Tucson is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States; the Hohokam settled here as early as A.D. 100. The Spanish were the first Europeans to settle here, and Tucson became part of Mexico when that colony declared its independence from Spain in 1820. It became part of the United States under the Gadsden Purchase of 1854. Its name is derived from the Pima Indian name "chuk son," which means "spring at the foot of a black mountain."
When the Butterfield stage line was extended to Tucson in the 1850s, it brought along adventurers, settlers, and more than a few outlaws. The railroad came in 1880, and the University of Arizona in 1891, though Arizona didn't become a state until 1912. The city's population really began to grow during World War II, when the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was opened and brought with it an aerospace industry. However, as in Phoenix, folks could not live comfortably here year-round until the development of modern air-conditioning in the 1950s. Nowadays, more businesses and people relocate because of the lower cost of living here, the cleaner environment, and the spectacular scenery.
Although it's Arizona's second-largest city and a fast-growing metropolitan area of over 725,000 people, Tucson still feels like a small town. Perhaps this is because, while the city is a bustling center of business, it's also a laid-back university and resort town, popular for the warm sun and 320 days of clear weather a year. The population increases every winter, when average daytime temperatures are 65 degrees F, and 38 degrees F at night.
Tucson has a tri-cultural (Hispanic, Anglo, Native American) population and plenty of visitors. It's particularly popular among golfers, but it's also known as the home of world-class museums, a copper and cattle market, and the best Sonoran Mexican food north of the border. The recent influx of residents and visitors has given the city some growing pains, including questions regarding development and pollution control, which are now being addressed by city planners.
While you can explore the downtown's Gaslamp Quarter and shops on foot, you're best off seeing the city's score of neighborhoods by car. One of the best known is La Jolla, the cloistered community of boutiques and million-dollar homes perched on sandy hillsides along the coastline. Less known are the many other diverse neighborhoods that fan out from downtown, including hip, gay Hillcrest with its classy shops and restaurants; North Park with its vintage Craftsman bungalows; and fun, funky Ocean Beach with its impressive fishing pier, antiques shops, and beach just for dogs.
No longer insular and slow-paced, this handsome and economically vibrant city continues to grow by more than 50,000 people each year. Luckily, the extensive network of canyons that cuts through the city has reined in the unchecked building that created the megalopolis of Los Angeles 120 mi to the north.
