Tucson Facts & Information

Location	Pima County Southeast Arizona
Climate	Generally mild winters and hot summers; low humidly makes the temperatures bearable
Land Area	195 square miles
Population	486,699
Persons Over 65	11.9%
Female Persons	51.0%
Ethnic Groups	White 70.2%, Black 4.3%, American Indian 2.3%, Asian 2.5%
Housing Units	209,609
Median Household Income	$30,981
Description of Flag
Arizona Flag	The lower half of the Arizona flag is a blue field and the upper half divided into thirteen equal segments, seven red and six light yellow. In the center of the flag is a copper colored star with 5 points. The red and the blue are the same shades as the flag of the United States of America, and it measures four feet high and six feet wide. The copper star represents Arizona as the largest producer of copper in the United States.

More Information
 www.travel.state.gov
 www.cia.gov

Tucson Culture

But of course the number of year round Tucsonans grows, and grows steadily more diverse. On the fast-developing outskirts of town are families in subdivisional suburbs, the wealthiest of whom live high in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Around the city center, in the Warehouse District and Barrio Viejo, there is a vibrant collective of young artists, painters and musicians whose work is enjoyed in the galleries and clubs that dot the downtown. South Tucson, not even a mile from City Hall, is an autonomous township peopled almost entirely by Latino Americans, making it an indispensable pilgrimage point for Mexican food and Mariachi music. Indeed, with the border city of Nogales only forty-five minutes away, Tucson is strongly influenced by Mexican culture.

Finally, quite unique to the city, there are an amazing number of people who first came to Tucson with the intention of seeing the sights and moving on – and then simply stayed. They are not exactly settlers and not tourists, but men and women who have seemingly suspended their lives for the love of this peculiar and beautiful setting, with its big sky and small town friendliness. Almost everyone who visits Tucson seriously considers the feasibility of staying there.

Tucson Culture

But of course the number of year round Tucsonans grows, and grows steadily more diverse. On the fast-developing outskirts of town are families in subdivisional suburbs, the wealthiest of whom live high in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Around the city center, in the Warehouse District and Barrio Viejo, there is a vibrant collective of young artists, painters and musicians whose work is enjoyed in the galleries and clubs that dot the downtown. South Tucson, not even a mile from City Hall, is an autonomous township peopled almost entirely by Latino Americans, making it an indispensable pilgrimage point for Mexican food and Mariachi music. Indeed, with the border city of Nogales only forty-five minutes away, Tucson is strongly influenced by Mexican culture.

Finally, quite unique to the city, there are an amazing number of people who first came to Tucson with the intention of seeing the sights and moving on – and then simply stayed. They are not exactly settlers and not tourists, but men and women who have seemingly suspended their lives for the love of this peculiar and beautiful setting, with its big sky and small town friendliness. Almost everyone who visits Tucson seriously considers the feasibility of staying there.

Tucson Shopping

southwestern heritage more than compensates. A walk up and down Fourth Avenue is a virtual requirement. Here you’ll find restaurants, cafes, bars, bookstores, food co-ops, boutiques, thrift shops, galleries, furniture dealers, and specialty craft stores. Continue beneath the underpass and turn right onto Broad Street to complete your walk. As you do, be sure to stop into the Hotel Congress, the legendary Tucson fixture where John Dillinger was first arrested. Now it also contains a fine restaurant, the Tap Room bar, a concert venue, and a beauty salon.

The restaurants along these streets are diverse and good, but it is worth making a trip to South Tucson for the Mexican food. Mi Nidito is the most popular choice, but the long waits for a table may send you to the much more modest but still excellent El Indio. In Tucson proper two fine options are La Fuente, which has live Mariachi music, and El Charro Café, a chic nightspot that alleges to have invented the chimichanga.

If you should tire of Mexican food, there are plenty of other places to eat. On two extremes lie Daisy Mae’s Steak House and Govinda, which has a full-serve vegetarian buffet. Bunbuku has cheap, delicious Japanese food and is loved by students.

Tucson Shopping

southwestern heritage more than compensates. A walk up and down Fourth Avenue is a virtual requirement. Here you’ll find restaurants, cafes, bars, bookstores, food co-ops, boutiques, thrift shops, galleries, furniture dealers, and specialty craft stores. Continue beneath the underpass and turn right onto Broad Street to complete your walk. As you do, be sure to stop into the Hotel Congress, the legendary Tucson fixture where John Dillinger was first arrested. Now it also contains a fine restaurant, the Tap Room bar, a concert venue, and a beauty salon.

The restaurants along these streets are diverse and good, but it is worth making a trip to South Tucson for the Mexican food. Mi Nidito is the most popular choice, but the long waits for a table may send you to the much more modest but still excellent El Indio. In Tucson proper two fine options are La Fuente, which has live Mariachi music, and El Charro Café, a chic nightspot that alleges to have invented the chimichanga.

If you should tire of Mexican food, there are plenty of other places to eat. On two extremes lie Daisy Mae’s Steak House and Govinda, which has a full-serve vegetarian buffet. Bunbuku has cheap, delicious Japanese food and is loved by students.

Tucson Travel Guides
 Frommer's Tucson
 Lonely Planet Tucson
 Let's Go Tucson
 Fodors Tucson