filmed in Tucson include ''Revenge of the Nerds'', ''Can't Buy Me Love (film), Can't Buy Me Love'', ''Major League (film), Major League'', ''Tombstone (film), Tombstone'', and ''Tin Cup''. The city is also a common filming location and setting for Western (genre), Western films, most were filmed at Old Tucson. The television show ''Hey Dude'' was filmed at Tanque Verde Ranch. Additionally, the fictional motorcycle clubs the Sons of Anarchy and Mayans from the television shows ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Mayans M.C.'' both have Tucson chapters that are featured in the show. In the Sons of Anarchy (season 4), season 4 ''Sons of Anarchy'' episode "Una Venta", the cast travels to Tucson to discuss an issue with the Tucson chapter. The upcoming TV series ''Duster'' began filming in Tucson in October 2021. The series is specifically being filmed in downtown Tucson and the Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...
region of Saguaro National Park.
Cuisine
Tucson is well known for its Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
n-style Mexican food. Since the turn of the century, other ethnic restaurants and fine dining choices have proliferated.
In 2015 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
) designated Tucson a "world city of gastronomy" under the Creative Cities Network program, becoming thus the first city of gastronomy in the United States.
The Sonoran hot dog is very popular in Tucson. A hot dog is wrapped in bacon and grilled, served on a bolillo-style hot dog bun, and topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of additional condiments, often including mayonnaise, mustard, and jalapeño salsa. Tucson also has a strong, though contested, claim to being the place of origin of the chimichanga.
Nicknames
Tucson is commonly known as "The Old Pueblo". While the exact origin of this nickname is uncertain, it is commonly traced back to Mayor Robert N. Leatherwood, R. N. "Bob" Leatherwood. When railroad, rail service was established to the city on March 20, 1880, Leatherwood celebrated the fact by sending telegrams to various leaders, including the President of the United States and the Pope, announcing the "ancient and honorable pueblo" of Tucson was now connected by rail to the outside world. The term became popular with newspaper writers who often abbreviated it as "A. and H. Pueblo". This in turn transformed into the current form of "The Old Pueblo".
In the early 1980s, city leaders ran a contest searching for a new nickname. The winning entry was the "Sunshine Factory". The new nickname never gained popular acceptance, allowing the old name to remain in common use. Tucson was dubbed "Optics Valley Optics Valley is a region in southern Arizona, centered on Tucson, that is home to a high concentration of optics companies spawned by research at the University of Arizona. Based on the idea of a technology cluster such as Silicon Valley, Optics ...
" in 1992 when ''Business Week'' ran a cover story on the Arizona Optics Industry Association.
Sports
Tucson is not represented in any of the five major sports leagues of the United States; the NFL, MLB, the NBA, the NHL, or MLS. The Arizona Wildcats, University of Arizona Wildcats teams, most notably the men's basketball and women's softball teams have strong local interest. The men's basketball team, formerly coached by Hall of Fame head coach Lute Olson and currently coached by Tommy Lloyd, made 25 straight NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NCAA Tournaments appearances (1985–2009) and won the 1997 National Championship. Arizona's Softball team has reached the NCAA National Championship game 12 times and has won 8 times, most recently in 2007. The men's baseball team has won NCAA National Championships in 1976, 1980, 1986 and 2012. The university's Swimming (sport), swim teams have gained international recognition, with swimmers coming from as far as Japan and Africa to train with the coach Frank Busch who has also worked with the U.S. Olympic swim team for many years. Both men's and women's swim teams won the 2008 NCAA National Championships.
In baseball the Tucson Saguaros of the independent Pecos League started play in 2016 and play at Amphitheater High School. They won the league in their inaugural season. The Tucson Padres played at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium from 2011 to 2013. They served as the AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team, formerly known as the Portland Beavers, temporarily moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon, Portland while the team awaited a new stadium in Escondido, California, Escondido. Legal issues derailed the plans to build the Escondido stadium, so they moved to El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
for the 2014 season. Previously, the Tucson Sidewinders, a triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, won the Pacific Coast League championship and unofficial AAA championship in 2006. The Sidewinders played in Tucson Electric Park
Kino Sports Complex is a multiple-use sports complex in Tucson, Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox formerly utilized the complex's main ballpark, Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, for Cactus League games each March and had their ...
and were in the Pacific Conference South of the PCL. The Sidewinders were sold in 2007 and moved to Reno, Nevada after the 2008 season. They now compete as the Reno Aces.
The Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League moved to Tucson following the 2015–2016 season to become the Tucson Roadrunners. They play in the AHL's Pacific division, and are affiliated with the Arizona Coyotes.
Tucson is also host to the Mobile Mini Sun Cup, the largest pre-season Major League Soccer (MLS) tournament in the country. As many as 11 MLS soccer clubs train in Tucson every winter. Tucson is also host to FC Tucson, a professional soccer club that plays
in the third-tier USL League One.
The United States Handball Association Hall of Fame is in Tucson.
The Tucson Monsoon, a full-contact women's football team, was a member of the Independent Women's Football League where they played from their inception in 2006 until their demise in 2009. In 2009, the Arizona She-Devils also played women's football in Tucson as an expansion team of the Women's Football Alliance.
Tracks include Tucson Raceway Park and Rillito Downs. Tucson Raceway Park hosts NASCAR-sanctioned auto racing events and is one of only two asphalt short tracks in Arizona. Rillito Downs is an in-town destination on weekends in January and February each year. This historic track held the first organized quarter horse races in the world, and they are still racing there. The racetrack is threatened by development. The Moltacqua racetrack, was another historic horse racetrack on what is now Sabino Canyon Road and Vactor Ranch Trail, but it no longer exists.
In 2018, the Indoor Football League announced they were bringing an expansion team to Tucson to play at the Tucson Convention Center
The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts Theat ...
's newly renovated Tucson Arena. That team would be announced as the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Parks and recreation
The city has more than 120 parks, from small and local to larger parks with ballfields, natural areas, lakes, 5 public golf courses, and Reid Park Zoo
The Reid Park Zoo, founded in 1967, is a city-owned and operated non-profit zoo located within Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona. The zoo features more than 500 animals. It was unofficially established in 1965 by Gene Reid, the parks and recreation d ...
. "The Loop" is a popular system of walking/running/bicycling/horseback trails encircling the city primarily along washes, and it is usually well separated from traffic. Several scenic parks and points of interest are also nearby, including the Tucson Botanical Gardens
The Tucson Botanical Gardens is a 5.5 acre (2.2 ha) collection of sixteen residentially scaled urban gardens in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Paths connect these gardens, which include a Zen Garden, a Prehistoric Garden, a Barrio Garden, a B ...
, Tohono Chul Park
Tohono Chul (aka Tohono Chul Park) is a botanical garden, nature preserve, and cultural museum located in Casas Adobes, a suburb of Tucson, Arizona. The words "tohono chul" translate as "desert corner" and are borrowed from the language of ...
, Saguaro National Park, Sabino Canyon, and Biosphere 2 (just north of the city, near the town of Oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
).
Tumamoc Hill is an active research site maintained by the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
and 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 ...
that doubles as a popular walking/running trail. The paved trail on Tumamoc Hill is 1.5 miles up hill (3 miles full trip), divided into two parts. The lower half is a much gradual slope compared to the steep upper half reaching a final elevation of 2,340 ft where it over looks most of the city of Tucson. The trail attracts around 1500 visits a day from various demographics of the Tucson area.
Mt. Lemmon is north (by road) and over above Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains in the Coronado National Forest. Outdoor activities in the Catalinas include hiking, mountain biking, birding, rock climbing, picnicking, camping, swimming in mountain stream pools, sky rides at Ski Valley, fishing and photography. In winter with enough snow the sky ride converts back to skiing at the southernmost ski resort in the continental United States. Summerhaven, Arizona, Summerhaven, a community near the top of Mt. Lemmon, is also a popular destination.
The League of American Bicyclists gave Tucson a gold rating for bicycle friendliness in late April 2007. Tucson hosts the largest perimeter cycling event in the United States. The ride, called "El Tour de Tucson", takes place each November on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. El Tour de Tucson produced and promoted by Perimeter Bicycling has had as many as 10,000 participants from all over the world. In 2019, ridership is expected to be 6,000 cyclists. Tucson is one of only nine cities in the U.S. to receive a gold rating or higher for cycling friendliness from the League of American Bicyclists. The city is known for its winter cycling opportunities, with teams and riders from around the world spending a portion of the year training in Tucson's year-round biking climate. Popular mountain biking areas include Tucson Mountain Park, Sweetwater Preserve, the Tortolita Mountain trail systems, and Fantasy Island. Road cyclists take on Catalina Highway's steep climb year-round.
Politics and government
Pima County supported John Kerry 53% to 47% in the 2004 United States presidential election, 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, and Barack Obama 54% to 46% in the 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. In the latter year, Pima was the only county to vote against Arizona's gay marriage ban. In 2013, Tucson became the second city in Arizona to approve of civil unions for same-sex partners. The city was the first in the state to pass a domestic partnership registry earlier in 2003.
In general, Tucson and Pima County support the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, while the state's largest metropolitan area, greater Phoenix, has traditionally supported the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Congressional redistricting in 2013, following the publication of the 2010 Census, divided the Tucson area into three Federal Congressional districts (the first, second and third of Arizona). The city center is in the 3rd District, represented by Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, since 2003, while the more affluent residential areas to the south and east are in the 2nd District, represented by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick since 2019, and the exurbs north and west between Tucson and Phoenix in the 1st District are represented by Democrat Tom O'Halleran since 2016.
The United States Postal Service operates post offices in Tucson. The Tucson Main Post Office is at 1501 South Cherrybell Stravenue.
City government
Tucson follows the "weak mayor" model of the council–manager government, council-manager form of local government. The six-member city council holds exclusive legislative authority, and shares executive authority with the mayor, who is elected by the voters independently of the council. An appointed city manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city. Tucson is the only city in Arizona that holds officially partisan elections for city offices, with candidates nominated through party primaries.
Both the council members and the mayor serve four-year terms; none face term limits. Council members are nominated by their wards via a ward-level primary held in August. The top vote-earners from each party then compete at-large for their ward's seat on the November ballot. In other words, on Election Day (politics), election day the whole city votes on all the council races up for that year. Council elections are severed: Wards 1, 2, and 4 (as well as the mayor) are up for election in the same year (most recently 2015), while Wards 3, 5, and 6 share another year (most recently 2017).
Tucson is known for being a trailblazer in voluntary partial campaign finance, publicly financed campaigns. Since 1985, both mayoral and council candidates have been eligible to receive matching public funds from the city. To become eligible, council candidates must receive 200 donations of $10 or more (300 for a mayoral candidate). Candidates must then agree to spending limits equal to 33¢ for every registered Tucson voter, or $79,222 in 2005 (the corresponding figures for mayor are 64¢ per registered voter, or $142,271 in 2003). In return, candidates receive matching funds from the city at a 1:1 ratio of public money to private donations. The only other limitation is that candidates may not exceed 75% of the limit by the date of the primary. Many cities, such as San Francisco and New York City, have copied this system, albeit with more complex spending and matching formulas.
Mayor Regina Romero
Regina Romero (born September 20, 1974) is an American politician. She is mayor of Tucson, Arizona, having been elected after previously serving on the city council. She is the first woman and first person of Mexican descent to hold the office s ...
(D) was sworn into office on December 2, 2019, succeeding Jonathan Rothschild (D) who was sworn into office on December 5, 2011, succeeding Robert E. Walkup (R), who took office in 1999. Walkup was preceded by George Miller (Arizona politician), George Miller (D), 1991–1999; Tom Volgy (D), 1987–1991; Lew Murphy (R), 1971–1987; and Jim Corbett (politician), Jim Corbett (D), 1967–1971.
Education
Post-secondary education
* University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
: established in 1885; the second largest university in the state in terms of enrollment with over 36,000 students.
* Pima Community College has ten campuses.
* Arizona State University's ASU College of Public Service & Community Solutions, College of Public Service & Community Solutions has conferred Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (Master of Social Work, MSW) degrees for more than 30 years through its School of Social Work Tucson component.
* Tucson College has one Tucson campus.
* Brookline College has one Tucson campus.
* University of Phoenix has four Tucson campuses.
* Prescott College has a Tucson branch campus.
* Northern Arizona University has a Tucson branch campus.
* Arizona School of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
* The Art Center Design College has two Tucson campuses.
* Wayland Baptist University has one Tucson campus.
Primary and secondary schools
Primarily, students of the Tucson area attend public schools in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). TUSD has the second highest enrollment of any school district in Arizona, behind Mesa Unified School District in the Phoenix metropolitan area. There are also many publicly funded charter schools with a specialized curriculum.
In 1956, Tucson High School had the largest enrollment of any secondary school in the United States, with a total of more than 6,800 students. In 2018, Tucson High School enrollment was just over 3,000. The facility operated on a two-shift basis while construction went on for two other high schools that opened within a year to educate children in the rapidly booming Tucson population.
Media
Print
Tucson has one daily newspaper, the morning ''Arizona Daily Star''. Wick Communications publishes the daily legal paper ''The Daily Territorial'', while Boulder, Colo.-based 10/13 Communications publishes ''Tucson Weekly'' (an "alternative" publication), ''Inside Tucson Business'' and the ''Explorer (newspaper), Explorer''. TucsonSentinel.com is a nonprofit independent online news organization. ''Tucson Lifestyle Magazine'', ''Times Media Group (Arizona), Lovin' Life in Tucson'', ''DesertLeaf'', and ''Zócalo Magazine'' are monthly publications covering arts, architecture, decor, fashion, entertainment, business, history, and other events. The ''Arizona Daily Wildcat'' is the University of Arizona's student newspaper, and the ''Aztec News'' is the Pima Community College student newspaper. ''Catholic Outlook'' is the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, and the ''Arizona Jewish Post'' is the newspaper of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
Television
The Tucson metro area is served by many local television stations and is the 65th largest media market, designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 433,330 homes (0.39% of the total U.S.). It is limited to the three counties of southeastern Arizona (Pima, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Santa Cruz, and Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise)[Holmes, Gary. ]
The major television networks serving Tucson are:
* KVOA 4 (National Broadcasting Company, NBC)
* KUAT-TV 6 is a Public Broadcasting Service, PBS affiliate run by the University of Arizona (as is sister station KUAS 27).
* KGUN 9 (American Broadcasting Company, ABC)
* KMSB-TV 11 (Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox)
* KOLD-TV 13 (CBS)
* KUDF-LP 14 (Azteca (TV network), Azteca)
* KTTU (TV), KTTU 18 (MyNetworkTV)
* KPCE-LD 29 (Daystar (TV network), Daystar)
* KHRR-TV 40 (Telemundo)
* KUVE-DT 46 (Univision)
* KWBA-TV 58 (The CW, CW)
Infrastructure
Energy
Tucson's primary electrical power source is a natural gas power plant managed by Tucson Electric Power that is within the city limits on the southwestern boundary of Davis-Monthan Air-force base adjacent to Interstate 10. The air pollution generated has raised some concerns as the Sundt operating station has been online since 1962 and is exempt from many pollution standards and controls due to its age.
Solar has been gaining ground in Tucson with its ideal over 300 days of sunshine climate. Federal, state, and even local utility credits and incentives have also enticed residents to equip homes with solar systems.
Davis-Monthan AFB has a 3.3 Megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) array and a 2.7 MW rooftop-mounted PV array, both of which are in the Base Housing area. The base will soon have the largest solar-generating capacity in the United States Department of Defense after awarding a contract on September 10, 2010, to SunEdison to construct a 14.5 MW PV field on the northwestern side of the base.
Global Solar Energy, which is at the University of Arizona's science and technology park, is one of the planet's largest Copper indium gallium selenide solar cells, CIGS solar fields at 750 kilowatts.
Sustainability
The biggest sustainability problem in Tucson, with its low-desert climate, is a potable water supply. The state manages all water in Arizona through its Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). The primary consumer of water is Agriculture (including golf courses), which consumes about 69% of all water. Municipal (which includes residential use) accounts for about 25% of use. Energy consumption and availability is another sustainability issue. However, with over 300 days of full sun annually, Tucson has demonstrated its potential to be an ideal solar energy producer.
Light pollution
Tucson and Pima County adopted Dark-sky movement, dark sky ordinances to control light pollution in support of the region's astronomical observatory, observatories in 1972. Last amended in 2012, the City of Tucson/Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code establishes maximum illumination levels, shielding requirements, and limits on signage in "continuing support of astronomical activity and minimizing wasted energy, while not compromising the safety, security, and well-being of persons engaged in outdoor nighttime activities."
Water
Less than 100 years ago, the Santa Cruz River flowed nearly year-round through Tucson. This supply of water has slowly disappeared, causing Tucson to seek alternative sources.
In 1881, water was pumped from a well on the banks of the Santa Cruz River and flowed by gravity through pipes into the distribution system.
Tucson currently draws water from two main sources: Central Arizona Project (CAP) water and groundwater. In 1992, Tucson Water delivered CAP water to some customers that was unacceptable due to discoloration, bad odor and flavor, as well as problems it caused with some customers' plumbing and appliances. Tucson's city water currently consists of CAP water mixed with groundwater.
In an effort to conserve water, Tucson is recharging groundwater supplies by running part of its share of CAP water into various open portions of local rivers to seep into their aquifer. Additional study is scheduled to determine how much water is lost through evaporation from the open areas, especially during the summer. The City of Tucson provides reclaimed water to its inhabitants, but it is only used for "applications such as irrigation, dust control, and industrial uses." These resources have been in place for more than 27 years, and deliver to over 900 locations.
To prevent further loss of groundwater, Tucson has been involved in water conservation and groundwater preservation efforts, shifting away from its reliance on a series of Tucson area wells in favor of conservation, consumption-based pricing for residential and commercial water use, and new wells in the more sustainable Avra Valley aquifer, northwest of the city. An allocation from the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct (CAP), which passes more than across the desert from the Colorado River, has been incorporated into the city's water supply, annually providing over 20 million gallons of "recharged" water which is pumped into the ground to replenish water pumped out. Since 2001, CAP water has allowed the city to remove or turn off over 80 wells.
Water harvesting
The city of Tucson, Arizona, in an attempt to combat climate change, is providing financial incentives for residents to harvest their rainwater. Tucson's water supply, like many Western cities, is drawn from two main sources: ''surface water'' that is pumped more than 300 miles from the Colorado River and ''groundwater''. The pump expends a significant amount of energy and the Colorado River is diminishing as a result of climate change and overuse. In 2012, the city began a program that rebates residents as much as $2,000 for the purchase of water harvesting systems. “''Water harvesting''” refers to ''rainwater'', gathered from building surfaces, and ''stormwater'' harvesting which collects non-potable storm runoff from streets and earth. The program is financed by a water bill fee of 10 cents per 748 gallons of city water used. In the first few years, the rebate program was not conserving water as efficiently as they anticipated. But in fiscal year 2018 to 2019, the rebate program saved 52.1 million gallons of water. That is enough water to meet the annual usage of 160 households. The city has been trying to grow the approximately 250 people who obtain active rebates each year by introducing a loan program to bring rebates within reach of lower-income residents.
Along with water scarcity, Tucson is having to reckon with the urban heat island effect which has trapped heat in the city and brought incredibly high temperatures into the night. The city government has an ambitious goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and is integrating changes that will help change local resident's conventional thinking and practices. On May 1, 2020, Tucson began charging residents and businesses within city limits a monthly Green Stormwater Infrastructure fee (13 cents per 748 gallons of city water used), which is projected to raise some $3 million a year for public stormwater capture installations and other projects. But this comes at a time when unemployment is rising and the number of low income residents facing unaffordable bills between 2010 and 2018 doubled to 46% as the average bill increased by 119% in Tucson. Additionally, as part of the citywide climate resiliency effort, Mayor Regina Romero recently announced the planting of a million trees over the next decade. Water harvesting will be a critical aspect of that plan and the broader effort by city officials to cool down one of the country's fastest-warming cities.
Transportation
Public transit
Tucson's Sun Tran bus system serves greater Tucson with standard, express, regional shuttle, and on-demand shuttle bus service. It was awarded American Public Transportation Association, Best Transit System in 1988 and 2005. A streetcar line, Sun Link, connects the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
campus with 4th Avenue, downtown, and the Mercado District west of Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
and the Santa Cruz River. Ten-minute headway passenger service began July 25, 2014. The streetcar uses Sun Tran's card payment and transfer system, connecting with the University of Arizona's CatTran shuttles, Amtrak, and Greyhound Lines, Greyhound intercity bus service.
Rail
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Tucson station, Tucson three times weekly in both directions, operating its ''Sunset Limited'' between Los Angeles, California and New Orleans, Louisiana; and ''Texas Eagle'' service between Los Angeles and Chicago, Illinois.
Airport
Tucson International Airport
Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson
south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airp ...
, is south of the city's center. TIA is the second-largest commercial airport in Arizona, providing nonstop flights to 15 destinations throughout the United States. In addition to passenger and freight service, TIA supports the 162d Fighter Wing's fleet of seventy General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16s stationed at the Tucson Air National Guard Base. There are two general aviation reliever airports in the area. The city of Tucson operates Ryan Airfield southwest of the city center, and the town of Marana operates Marana Regional Airport to the northwest. Pinal Airpark is also within the metropolitan area.
Roadways
There are two Interstate Highway System, Interstate highways in the metropolitan area. Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
runs southeast from Phoenix through Marana, passes west of downtown, and continues east toward El Paso. Interstate 19 (Arizona), Interstate 19 leaves the I-10 south of downtown and heads south to the Mexican border. Arizona State Route 210 is a shorter expressway that links downtown with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Tucson's southeast side. Tucson does not have a ring road, beltway system, and relies almost entirely on surface streets.
Freeways and state highways in Tucson include:
*
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
*
Interstate 19 (Arizona), Interstate 19
*
Arizona State Route 77, State Route 77
*
Arizona State Route 86, State Route 86
*
Arizona State Route 210, State Route 210
Cycling
Cycling is popular in Tucson. Tucson and Pima County maintain an extensive network of marked bike routes, signal crossings, on-street bike lanes, mountain-biking trails, and dedicated shared use path, shared-use paths. The Loop (Tucson), The Loop is a network of seven linear parks, built mainly along river beds, comprising of paved, vehicle-free trails that encircles the majority of the city with links to Marana and Oro Valley. The Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee (TPCBAC) serves in an advisory capacity to local governments on issues relating to bicycle recreation, transportation, and safety. The League of American Bicyclists awarded Tucson a gold rating for bicycle-friendliness in 2006.
Notable people
Sister cities
Tucson's Sister city, sister cities are:
* Ciudad Obregón, Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, Mexico
* Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
* Mazatlán Municipality, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
* Pécs, Hungary
* Puerto Peñasco Municipality, Puerto Peñasco, Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, Mexico
* Roscommon, Connacht, Ireland
See also
* Davis–Monthan Air Force Base
* List of tallest buildings in Tucson
* List of historic properties in Tucson, Arizona
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pima County, Arizona
* Optics Valley Optics Valley is a region in southern Arizona, centered on Tucson, that is home to a high concentration of optics companies spawned by research at the University of Arizona. Based on the idea of a technology cluster such as Silicon Valley, Optics ...
* ''Sons of Tucson''
* Tucson Garbage Project
Notes
References
Further reading
Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1888, ''History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530–1888.'' The History Company, San Francisco.
* Cooper, Evelyn S., 1995, ''Tucson in Focus: The Buehman Studio.'' Arizona Historical Society, Tucson. ().
Spanish Colonial Tucson
, Henry F. Dobyns, Dobyns, Henry F, 1976, University of Arizona Press, Tucson. .
* Drachman, Roy P., 1999, ''From Cowtown to Desert Metropolis: Ninety Years of Arizona Memories.'' Whitewing Press, San Francisco. ().
* Fontana, Bernard L., 2015, ''San Xavier Del Bac: Portrait of a Desert Church.'' Southwestern Mission Research Center, Tucson. ()
* Hand, George, 1995, ''Whiskey, Six-Guns and Red-Light Ladies.'' High Lonesome Books, Silver City, New Mexico. ().
* Hand, George, 1996, ''The Civil War in Apacheland.'' High Lonesome Books, Silver City, New Mexico. ().
* Harte, John Bret, 2001, ''Tucson: Portrait of a Desert Pueblo.'' American Historical Press, Sun Valley, California. ().
* Henry, Bonnie, 1992, ''Another Tucson.'' Arizona Daily Star, Tucson. ().
* Kalt III, William D., 2007
''Tucson Was a Railroad Town.''
VTD Rail Publishing, Tucson. ().
* Logan, Michael F. ''Desert Cities: The Environmental History of Phoenix and Tucson.'' (2006). 240 pp.
* McIntyre, Allan J. and the Arizona Historical Society, 2008
''The Tohono O'odham and Pimeria Alta.''
Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina. ().
* Moisés, Rosalio, 2001, ''The Tall Candle: The Personal Chronicle of a Yaqui Indian.'' University of Nebraska Press. ().
* Painter, Muriel Thayer, 1971, ''A Yaqui Easter.'' University of Arizona Press, Tucson. ()
* Ronstadt, Edward E. (editor), 1993, ''Borderman: The Memoirs of Federico Jose Maria Ronstadt.'' University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. (
* Schellie, Don, 1968, ''Vast Domain of Blood: The Story of the Camp Grant Massacre.'' Westernlore Press, Tucson.
* Sheaffer, Jack and Steve Emerine, 1985, ''Jack Sheaffer's Tucson, 1945–1965.'' Arizona Daily Star, Tucson. ().
* Sheridan, Thomas E., 1983, ''Del Rancho al Barrio: The Mexican legacy of Tucson.'' Arizona Historical Society, Tucson.
* Sheridan, Thomas E., 1992, ''Los Tucsonenses: The Mexican Community in Tucson, 1854–1941.'' University of Arizona Press, Tucson. ().
* Sonnichsen, C. L., 1987, ''Tucson: The Life and Times of an American City.'' University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. ().
*
* Woosley, Anne I. and the Arizona Historical Society: 2008
''Early Tucson.''
Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina. ().
External links
Official City of Tucson government website
Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
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{{Authority control
Tucson, Arizona,
Tucson metropolitan area,
Cities in Arizona
County seats in Arizona
Arizona placenames of Native American origin
Populated places in the Sonoran Desert
Populated places established in 1775
1775 establishments in New Spain
Butterfield Overland Mail
San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line
Stagecoach stops in the United States
Cities in Pima County, Arizona
Metropolitan areas of Arizona