Today Tucson celebrate its 237th birthday!
Whether your family has lived in Tucson for generations or you recently moved here, here’s some fun tidbits about the city we all call home.
Did you Know:
- Archaeologists have found evidence of the ancient Hohokum Civilization living in the Tucson basin as early as 900 A.D.
-Arizona’s oldest city was established the same year Paul Revere made his famous ride through Boston (1775).
-Tucson was founded by Don Hugo O’Connor, an Irishman who was an officer in Spain’s military. He established the Tucson Presidio as a military outpost. When Spanish settlers arrived in 1776 the Presidio of Tucson was enclosed with an adobe wall.
–At a height of 2,897 feet, Sentinel Peak provided the Spanish with a lookout point over the entire city when it was a part of New Spain. Today the Peak is known as “A” mountain for the A that was whitewashed onto the top by the 1915 University of Arizona football team.
-Tucson officially became part of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase of 1854 and served as the capital of the Arizona Territory from 1867 to 1877.
-The University of Arizona opened its doors in 1891 on land donated by a saloonkeeper and two gamblers. Two majors were offered- agriculture and mining.
Tucson’s nickname “the Old Pueblo ” comes from the Spanish meaning for town or village. The name Tucson comes from the O’odham tribe and was pronounced chuk-shon, meaning “spring at the foot of a black mountain.
-After World War I, veterans with damaged lungs sought the dry air and healing power of Tucson’s climate.
-Tucson is ranked ninth in the”12 Best Walking Cities in the U.S. “list by Prevention Magazine.
-Tucson’s monsoon season can begin any time from mid-June to late July, with an average start date around July 3.
-Tucson averages 350 Sun Days per year.
-A journey from Tucson’s valley floor (2,389 feet) to Mt. Lemmon (9,157 feet) along the Catalina Sky Islands Scenic Bypass goes through 7 of world’s 9 life zones.
Tucson’s birthday celebration will continue throughout the month. Check out what’s happening here.
