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Tucson
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Downtown Tucson skyline | |
| Etymology: from Tohono O'odham Cuk Ṣon 'the base (of the hill) is black'[2][1] | |
| Nicknames: "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" | |
 Interactive map outlining Tucson | |
 Location within Pima County | |
  Tucson Location within Arizona  Tucson Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 32°13′18″N 110°55′35″W / 32.22167°N 110.92639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Pima |
| Settled | c. 1300 A.D[3] |
| Founded | August 20, 1775 |
| Incorporated | February 7, 1877[4] |
| Founded by | Hugo O'Conor |
| Ward | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Body | Tucson City Council |
| • Mayor | Regina Romero (D) |
| • City manager | Tim Thomure |
| • City council | List |
| Area | |
• City | 241.33 sq mi (625.04 km2) |
| • Land | 241.01 sq mi (624.22 km2) |
| • Water | 0.32 sq mi (0.82 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,389 ft (728 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 542,629 |
| • Rank | 89th in North America 33rd in the United States 2nd in Arizona |
| • Density | 2,251.44/sq mi (869.29/km2) |
| • Urban | 875,441 (US: 52nd) |
| • Urban density | 2,449.8/sq mi (945.9/km2) |
| • Metro | 1,043,433 (US: 53rd) |
| Demonym(s) | Tucsonian; Tucsonan |
| Time zone | UTC-07:00 (MST (no DST)) |
| ZIP Codes | 85701-85775 |
| Area code | 520 |
| FIPS code | 04-77000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 43534[7] |
| Website | tucsonaz |
| 1 Urban = 2010 Census | |
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Tucson (/ˈtuːsɒn/; O'odham: Cuk Ṣon; Spanish: Tucsón)[1] is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States,[8] and is home to the University of Arizona. It is the second-largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,629 in the 2020 United States census,[9] while the population of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is 1,043,433.[10] The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area. Both Tucson and Phoenix anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is 108 miles (174 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 mi (100 km) north of the United States–Mexico border.[8]
Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include Oro Valley and Marana northwest of the city, Sahuarita[11] 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 metropolitan area include Three Points, Benson to the southeast, 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. The United States acquired a 29,670 square miles (76,840 km2) region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico from Mexico under the Gadsden Purchase[12] in 1853. Tucson served as the capital of the Arizona Territory from 1867 to 1877.[13] Tucson was Arizona's largest city by population during the territorial period and early statehood, until it was surpassed by Phoenix by 1920. Nevertheless, its population growth remained strong during the late 20th century. Tucson was the first American city to be designated a "City of Gastronomy" by UNESCO in 2015.[14]
The Spanish name of the city, Tucsón (Spanish pronunciation: [tuɣˈson]), is derived from the O'odham Cuk Ṣon (O'odham pronunciation: [tʃʊk ʂɔːn]). Cuk is a stative verb meaning "(be) black, (be) dark". Ṣon is (in this usage) a noun referring to the base or foundation of something.[1] The name is commonly translated into English as "the base [of the hill] is black", 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 worldwide.[15][16]
- ^ a b c d Saxton, Dean; Saxton, Lucille; Enos, Susie (1983). Tohono O'odham/Pima to English, English to Tohono O'odham/Pima Dictionary. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-1942-2.
- ^ Mathiot, Madeleine (1973). A Dictionary of Papago Usage. Vol. 1: B-K, Vol. 2: L-Z. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University. ISBN 9780877501688.
- ^ Thiel, J. Homer. Cultural History of the Tucson Basin and the Project Area. pp. 7–11.
- ^ "Annexations | Official website of the City of Tucson". Tucsonaz.gov. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Tucson". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Trevisan, Sesto (February 8, 2018). "Tucson – A Fast Growing AZ City". Qedfinancialsystems.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- ^ Leighton, David (February 8, 2016). "Street Smarts: Sahuarita's name may be misspelling". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ^ "Gadsden Purchase Treaty". National Archives. August 15, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Capitals of the Arizona Territory". Pima County Public Library. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Tucson Named First UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the USA". Visit Tucson. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^ "AZ Optics Valley Optics & Photonics Networking Association".
- ^ Audrey Wilson (September 12, 2023). "6 Tucson Nicknames and the History Behind Them".