Found in the middle of the Sonoran desert, the Santa Cruz River runs through the western portion of the city. The river is typically dry, but after a cloud burst, it can run quite swiftly. The Sonoran desert is one of the richest deserts in the world with the well known saguaro cactus. This cactus stands straight up with arms coming off of it. It lives up to 200 years old. Surrounded by mountains, there are 4 ranges that ring Tucson. The Santa Catalinas to the north, the Tucson Mountains to the west, the Rincon to the east and the more distant Santa Rita to the south. The areas climate varies from the 2400 foot desert basin to the 9100 foot forests of the Santa Catalina mountains. At the lower elevations the summer experiences many 100+F days with about 12" of rain annually. At the highest elevations in the winter, you can experience winter skiing (Mt. Lemmon). With upto 360 sunny days a year, Tucson's dry desert air and winter sunshine make it a popular health and winter resort.

The city size is 195 square miles. The population is 486,699 people (2000), making Tucson the 30th largest city in the U.S.A. The larger metropolitan area is over 843,746 people (2000), making it the 57th largest Metro area in the country. A diverse city, it is almost 30% Hispanic. A small group of Native Americans, Asians and African Americans live in Tucson. The remainder of the population (~63%) is white. The city is serviced by 1 major airport, Tucson International Airport. It is located only a few miles to the southeast of the downtown.

Visited by the Spanish for years, permanent settlers arrived in the area in 1776. Tucson officially became part of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase of 1854. It served as capital of the Arizona Territory from 1867 to 1877. Tucson was incorporated as a city in the year 1877. The railroad reached the city in 1880. Tucson and other nearby Arizona towns (Tombstone) have contributed much to the Wild Wests reputation (as well as myths). Growth accelerated after WWII as did many desert towns with the introduction of air conditioning.

Tucson's economy is based on a tourism, retirement and a health center. The city is home to the University of Arizona and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The City's industries include electronics and missile production. Industries based on regional mining, especially copper exist. Tucson is strategically located along the California and Texas transportation corridor (I-10).

Tucson is surrounded by immense natural beauty, much of which is contained in numerous federal and local parks. Tucson features the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson movie studio set, Tohono Chul desert preserve, Botantical Gardens, numerous museums, city parks, activities at the U of A including the Flanders planetarium, Mission San Xavier del Bac and a small but vibrant downtown area. Outdoor activities are plentiful and are enhanced by year round good weather.

All pictures are from Tucson or the nearby area, using various film and digital cameras. The pictures below on this page are all from the downtown area and the University of Arizona. The subsequent page found below are all pictures of the area outside of the downtown.

2nd page of Tuscon pictures. Pictures include San Xavier del Bac Mission, A-Mountain and Tohono Chul.

Visit numerous other Parks and Cities by World from the Web.

View the panoramic shot of the Tucson skyline from Sentinel Peak ("A Mountain").
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Water fountain, Pima County Building and the Bank of America building, downtown Tucson.
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Pima County Building in downtown.
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Building with very interesting architecture, on Main Ave near Franklin, just north and west of the downtown.
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St. Augustine Cathedral in the downtown area, on Stone and Corral.
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From the Tucson Museum of Art in the downtown area at Alemeda and Main.
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Mural on the building wall at the Tucson Museum of Art.
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In front of the Tucson Library at Stone and Pennington.
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Downtown on Meyer, between Court and Franklin.
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From the Barrio Viejo at Convert and Simpson.
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4th Ave between 6th and 7th Streets.
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4th Ave between 5th and 6th Streets.
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The clock at the Student Union at the U of A mall.
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The U of A mall.
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Old Main at the U of A.
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The following area parks are listed below for your viewing.
Catalina State Park by World from the Web. These are the large mountains just to the north of Tucson.
Coronado National Forest by World from the Web. This includes Sabino Canyon, Mt. Lemmon and Madera Canyon.
Saguaro National Park by World from the Web. Park areas are found both to the east and west of Tucson.
Tucson Mountain County Park by World from the Web. This includes Gates Pass and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, to the west.

Further information on Tucson can be found at the City of Tucson website, or
Tucson Online.