Tucson Arizona Tourism

The Tucson skyline is dominated by mountains in every direction.

Close in to the city are the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north, the Rincon Mountains to the east, and the Tucson Mountains, closest of all, on the west side. Farther from the city proper, but still commanding the southern sky are the Santa Rita Mountains. And farthest of all, generally not visible from most of the city, are the Tortolita Mountain Range to the northwest.

The Coronado Expedition which took place around 1540 crossed Arizona in search of the “Seven Cities of Gold.” In 1699 Father Francisco Kino established the Mission San Xavier del Bac.

Not until 1797 was it completed. In 1757 the Mission San Agustin, a “visita” of San Xavier, was established on the west bank of the Santa Cruz River. The construction of the mission and the convent was fully completed in the 1790’s.

Hugo O’Connor in 1775 established the Tucson Presido. It marked the city’s official birthday for Tucson. Tucson fought side by side with Mexico for independence in 1821. After the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, Tucson fell under the jurisdiction of the United States. In 1863 Arizona became an official territory. Between 1867 and 1889, Tucson held the title of territorial capitol. By the time the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Tucson in 1880 the population was 8,000. Arizona became the 48th state in the Union in 1912.

In 1950 Tucson’s population had reached 120,000 and by 1960 it nearly doubled to 220,000. The City and Pima County officially recognized the city’s history by adopting historic district ordinances in 1972. Tucson became the 33rd largest city in the United States in 1990 with a population topping 400,000.

De Grazia Gallery chapel, Tucson