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 Italian Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who served as a missionary for the Spanish church, made his initial visit in 1694 to what the Pima Indians called "Stjukshon", meaning, roughly, "spring at the foot of a black mountain." The word referred to the then-flowing Santa Cruz River.Tucson The name "Tucson" (TOO-sahn) is derived from the Indian word, "Chuk-son," meaning village of the dark spring at the foot of the mountains. Tucson is a fabulous place to live with beautiful neighborhoods, gorgeous mountains, friendly people and a great quality of life. Tucson lies in the borderland, a region that blends the cultures of the United States and Mexico. Tucson has an interesting history of settlement by ancient Native American peoples, Spanish explorers, and Anglo frontiersmen. The city was established in 1775 by Spanish soldiers as a walled presidio and provided refuge for travelers and residents hence the nickname "The Old Pueblo." In 1854 Tucson, Arizona became the 48th state in 1912 as part of the Gadsden Purchase. Today, Tucson is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the U.S. The metropolitan area population of 804,200 people is expected to reach one million shortly after the turn of the century. Tucson is a fast-growing city with a blend of contrasts It is a modern city of arts, culture and world-class entertainment, underlined by the influence of centuries of human habitation and of breathtaking and accessible natural wonders. The lifestyles that define Tucson also provide a wealth of activities and attractions for you to enjoy, limited only by your stamina and imagination. Oro Valley and Tucson are located in Pima County, 2,400 feet above sea level in the desert valley of south-central Arizona. Tucson has convenient freeway, rail, and air access, and Phoenix is an easy 90-minute drive away. Tucson is rated as one of the top 5 mid-sized cities in the country, and one of the "50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family". To make things even better, the Tucson area consistently ranks below the U.S. average in the Cost of Living Index. Hospitals and other medical facilities (ten in our area) are excellent and easily accessible. University Medical Center and Tucson Medical Center are renown for research and development. Industry has centered on aircraft and missile manufacturing, dude ranching and electronics research and manufacture. Cotton farming has become a mainstay. Indeed, Marana is the home of the Pima Cotton industry. Tucson is one of the sunniest cities in the U.S., with 3,800 hours of sunshine a year and only 11 inches of rain. Annual snowfall is low, although there's enough for skiing at Mount Lemmon, only 35 minutes away. Low humidity makes our 98-degree summers bearable, while winter temperatures hover at a pleasant 51 degrees. Tucson's dry, sunny climate and unique desert locale have made it a popular tourist spot, health resort and retirement community. Residents actively support the arts and the city's Indian and Spanish heritage, making it a thriving cultural center. Shopping is also a pleasure here, with four malls and more than 150 shopping centers. Try one of our mountain or desert trails for hiking and biking. Relax and take in the desert beauty. Spend some time at the well-known Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum or the San Xavier Mission, or take the tram through Sabino Canyon and enjoy the desert wildlife, flora and fauna. Numerous public and private golf courses dot the landscape. For major league sports fans, Tucson hosts Spring Training for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Just up the road in Phoenix are the NFL Arizona Cardinals, NBA Phoenix Suns, and NHL Phoenix Coyotes. Historically, the unearthed remains of pit houses and adobe huts show that the Tucson area has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years. The Hohokam Indians occupied the area 1,000 to 1,500 years ago, before mysteriously vanishing from the region. Father Eusebio Kino found the Tohono O'odham (Pima) Indians living and farming here when he arrived in the late 1600's. To cope with the desert climate, newcomers adopted much of the food, building techniques and other traditions the Indians (and later the Mexicans) had developed. Population in the greater Tucson area is about 750,000.  |  | | | | |
Sales Tax Arizona's sales tax is 5.6 percent and the city of Tucson adds an additional 2 percent. These taxes apply to all retail sales except non-restaurant food and prescription medicines Property Taxes Pima County property tax for home-owners is based on the assessed value of the home. Assessed value is 10 percent of the full cash value (about 80 percent of market value), which is determined by the Pima County Assessors Office. The tax rate varies by district in which the house is located. The average tax rate for Pima County is $15.00 - $17.00 for every $100.00 of assesses value.
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LOCATION OF TUCSON
Tucson is located in Pima County, in southern Arizona. Interstate-10 passes through Tucson on its way west to California (via Indio and Phoenix) and east to Deming, New Mexico and beyond. I-8 and I-19 also intersect the city, running east to west and north to south respectively. BRIEF HISTORY OF TUCSON The Tucson Valley has a long history of human settlement, with the earliest found archeological evidence dating from 1000 B.C. The Hohokam people (ancestors of the current Pima and Tohono O'odham indigenous groups) had extensive settlements from A.D. 200 onwards, and their forebears met the Spaniards when they first came to the area, seeking the fabled “Seven Cities of Gold”. The Spaniards established the first mission San Xavier del Bac in 1699 This was completed in 1797 and is a working Catholic parish to this day. Further missionary presence followed, and in 1775, Hugo O'Conor set up the Tucson Presido to protect the town from the Apache. The Mexican war of Independence saw the Spanish cede Tucson to Mexican rule The town became part of the United States in 1854, after the historic Gadsden Purchase. Arizona became an official US territory in 1863 and Tucson was its capital from 1867 to 1889. The coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880 stimulated development and swelled Tucson’s population to 8,000. Tucson remained a center for ranching and mining until the post-WWII baby boom, which further drove development. By 1950 Tucson's population had risen to 120,000 and by 1960 it nearly doubled to 220,000. In 1990 Tucson was recognized as the 33rd largest U.S. city in with a population topping 400,000.
ABOUT TUCSON EDUCATION
The Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) has 77 elementary schools, 23 middle schools and 21 high schools. The District consistently outperforms schools throughout the state, and coordinates a full range of special programs, including after school and summer curriculums. The TUSD administers several educational alternatives for children: magnet, alternative and exceptional education schools. Magnet schools focus intensively on particular areas of learning in a culturally diverse context; a lot of Spanish language and culture is included, along with alternative modes of learning, like Montessori, family learning, and computer learning. There are 12 alternative schools for students. These cater to a range of needs, with some serving dropouts or students with learning difficulties and others serving children with high artistic and lower academic interests. Two exceptional education programs cater to students with special emotional, physical, or mental needs. Tucson residents have a good range of Christian and Jewish private schools to choose from as well. Major Universities include the superb University of Arizona, and the University Of Phoenix-Southern Arizona Campus Primary colleges are the Pima Community College, the Pima Medical Institute, The Art Center Design College, Tucson Chaparral Career College, the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts, and Prescott College. The Tucson School of Horseshoeing provides local culture! WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE TUCSON AREA? The answer is simple: the weather. Year round sunshine and lots of it! The desert is beautiful, and the recreational possibilities almost limitless. The local golf courses are world-class and world-famous, with golfers from around the globe flocking to play them. Tucson has more than 30 golf courses; the surrounding towns have many more. The Mt. Lemmon Ski Area offers a day of skiing after a morning poolside; top quality restaurants and resorts, great museums, and galleries provide residents and visitors alike with plenty to enjoy. Thanks to its warm climate, low taxes, and year-round golf, Arizona ranks among the nations top three states for relocating retirees. Tucson has some of the best and largest retirement living communities in the West. Tucson Housing Different types of housing are available in the Tucson and surrounding areas of Oro Valley, Marana and Vail. With the current down trend in the overall American Real Estate market, one would expect less new home starts in and around the Tucson and Pima County area. However, Arizona continues to be the number one growth state in the USA, and Tucson has more new home construction starts than other areas of Arizona and the country. Despite Tucson's Real Estate growth spurt over last few years, the average cost of housing and land are still below the national average of desirable places to live in the USA. Steady growth in expected in the area for may years ahead. There are definitely many different types of housing styles available, including the traditional Tucson Hacienda, the Joesler, the Adobe brick home, the Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Contemporary, the Territorial, the Rammed Earth home, the Mediterranean, trendy downtown lofts, the Solar home, the Craftman home, the Ranch, the Strawbale home and very California Contemporary designed Homes and Estates that now dot the Tucson landscape.
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LOCATION OF ORO VALLEY AZ Scenic Oro Valley is found in Pima County Arizona, about 15 miles north of Tucson. Highway 77 runs through Oro Valley on its way south to Tucson; north of Oro Valley, Highway 77 passes through Oracle in Pimal County. BRIEF HISTORY OF ORO VALLEY Archeological evidence suggests that indigenous settlements may have been forming in the Tucson/Oro Valley area up to 9,000 years ago. The ancestors of todays Pima and Tohono O'odham tribes met the first Europeans in the 17th century, when the Spaniards entered the district. The settlement of Oro Valley was founded in the early 1870s by a German immigrant, George Pusch. Long a resort town, Oro Valley was incorporated in 1974, and is currently home to about 23,000 people. ABOUT ORO VALLEY EDUCATION Oro Valley is known for outstanding schools; superb universities and colleges are close at hand in nearby Tucson. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE ORO VALLEY AREA? Oro Valley is world-famous for its golf, with several of the areas courses ranked highly in respected golfing publications. Alongside its five golf courses, Oro Valley has the Sheraton El Conquistador, one of the finest resorts in the Tucson area. Golfers have many more courses to explore in the surrounding area; residents have the time to enjoy them to the full and develop their game over time. Of course, golf is not all thats hot about Oro Valley! Needless to say, the gorgeous desert climate and outdoor lifestyle are appreciated by all, as is the small town atmosphere. Oro Valley is rated one of the safest towns in Arizona and residents enjoy the active community life of their town while being conveniently close to Tucson and all that the big city has to offer. Drawn to Oro Valley's lifestyle and closeness to Tucson, many tech companies are relocating to the town.
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VAIL |
LOCATION OF VAIL AZ The town of Vail is about 21 miles southeast of Tucson. Vail is conveniently close to I-10, which runs east to Tucson and Phoenix and to New Mexico. BRIEF HISTORY OF VAIL AZ The Hohokam populated most of Southern Arizona from about 300 C.E. Farmers and traders, the Hohokam dominated the region until about 1500 C.E. when they mysteriously disappeared.
The Tucson area was then settled by the Tohono O’odham (the desert people), who farmed along the Santa Cruz and Gila Rivers. Neighbouring Apache frequently raided them; later the Spaniards built a walled fort at Tucson to protect settlers from them. First Europeans to reach the area were the Spaniards, who settled in the river valleys of Southern Arizona throughout the 1700s. The area remained part of Spain until the Civil War, when Mexico gained self governance. The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 bought Southern Arizona for the United States. ABOUT VAIL AZ EDUCATION The Vail School District encompasses six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools The District remains committed to its low student to teacher ratios and high degree of community involvement. Vail schools are noticeable for the importance placed on a safe and homey classroom environment. According to their mission statement, the District prefers small schools: “We seek to create that small school atmosphere in all of our schools, regardless of the size that growth and economics may force them to become. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE VAIL AZ AREA? Residents of Vail enjoy a fantastic outdoor lifestyle, with year round sun and great recreational opportunities, from world-class golf to skiing at the nearby Mt. Lemmon resort. A small town sense of community, highly affordable housing, and great schools make Vail the perfect place to bring up a young family, while proximity to Tucson and big city jobs and culture make Vail an ideal commute. This is not to suggest that Vail has no economy of its own; Arizona has worked hard to attract the technology industry to the region. |
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