Tucson is a city located in Pima County in the US state of Arizona. It is one of the main cities of the Sun Belt and the most populated in southern Arizona. It is also the second largest city after Phoenix and the main one within the La Mesilla area. It is home to the University of Arizona. In the 2010 Census it had a population of 520,116 residents and a population density of 884.53 people per km².
In Spanish it is pronounced [tukˈson] (according to the International Phonetic Alphabet) or [tuksón]. In English it is pronounced [ˈtuːsɒn] (according to the International Phonetic Alphabet) or [túuson]. [1]
The city rests within a valley of almost 1,300 square kilometers, surrounded by five prominent mountain ranges, three with peaks that approach or exceed 2,700 meters in height. The urban panorama of the city of Tucson is characterized by the mountains that surround the city. Very close to the city is located the Sierra de Santa Catalina to the north, the Sierra del Rincón to the east and the Sierra de Tucson on the western side. A little further away is the Sierra de Santa Rita, which dominates the southern view of the city.
Place names
The Tucson toponym comes from the Spanish word of Pápago origin Cuk Ṣon tʃʊk ʂɔːn, which means at the foot of the mountain of the black spring, title = Tucson history, the Old Pueblo access date = June 12, 2009 author = University of Arizona language = English fileurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090626075720/http://www.arizona.edu/home/tucson-history.php filedate = June 26, 2009 in reference to an upcoming volcanic peak. It came to Castilian in 1776, with the founding of the San Agustín del Tucson prison. Later, with the sale of the Mesilla, the city passed into the US domain and therefore into the English language.
History
Tucson is nestled in the midst of a 10,000-year-old Indian settlement, and is distinguished as the oldest continuously inhabited region in the Northern Hemisphere. its climate is dry and it is also distinguished by being an attractive city
Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino visited the Santa Cruz River Valley in 1692, and founded the San Xavier del Bac mission in 1700 about 12 km upstream from the current settlement of Tucson. A separate Convent was founded downstream of the Santa Cruz River, near what is now known as Mountain “A”. Later, Hugo O’Conor, in command of Spanish militias , established a fortification that was called the Royal Presidio of San Agustín del Tucson. on Aug 20, 1775 (near Pima County Court of Appeals).Filed | Access Date = Oct 15,. During the period of the Spanish presidio, Tucson was plagued by frequent attacks by Apache Indians in what became known as the Second Battle of Tucson. The town was subsequently called Tucson and became part of Mexico after independence from Spain in 1821.
At the time of the New Mexico Territory and early in the formation of the state, Tucson was the main city of Arizona and its commercial center, while Phoenix was the seat of government (since 1889) and agriculture. The creation of the Tucson Municipal Airport increased the importance of the city. Between 1910 and 1920, the city of Phoenix outnumbered Tucson and continued to maintain higher growth rates. In recent years, both Tucson and Phoenix have experienced the highest growth rates in the United States.
It is still called the Old Town after the adobe prison that originally delineated its borders. With the passage of three centuries, Tucson, considered the best city in the United States, has evolved from its past in which it was a Spanish military post, then a dusty border town, later a railroad station of the territorial era, being in the today a mature city recognized as one of the fastest growing areas in the United States.
Wild West heritage
The folklore known as ” western ” is ingrained in southern Arizona. This is where the likes of Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton met for the duel at the OK Corral. Where the United States Cavalry fought Geronimo and Cochise, and where Hollywooddesigned its own version of the Wild West.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Tucson has a total area of 588.02 km², of which 587.17 km² correspond to the mainland and (0.14%) 0.84 km² is water. Template: GR
The highest point of the city is 728 meters above sea level. Tucson is situated on an alluvial plain in the Sonoran desert, surrounded by five minor mountain ranges: the Sierra de Santa Catalina and the Sierra de las Tortolitas to the north, the Sierra de la Santa Rita to the south, the Sierra del Rincón to the east and the Tucson Sierra to the west. The maximum elevation of the Sierra de Santa Catalina It is located on Mount Limón at about 2,791 m, which makes it the southernmost point for skiing in the continental United States of America, while the Sierra de Tucson reaches 1,429 m from Wasson Peak. The highest point in the area is Pico Wrightson, which is located in the Sierra de la Santa Rita at about 2,881 meters above sea level. The city is located on the banks of the Santa Cruz River, a perennial river that is currently a dry bed for significant flooding during the rainy season.
Demography
According to the 2010 census, there were 520,116 people residing in Tucson. The population density was 884.53 residents / km². Of the 520,116 residents, Tucson was made up of 69.72% white, 5% were African American, 2.72% were Amerindian, 2.87% were Asian, 0.22% were Pacific Islanders, 15.23% were of other races and 4.23 % belonged to two or more races. Of the total population, 41.59% were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Education
Tucson School Districts:
- Tucson Unified School District
- Amphitheater Unified School District (Northern)
- Flowing Wells Unified School District (North)
- Sunnyside Unified School District (southern)
The main university in the city is the University of Arizona, which was established in 1885, becoming the second university in the state of Arizona in the classification according to its enrollment, which is about 36,000 students.
