Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Tucson
Encircled by mountain ranges
and bookended by the two units of Saguaro
National Park, Tucson is Arizona's second-
largest city, and for the vacationer it has
everything that Phoenix has to offer, plus
a bit more. There are world-class golf
resorts, excellent restaurants, art museums
and galleries, an active cultural life, and, of
course, plenty of great weather. Tucson
also has a long history that melds Native
American, Hispanic, and Anglo roots.
And with a national park, a national for-
est, and other natural areas just beyond the
city limits, Tucson is a city that celebrates
its Sonoran Desert setting.
At Saguaro National Park, you can
marvel at the massive cactuses that have
come to symbolize the desert Southwest,
while at the Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum (actually a zoo), you can acquaint
yourself with the flora and fauna of this
region. Take a hike or a horseback ride up
one of the trails that leads into the wilder-
ness from the edge of the city, and you
may even meet up with a few desert deni-
zens on their own turf. Look beyond the
saguaros and prickly pears, and you can
find a desert oasis, complete with water-
falls and swimming holes, and, a short
drive from the city, a pine forest that's
home to the southernmost ski area in the
country.
Founded by the Spanish in 1775, Tucson
was built on the site of a much older Native
American village. The city's name comes
from the Pima Indian word
chukeson,
which
means “spring at the base of black moun-
tain,” a reference to the peak now known
simply as “A Mountain.” From 1867 to
1877, Tucson was the territorial capital of
Arizona, but eventually the capital was
moved to Phoenix. Consequently, Tucson
did not develop as quickly as Phoenix and
still holds on to some of its Hispanic and
Western heritage.
Tucson has a history of valuing quality
of life over development, which sets it
apart from the Phoenix area. Back in the
days of urban renewal, its citizens turned
back the bulldozers and managed to pre-
serve at least some of the city's old Mexi-
can character. Likewise, today, in the face
of the sort of sprawl that has given Phoe-
nix the feel of a landlocked Los Angeles,
advocates for controlled growth are fight-
ing hard to preserve both Tucson's desert
environment and the city's unique charac-
ter. However, the inevitable sprawl has
now ringed much of Tucson with vast
suburbs, though as yet, the city is far from
becoming another Phoenix.
The struggle to retain an identity distinct
from other Southwestern cities is ongoing,
and despite long, drawn-out attempts to
breathe life into the city's core, downtown
Tucson has little to offer visitors other than
an art museum, a convention center, a
couple of historic neighborhoods, and a
couple of good restaurants.
Despite this minor shortcoming, Tuc-
son remains Arizona's most beautiful and
most livable city. With the Santa Catalina
Mountains for a backdrop, Tucson boasts
one of the most dramatic settings in the
Southwest, and whether you're taking in
the mountain vistas from the tee box of
the 12th hole, the saddle of a palomino, or
a table for two, I'm sure you'll agree that
Tucson makes a superb vacation destina-
tion.
