Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in <a href="/facts/Pima_County%2c_Arizona/yongVvfj">Pima County, Arizona</a>, United States, and its <a href="/facts/County_seat/ItAWPoWw">county seat</a>. It is the <a href="/facts/List_of_municipalities_in_Arizona/QmXlNtds">second-most populous city</a> in Arizona with a population of 542,630 at the <a href="/facts/2020_United_States_census/dTEm5TRr">2020 census</a>, while the Tucson <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_statistical_area/Y2yX0KJg">metropolitan statistical area</a> has an estimated 1.08 million residents and is the <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_statistical_area/Y2yX0KJg">52nd-largest metropolitan area</a> in the U.S. Tucson and Phoenix anchor the <a href="/facts/Arizona_Sun_Corridor/7bjEaoec">Arizona Sun Corridor</a>. The city is 108 miles (174 km) southeast of <a href="/facts/Phoenix%2c_Arizona/MFvp5Upw">Phoenix</a> and 60 mi (100 km) north of the <a href="/facts/United_States%25E2%2580%2593Mexico_border/pIL77aCf">United States–Mexico border</a>. It is home to the <a href="/facts/University_of_Arizona/ehesIpKx">University of Arizona</a>.
Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include <a href="/facts/Oro_Valley%2c_Arizona/gbcLJ8Qh">Oro Valley</a> and <a href="/facts/Marana%2c_Arizona/t633gIhy">Marana</a> northwest of the city, <a href="/facts/Sahuarita%2c_Arizona/fvR3jUyx">Sahuarita</a> south of the city, and <a href="/facts/South_Tucson%2c_Arizona/Q9YMcCFY">South Tucson</a> in an enclave south of downtown. Communities in the vicinity of Tucson (some within or overlapping the city limits) include <a href="/facts/Casas_Adobes%2c_Arizona/52Ct7QAa">Casas Adobes</a>, <a href="/facts/Catalina_Foothills%2c_Arizona/kvuJI8L8">Catalina Foothills</a>, <a href="/facts/Flowing_Wells%2c_Arizona/P1FPr5Ss">Flowing Wells</a>, <a href="/facts/Midvale_Park/BCmRb1yC">Midvale Park</a>, <a href="/facts/Tanque_Verde%2c_Arizona/qcNu8ghP">Tanque Verde</a>, <a href="/facts/Tortolita%2c_Arizona/hmodeq5n">Tortolita</a>, and <a href="/facts/Vail%2c_Arizona/HscVygGV">Vail</a>. Towns outside the Tucson metropolitan area include <a href="/facts/Three_Points%2c_Arizona/a913g45m">Three Points</a>, <a href="/facts/Benson%2c_Arizona/YgDjHHfX">Benson</a> to the southeast, <a href="/facts/Catalina%2c_Arizona/t6pHuWaS">Catalina</a> and <a href="/facts/Oracle%2c_Arizona/6zCos6r5">Oracle</a> to the north, and <a href="/facts/Green_Valley%2c_Arizona/Wnf0eVjY">Green Valley</a> to the south.
Tucson was founded as a military fort by the Spanish when <a href="/facts/Hugo_Ocon%25C3%25B3r/LqRlmFKj">Hugo O'Conor</a> authorized the construction of <a href="/facts/Presidio_San_Agust%25C3%25ADn_del_Tucs%25C3%25B3n/BPrxheej">Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón</a> in 1775. It was included in the state of <a href="/facts/Sonora/cmLLIFR9">Sonora</a> after Mexico gained independence from the <a href="/facts/Spanish_Empire/RaWWgnQS">Spanish Empire</a> in 1821. The United States acquired a 29,670 square miles (76,840 km2) region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern <a href="/facts/New_Mexico/wosJCGaW">New Mexico</a> from Mexico under the <a href="/facts/Gadsden_Purchase/GoX2NMII">Gadsden Purchase</a> in 1853. Tucson served as the capital of the <a href="/facts/Arizona_Territory_(CSA)/kDyUuRUq">Arizona Territory</a> from 1867 to 1877. 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 <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> in 2015.
The Spanish name of the city, Tucsón (Spanish pronunciation: [tuɣˈson]), is derived from the <a href="/facts/O%25CA%25BCodham_language/ssdCK9wy">O'odham</a> 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. 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 <a href="/facts/Sentinel_Peak_(Arizona)/eLaqEKUl">Sentinel Peak</a>. Tucson is sometimes referred to as the Old <a href="/facts/Pueblo/Yf07mDIS">Pueblo</a> and Optics Valley, the latter referring to its optical science and telescopes known worldwide.

Tucson, Arizona open-in-new

Tucson, Arizona