Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
City
Clockwise, from the top: Downtown Tucson skyline, Old Main, University of Arizona, St. Augustine Cathedral, Santa Catalina Mountains, Saguaro National Park, Pima County Courthouse
Flag
Etymology: O'odham Cuk Ṣon azc, "(at the) base of the black [hill]"
Nicknames:  "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
Interactive map outlining Tucson
Location within Pima County
Tucson Location within Arizona Tucson Location within the United States
Coordinates: 32°13′18″N 110°55′35″W
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Pima
Founded	August 20, 1775
Incorporated	February 7, 1877
Founded by	Hugo O'Conor
Ward	6 Wards Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 5 Ward 6
Government
• Type	Council-manager government
• Body	Tucson City Council
• Mayor	Regina Romero (D)
• City Manager	Tim Thomure
• City Council	List • Lane Santa Cruz • Paul Cunningham • Kevin Dahl • Nikki Lee • Richard Fimbres • Karin Uhlich
Area
• City	241.31 sq mi (624.99 km2)
• Land	240.99 sq mi (624.17 km2)
• Water	0.32 sq mi (0.82 km2)
Elevation	2,389 ft (728 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	542,629
• Rank	33rd in the United States 2nd in Arizona
• Density	2,251.6/sq mi (869.4/km2)
• Metro	1,043,433 (53rd)
Demonym(s)	Tucsonian, Tucsonan
Time zone	UTC-07:00 (MST (no DST))
ZIP Codes	85701-85775
Area code	520
FIPS code	04-77000
GNIS feature ID	43534
Website	tucsonaz.gov

Tucson is a city in Arizona, United States. It is the seat of Pima County. It is 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the Mexican border. It is where the shooting of senator Gabrielle Giffords took place. Arizona has many deserts. It is visited by many people to escape cold weather. Tucson has a population of 547,239 as of 2023 and is the second most populated city in Arizona behind Phoenix. The city has a mean elevation of 2,400 feet. The climate of Tucson is an arid desert climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The monsoon occurs in mid June and ends around late September in the Tucson area.

History

Tucson was founded on August 20, 1775—an event celebrated annually at Tucson's birthday party, La Fiesta de San Agustín. But people had long before feeling something special here and made it their home. In fact, the area we call Tucson is one of the oldest continually inhabited areas in North America.

Hohokam Indians lived and farmed here for 4,000 years before Spanish missionaries and soldiers arrived in the late 1600s and established local landmarks such as the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson and the Mission San Xavier del Bac—the two most iconic and historic structures in the region. "The Old Pueblo," as the adobe-walled Presidio became known, remains one of Tucson's nicknames to this day.

Tucson in the 1800's

All of Arizona, south of the Gila River was legally bought from Mexico as part of the Gadsden Purchase on June 8, 1854, and Tucson officially became a part of the United States of America. During what is commonly referred to as the "Old West" era (1860 to 1880) Tucson was the battleground of many clashes between cattle ranchers, settlers, miners, and the Apache Indians.

In 1877, Tucson was incorporated as a city, making it the oldest city in Arizona, and with the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880, Tucson's multicultural roots expanded and deepened as new residents adopted customs of both the Tohono O'odham Indians, Mexicans and early settlers that were already living here.

Geography

Tucson is situated in the eastern portion of Pima County, Arizona in one of the lushest valleys found in the Sonoran Desert. Surrounded by five unique mountain ranges, opportunities for outdoor exploration are endless. A quick drive along the Catalina Highway-Sky Island National Scenic Byway can take you from the lower elevations of the valley floor to the summit of Mt. Lemmon at 9,157 feet. In roughly an hour this scenic drive traverses seven of the world's nine life zones—the span of ecosystems you'd see driving from Mexico to Canada.

The city is bordered on all sides by protected natural areas: Coronado National Forest, Catalina State Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and Saguaro National Parks East and West (the best places to see the giant saguaro cactus native only to Southern Arizona and Native Mexico).

Because of the variety of terrain and proximity to protected areas and parks Tucson is widely considered one of the world's best destinations for activities such as hiking, cycling, rock climbing, horseback riding, and just about anything else you would want to do outdoors.

Climate

Boasting an average 350 sunny days a year and warm dry air, Tucson's climate is ideal for outdoor recreation, with winter temperatures reaching average highs of 64-75°F. Summer days are often hot with low humidity—great for indoor activities like museums, art galleries, and shopping or relaxing indoor or poolside at one of the area's world-famous spas or resorts. Cool mornings and evenings and long twilight hours throughout summer make for memorable cookouts, patio dining, and activities like hiking and horseback riding. Golf can be enjoyed year-round with a host of pro-level courses. In summer months both early morning and late afternoon tee times are available at reduced prices, making it even easier to hit the links.

Tucson's famous and historical locations

• University of Arizona
• Tucson Mall
• San Aguistin de Tucson
• Park Place
• Foothills Mall
• El Con Center/El Con Mall
• Tucson Museum of Art
  • Mission San Xavier del Bac.
  • Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
  • Sentinel Peak
  • A-Mountain
  • Pima Air and Space Museum

References

https://www.visittucson.org/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5195762.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/place/Tucson

Other websites

• Official government website Archived 1998-01-10 at the Wayback Machine