Performers on Congress Street. (Photo c ourtesy of On Congress )

Area Information

Tucson is a city in Pima County. Arizona. Located in the Sonoran Desert, it's surrounded by five mountain ranges and bordered by one state park, three national parks, and forests and land owned by the Tohono O'odham Nation. With an average of 360 sunny days a year, Tucson offers residents near-perfect weather in which to enjoy outdoor activities. There are 800 miles of bike paths in town, and most of the mountainous terrain surrounding the city is protected as public land, providing a diversity of elevations, red-rock mesas and vast desert landscapes to explore. The city's rich cultural heritage can be seen everywhere. You can rent a historic casita, enjoy a show in an early 20th-century theater, or shop in an 1840s Mexican adobe.

Tucson features a number of distinct neighborhoods, each an activity center bustling with locally-owned shops, restaurants and bars. The historic Main Gate Square, located near the University of Arizona and downtown, offers eclectic cuisine and national retailers. One of the oldest inhabited sites in the country, El Presidio Historic District is a residential neighborhood featuring Spanish-Mexican, Anglo-American and eclectic architecture. Urban homes and colorful barrios likewise mingle in the Congress Street area, while the Fourth Avenue arts district offers eclectic shopping, dining, entertainment and plenty of street fairs year-round.

Commuters in Tucson use Interstate 10, which runs west of downtown, and Interstate 19, which runs from south of downtown to the Mexico border. State Highway 210 links downtown to southeast Tucson and the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Commuters also take advantage of the four-mile SunLink Tucson Streetcar. For business and pleasure trips outside of the city, Tucson International Airport is just about 9 miles from downtown.

El Presidio Park. (Photo c ourtesy of Daniel Lobo )

Apartments for rent in Tucson are affordable, and rent prices are stable.

Tucson Attractions

Kartchner Caverns State Park. Located 40 miles southeast of Tucson, this park offers tours of limestone caverns beneath the Whetstone Mountains. Hotel Congress. This 1919 downtown hotel and restaurant is known as the hideout for bank robber John Dillinger, who was captured in 1934. Kitt Peak National Observatory. The world's largest collection of optical telescopes is located here, 55 miles southwest of Tucson. Mercado San Agustin. Tucson's renowned public market is located west of downtown. Mount Lemmon Ski Valley. The southernmost ski destination in the continental U.S. Mount Lemmon is located north of Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains.