According to the
United States Census Bureau, 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 in the
Sonoran Desert, surrounded by five minor ranges of mountains: the
Santa Catalina Mountains and the
Tortolita Mountains to the north, the
Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the
Rincon Mountains to the east, and the
Tucson Mountains to the west. Tucson Mountains include Wasson Peak. The highest point in the area is
Mount Wrightson, found in the Santa Rita Mountains at above sea level. Tucson is southeast of Phoenix and north of the
United States–Mexico border by interstate highway. The 2020 United States census puts the city's population at 542,629 with a metropolitan area population at 1,043,433. In 2020, Tucson ranked as the 33rd-largest city and 53rd-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. 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 riverbed for much of the year, it regularly floods during significant seasonal rains.
Interstate 10 runs northwest through town, connecting Tucson to Phoenix to the northwest (on the way to its western terminus in
Santa Monica, California), and to
Las Cruces, New Mexico and
El Paso, Texas to the southeast. (Its eastern terminus is in
Jacksonville, Florida).
I-19 runs south from Tucson to
Nogales and the
Mexico–United States border. I-19 is the only Interstate Highway in the United States that uses Mexico's "kilometer posts" instead of "
mileposts". However, speed limits are marked in "miles per hour".
Neighborhoods Downtown and Central Tucson Similar to many other cities in the Western US, Tucson was developed by European Americans on a
grid plan 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 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 (TCC), include: • El Presidio, Tucson's oldest neighborhood. • Barrio Histórico, also known as Barrio Libre. •
Armory Park is directly south of downtown. • Barrio Anita, named for an early settler, is located between Granada Avenue and Interstate 10. • Barrio Tiburón, now known as the Fourth Avenue arts district, was designated in territorial times as a
red-light district. • Barrio El Jardín is named for an early recreational site, Levin's Gardens. • Barrio El Hoyo is 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. 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, is adjacent to Sentinel Peak. • Iron Horse, east of Fourth Avenue and north of the railroad tracks, is named for its proximity to the railroad, informally known by that term. • West University is between the University of Arizona and downtown. • Dunbar Spring is west of West University. • Pie Allen, west and south of the university near
Tucson High School, is named for
John Brackett "Pie" Allen, a local entrepreneur and early mayor of Tucson. • Sam Hughes, east of the University of Arizona, is named after a European-American pioneer in Tucson. At the end of the 2010s, city planners and the business community worked to redevelop downtown Tucson. The primary project was Rio Nuevo, a large retail and community center that had been stalled in planning for more than a decade. One Rio Nuevo project that was successful is
Mission Garden. Related to Tucson's City of Gastronomy designation, this living agricultural museum at the base of
Sentinel Peak west of downtown grows heritage crops and heirloom trees that represent people who have lived in the area for thousands of years. Downtown is generally regarded as the area bordered by 17th Street to the south, I-10 to the west, and 6th Street to the north, and Toole Avenue and the
Union Pacific (formerly
Southern Pacific) 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 tracks. is in downtown Tucson. Historic attractions downtown with rich architecture include the
Hotel Congress designed in 1919, the Art Deco
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 is the old
Pima County Courthouse, designed by
Roy Place in 1928.
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 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.
El Con Mall is also in the eastern part of midtown. Main Library The
University of Arizona, chartered in 1885, is in midtown and includes
Arizona Stadium and
McKale Center (named for
J.F. "Pop" McKale, a prominent coach and athletics administrator at the university). The historic
Tucson High School (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 are also in Central Tucson. Tucson's largest park,
Reid Park, is in midtown and includes
Reid Park Zoo and
Hi Corbett Field. Speedway Boulevard, a major east–west arterial road in central Tucson, was named the "ugliest street in America" by
Life in the early 1970s, quoting Tucson Mayor
James Corbett. In the late 1990s, Speedway Boulevard was awarded "Street of the Year" by
Arizona Highways. 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. As of the early 21st century, Central Tucson is considered
bicycle-friendly. 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, East University Boulevard leads to the Fourth Avenue Shopping District. To the North, North Mountain Avenue has a full bike-only lane for half of the to the
Rillito River Park bike and walk multi-use path. To the south, North Highland Avenue leads to the Barraza-Aviation Parkway bicycle path.
Southern Tucson when it was under renovation
South Tucson is the name of an independent, incorporated town of south of downtown. It is surrounded by the City of Tucson and 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 around 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 and
Tucson Electric Park are located here. 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, rural residential development predominates. Attractions include
Saguaro National Park West, and movie set/theme park developed at the
Old Tucson Studios. On Sentinel Peak, just west of downtown, a giant "A" was installed in honor of the University of Arizona, resulting in the nickname "A" Mountain. Starting in about 1915, an annual tradition developed for freshmen to whitewash the A, which was visible for miles. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the A was painted red, white, and blue. At the beginning of the
Iraq War in 2003, antiwar activists painted the A black. Competition ensued, with various sides repainting the A in different colors until the city council intervened and made the red, white, and blue colors official. In 2013, the color scheme changed back to white. Another color may be decided by a biennial election. With the tricolor scheme, some observers complain the shape of the A is hard to distinguish from the background of the peak. Since 1993, the A has been painted green for St. Patrick's Day. It has also been given other color schemes for different causes. and west of
Sabino Creek. Some of the Tucson area's major resorts are in the Catalina Foothills, including
Hacienda Del Sol, Westin La Paloma Resort, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and
Canyon Ranch Resort.
La Encantada, an outdoor shopping mall, 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 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 and parts of the town of
Marana, the small suburb of
Picture Rocks, the town of
Oro Valley in the western foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and residential areas in the northeastern foothills of the Tucson Mountains. Continental Ranch (Marana), Dove Mountain (Marana), and Rancho Vistoso (Oro Valley), and Saddlebrooke (North Oro Valley) are all master planned 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 (built in 1948). Casas Adobes is also home to
Tohono Chul Park, 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
Gabby Giffords, which resulted in the murders of chief judge for the
U.S. District Court for Arizona,
John Roll, 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 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. East Tucson includes
Saguaro National Park East. Tucson's "Restaurant Row" is also on the east side, along with a significant corporate and financial presence. Restaurant Row is sandwiched by three of Tucson's storied Vicinages: Harold Bell Wright Estates, named after the 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 – 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, Madame
Germaine Cheruy and
René Cheruy, Giorgio Belloli, Charles Bode,
Veronica Hughart,
Edward H. Spicer and
Rosamond Spicer,
Hazel Larson Archer 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 whose visit is documented in his iconic book
On the Road. 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. at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Situated between the
Santa Catalina Mountains and the
Rincon Mountains near
Redington Pass 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, 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 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.
Climate Tucson has a hot
desert climate (
Köppen:
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 of summer. Fall and spring tend to be sunny and dry. Despite being at a more southerly latitude than Phoenix, Tucson is slightly cooler and wetter due to a variety of factors, including elevation and
orographic lift 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- 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 that the rate of skin cancer in Arizona is at least three times higher than in more northerly regions. Additionally,
heat stroke 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 is unpredictable, as 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. During the monsoon, the
humidity 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. The evening sky at this time of year is often pierced with dramatic lightning strikes. Large areas of the city do not have
storm sewers, 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 $2,000 for costs involved in rescuing them. Despite the warnings and precautions, three Tucson drivers have drowned between 2004 and 2010. The weather in the fall 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 20 degrees F (−4 to −7 °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 most recent snowfall was on March 2, 2023, when a
winter storm caused snow to fall throughout most of the southwest. Tucson airport recorded of snow, the seventh heaviest March snowfall on record. 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 occurs with a temperature change often surpassing daily. 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 . On average, 47.4 days have 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==