- Tucson is the county seat and largest city in Pima County, Arizona’s second-most populous city, with more than 540,000 residents and more than 1 million metro, ranking 52nd in the country.
- It sits 108 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.–Mexico border and is home to the University of Arizona.
- Major suburbs include Oro Valley, Marana, Sahuarita, and the enclave city of South Tucson, with nearby communities like Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes, Vail, and more.
- Founded as Spain’s Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón in 1775, Tucson later belonged to Mexico’s Sonora, entered the U.S. via the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, served as Arizona Territory’s capital (1867–1877), and was named UNESCO’s first U.S. “City of Gastronomy” in 2015.
- The name comes from the O’odham “Cuk Ṣon,” often translated as “the base of the hill is black,” referring to basaltic Sentinel Peak; nicknames include “Old Pueblo” and “Optics Valley.”
