Tucson
Population 2010: 520,116, #33 in U.S., #2 in Arizona 1950: 45,454 2010
Metropolitan Area: 980,263, #52 in U.S. Setting The
Spanish established a presidio (fort) in the area in 1775, and the town of
Tucson grew up around it. Tucson was a small city until the years after World
War II. The University of Arizona is just northeast of downtown. Buildings Tallest building: One South Church (1986), 330 feet List of tallest buildings Stores Tucson has no downtown department stores. Trains Amtrak’s
Sunset Limited, going from New Orleans to Los Angeles, stops at Tucson’s old
Southern Pacific station (1907) three times a week in each direction. This
train also connects in San Antonio to Amtrak’s Texas Eagle, which goes north to
Dallas, Little Rock, St. Louis, and Chicago. The 3.9-mile Sun Link streetcar, connecting downtown with the University of Arizona, opened in 2014. |  Downtown Tucson Museums The Tucson Museum of Art is located downtown. TheatersThe Screening Room shows independent films. The Fox Tucson is a restored 1930 movie palace with concerts, plays, and old movies. The smaller Rialto Theater (1920) hosts concerts. The Music Hall of the Tucson Convention Center (1971) hosts the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Opera, and touring musicals from Broadway in Tucson. Sports The
Tucson Padres are the Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They play at Kino Stadium (the former Tucson Electric Park, 1998), located south of downtown. They will move to El Paso in 2014. |