|
Tucson is a fast-growing metropolitan area of almost 1,000,000 people and an exciting blend of contrasts: a modern city of arts, fine culture
and world-class entertainment, enhanced by the influence of centuries of human
habitation and breathtaking, accessible natural wonders. Tucson was voted the
friendliest city by Conde Nast Traveler magazine, and it enjoys more sunshine
than any other city in the United States - approximately 350 days a year.
Tucson is the oldest continually inhabited settlement in the
United States. The Hohokam Indians ("the vanished ones") farmed the area in the
first century. Then they inexplicably disappeared and were later replaced by
Pima and Tohono O’odham tribes. Italian Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who
served as a missionary for the Spanish church, made his initial visit in 1694.
The Irishman Hugh O’Connor, more notably known as Hugo O’Connor for his
explorations for Spain, founded the city of Tucson in Aug. 20, 1775. A walled
presidio provided refuge for travelers and residents and was soon nicknamed the
"Old Pueblo." Spain’s claim to Tucson ended when Mexico gained independence in
1821. Later, Tucson became part of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase
in 1853 and remained so except for a brief period when Confederate soldiers
seized the city during the Civil War. Tucson was known as a rowdy frontier town.
In 1867, when the Old Pueblo was named capital of the newly formed Arizona
Territory, the town’s people invested in what they hoped would become a stable
community. The capital was moved north before Arizona became a state in 1912 and
Tucson eventually established another prestigious state institution, the
University of Arizona.
Tucson offers a wide range of activities including museums,
shopping, skiing, hiking, panning for gold... Here is a list of some of the
area’s top attractions.
Colossal Cave: This is one of the largest caverns in the
world, and explorers have still not found the end of it!
International
Wildlife Museum: features exhibits of nearly 300 species of mammals and
birds from around the world, as well as tours, videos, films, souvenirs and
exotic foods.
Kitt Peak National Observatory: Tucson is known as the
"Astronomy Capital of the World" because of this collection of
telescopes.
Mount Lemmon: The southern most ski area in the
continental United States.
Old Tucson Movie Studios: The "Hollywood in
the Desert" has been the location of over 200 movies, TV shows, commercials and
documentaries.
Pima Air Museum: Home to the third largest collection
of historic aircraft in the world.
Saguaro National Park: The saguaro
cactus, native to the Sonoran Desert, is found in abundance here. Hundreds of
thousands of the majestic plants, true symbols of the Southwest, stand like
silent sentinels in the Tucson Mountains.
|
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
