About Tucson, Arizona
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Tucson is a cosmopolitan
city with a unique blend of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, African American,
Asian and Anglo heritages.
Ancient Hohokam Indians developed complex irrigation systems in the area for
growing crops. The name "Tucson" is derived from the Indian word, "Chuk-son,"
meaning village of the dark spring at the foot of the mountains.
The city was established in 1775 by Spanish soldiers as a walled presidio
- the Presidio of San Augustin de Tucson. Tucson became a part of Mexico in
1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain, and in 1854 became a part
of the United States as part of the Gadsden Purchase. Following a turbulent
territorial period racked by conflict with the Apache Indians, Arizona became
the 48th state in 1912.
Today, Tucson is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the U.S. The metropolitan
area population of 884,000 people is expected to reach one million shortly
after the turn of the century. With this anticipated growth, the community
is retaining the rich charm, which earned it the nickname, "The Old Pueblo."
Excerpt is from the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce website-2004.
(www.tucsonchamber.org)
Tucson is situated in a desert valley (elevation of 2584 feet) surrounded
by mountain ranges: The Santa Catalina mountains rise up to over 9000 feet
above sea level and are to the North, so you can almost always tell which
direction is North while around town. The Rincon mountains are to the East;
the Tucson mountains are to the West; the Santa Rita mountains are to the
Southeast; and the Sierrita mountains are to the South of Tucson. Tucson is
surprisingly green with lush vegetation for the desert environment. There
are many native Mesquite, Palo Verde, Eucalyptus & Cottonwood trees. Also,
Creosote bushes smell unique after the rain. The city limits are defined as
over 156 square miles and growing. The metropolitan area extends to almost
500 square miles.
Instead of East Coast, Mid-Western & North-Western states students taking-off
for "snow days", Tucson's students experience days-off for "Rodeo-days", as
other means for a day off of school. Tucson is a small business haven. The
civilian labor force is approximately 404,000. The median age is 35.7 years
old. The average earning per worker is $32,300. "Forbes" magazine August 2004
edition lists Tucson as one of the top cities in America for "Telecommuter
Heaven". There are over 1200 companies employing over 50,000 people in the
high-tech industry. Tucson is a leader in this knowledge-based economy. Some
companies in Tucson are: Raytheon Missile Systems, Texas Instruments, IBM,
America Online, Universal Avionics, Slim-Fast Foods, Sunquest Information
Systems, & Bombardier to name a few.
Overall, Tucson is a great place to live with many natural & cultural attractions,
a low cost of living, a low-key lifestyle, relaxed pace, mild weather, and
casual dress making it the ideal place to add years to ones' life on earth.
Information is from the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Call your Tucson Arizona real estate agent, Evan Harris, Branch Manager, Liberty
Properties & Associates, Inc at 520-292-0636-office. The force of Tucson Arizona
real estate is with your Tucson Arizona real estate agent, Evan Harris, call
today!