🇺🇸 Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, and is home to the University of Arizona. It is the second largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix, and is the heart of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area (CSA). Both Tucson and Phoenix anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is 108 miles (174 km) south-east of Phoenix and 60 mi (97 km) 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 and Marana north-west of the city, Sahuarita south of the city, and South Tucson in an enclave south of downtown. Communities in the vicinity of Tucson (some within or overlapping the city limits) include Casas Adobes, Catalina Foothills, Flowing Wells, Midvale Park, Tanque Verde, Tortolita, and Vail. Towns outside the Tucson metro area include Benson to the south-east, Catalina and Oracle 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 in 1775. It was included in the state of Sonora after Mexico gained independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821. In 1853, the United States acquired a 29,670 square miles (76,840 km²) region of present-day southern Arizona and south-western New Mexico from Mexico under the Gadsden Purchase. Tucson served as the capital of the Arizona Territory 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 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 Spanish name of the city, Tucsón, is derived from the O'odham Cuk Ṣon, meaning "(at the) base of the black [hill]", a reference to a basalt-covered hill now known as Sentinel Peak. Tucson is sometimes referred to as "The Old Pueblo", and "Optics Valley", the latter referring to its optical science and telescopes known world-wide.
1Economy Much of Tucson's economic development has centered on the development of the University of Arizona, which is the city's largest employer. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, on the city's south-eastern edge, also provides many jobs for Tucson residents. Its presence, as well as the presence of the US Army Intelligence Center (Fort Huachuca, 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 Missiles and Defense (formerly Hughes Aircraft Co.), Texas Instruments, IBM, Intuit Inc., Universal Avionics, Honeywell Aerospace, Sunquest Information Systems, Sanofi-Aventis, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., and Bombardier Aerospace all have a large presence in Tucson. Roughly 150 Tucson companies are involved in the design and manufacture of optics and optoelectronics systems, earning Tucson the nickname "Optics Valley". Much of this comes from the Steward Observatory at The University of Arizona, 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, 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", 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.
1Top employers According to Tucson's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city include: 1 University of Arizona; 2 Raytheon Technologies; 3 State of Arizona; 4 Davis–Monthan Air Force Base; 5 Pima County; 6 Tucson Unified School District; 7 Banner University Medical Center Tucson; 8 U.S. Customs and Border Protection; 9 Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold, Inc.; 10 Walmart.
1Education • University of Arizona: 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 College of Public Service & Community Solutions has conferred Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and 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.
1Tucson was ranked #110 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Tucson has a population of over 520,116 people. Tucson also forms part of the wider Tucson-Nogales metropolitan area which has a population of over 1,010,025 people. Tucson is the #54 hipster city in the world, with a hipster score of 5.3994 according to the Hipster Index which evaluates and ranks the major cities of the world according to the number of vegan eateries, coffee shops, tattoo studios, vintage boutiques, and record stores. Tucson is ranked #239 for startups with a score of 1.474.
To set up a UBI Lab for Tucson see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Tucson is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Gastronomy see: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Tucson has links with:
🇰🇿 Almaty, Kazakhstan 🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregón, Mexico 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico 🇨🇳 Liupanshui, China 🇲🇽 Mazatlán, Mexico 🇭🇺 Pécs, Hungary 🇲🇽 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico 🇮🇪 Roscommon, Ireland 🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah, Iraq 🇹🇼 Taichung, Taiwan 🇬🇷 Trikala, GreeceUNESCO Creative Cities for Gastronomy include: 🇹🇷 Afyonkarasihar 🇮🇹 Alba 🇵🇪 Arequipa 🇰🇭 Battambang 🇧🇷 Belém 🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte 🇦🇺 Bendigo 🇮🇹 Bergamo 🇳🇴 Bergen 🇨🇴 Buenaventura 🇪🇸 Burgos 🇨🇳 Chaozhou 🇨🇳 Chengdu 🇧🇴 Cochabamba 🇪🇸 Dénia 🇲🇽 Ensenada 🇧🇷 Florianópolis 🇨🇭 Fribourg 🇰🇷 Gangneung 🇹🇷 Gaziantep 🇹🇷 Hatay 🇬🇷 Heraklion 🇿🇦 Hermanus 🇮🇳 Hyderabad 🇵🇭 Iloilo City 🇰🇷 Jeonju 🇲🇴 Macao 🇲🇽 Mérida 🇨🇲 Nkongsamba 🇸🇪 Östersund 🇿🇦 Overstrand Hermanus 🇵🇦 Panama City 🇧🇷 Paraty 🇮🇹 Parma 🇹🇭 Phuket 🇨🇴 Popayán 🇪🇨 Portoviejo 🇮🇷 Rasht 🇺🇸 San Antonio 🇨🇳 Shunde 🇯🇵 Tsuruoka 🇺🇸 Tucson 🇨🇳 Yangzhou 🇱🇧 Zahlé
🇲🇦 Ben Guerir 32.233
🇵🇰 Jauharabad 32.283
🇲🇽 Hermosillo -110.958
🇲🇽 Heroica Nogales -110.933
🇨🇦 Medicine Hat -110.667
🇺🇸 Sierra Vista -110.267
🇺🇸 Great Falls -111.306
🇨🇦 Fort McMurray -111.379
🇺🇸 San Tan Valley -111.562
🇺🇸 Queen Creek -111.633
🇲🇽 Ciudad Constitución -111.68
Locations Near: Tucson -110.975,32.2222
🇺🇸 Nogales -110.933,31.333 d: 98.9
🇲🇽 Nogales -110.933,31.317 d: 100.8
🇲🇽 Heroica Nogales -110.933,31.317 d: 100.8
🇺🇸 Florence -111.383,33.033 d: 97.9
🇺🇸 Sierra Vista -110.267,31.533 d: 101.7
🇺🇸 Casa Grande -111.733,32.883 d: 102.2
🇺🇸 San Tan Valley -111.562,33.161 d: 118
🇺🇸 Queen Creek -111.633,33.233 d: 128.2
Antipodal to: Tucson 69.025,-32.222
🇲🇺 Port Mathurin 63.417,-19.683 d: 18513
🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 18285.5
🇲🇺 Centre de Flacq 57.718,-20.2 d: 18268.5
🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 18265.7
🇲🇺 Vacoas-Phoenix 57.493,-20.3 d: 18262.7
🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes 57.479,-20.266 d: 18258.9
🇲🇺 St Pierre 57.517,-20.217 d: 18257
🇲🇺 Moka 57.496,-20.219 d: 18255.9
🇲🇺 Beau Bassin-Rose Hill 57.471,-20.235 d: 18255.6
🇲🇺 Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill 57.467,-20.233 d: 18255.2