Also known as “The Old Pueblo,” Tucson has a metro population near one million and lies in the Sonoran Desert between five mountain ranges, the: Catalina, Rincon, Santa Rita, Tortolita, and Tucson Mountains. The University of Arizona is ​located in the heart of Tucson. Tucson is known for its amazing hiking trails, biking trails and college town feel. You'll never have to shovel snow here, with 365 days of sunshine.

Sites to See

A few sites to visit for activities near the university and downtown include Main Gate Square, the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, Downtown Tucson Partnership and Mercado San Agustin Public Market — all of which can be traversed via the new Sun Link Tucson streetcar system. A free monthly festival is hosted also by 2nd Saturdays Downtown; twice a year, the Fourth Avenue merchants host street fairs and “Club Crawl” events.

For arts and entertainment events sponsored by the University of Arizona visit UA Presents — which brings nationally and internationally-renowned dance, classical, jazz, pop, theater and spoken word artists to campus. Or enjoy events such as concerts at The Rialto Theater and art exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art or at the U of A Museum of Art. Tucson is also home to the world-renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a fusion experience that is equal parts zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum and aquarium.

For those that love competitive sports, a University of Arizona sports game is just for you! With a handful of nationally ranking sports teams, there is always a good game to see. FC Tucson is the PDL Soccer team that plays in Tucson; they won the 2016 Western Conference.

Tucson is also home to some of the best biking and hiking trails in Arizona. Tucson hosts El Tour de Tucson, the largest perimeter bicycling event in the US attracting over 9,000 cyclists from throughout the United States and beyond! The ​mountain ranges in Tucson provide for hundreds of miles of scenic hiking and biking trails to people of all skill levels.

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Transportation

While there are options for public transit in Tucson, there is no mass transit system running 24/7. You will need a car, but there are other options to supplement driving. As mentioned previously, the Sun Link Street Car route includes Tucson's main entertainment districts as well as the University of Arizona campus. There is also a Sun Tran bus system and a campus bus system, the Cat Tran. Additionally, Tucson is frequently cited as one of the most bikeable cities in the country, with many biking trails and dedicated bike lanes.

Tucson School Districts

Tucson has a wide range of education, from public, private schools and charter schools.
Tucson Unified School District
Catalina Foothills School District
Flowing Wells Unified School District
Amphitheater Public Schools
Basis Charter School
Sahuarita Unified School District
Sunnyside Unified School District
Tanque Verde School District
Marana Unified School District
Vail Unified School District
Private School Review

Weekend Getaways

In the heart of the American Southwest, Tucson is located within driving distance of spectacular mountains, canyons, beaches and deserts, including a myriad of national parts and iconic cities like Las Vegas and San Diego. In addition to the skiiing and hiking in our own backyard, Tucson is ideally positioned for long weekends to some of the best sight-seeing in the United States, including:

• Mt Lemmon, Coronado National Forest – Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley (Yes there’s skiing in Tucson!)
• Phoenix, AZ – Catch a Diamondbacks, Suns or Coyotes game for the evening or weekend.
• Rocky Point, Mexico – Cross the Mexican border to visit the closest beach to Tucson.
• Grand Canyon National Park – A must see for anyone that comes to Arizona!
• San Diego, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Las Vegas, NV