About Tucson, Arizona

Arizona is the largest state in the American Southwest, and is one of the fastest-growing states in the entire US. Although most famous as the home of the Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Arizona is also home to some of the most varied and interesting scenery in the Southwest. As the second-largest city in Arizona, Tucson is a modern, rapidly-growing metropolis of approximately one million people. Located in Southern Arizona, approximately 120 miles south of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the Mexican border at Nogales, Tucson has ample intellectual and cultural resources within easy reach (including a symphony orchestra, ballet and opera companies, and extensive on-campus cultural facilities). Moreover, Tucson is surrounded by 9000-foot mountain peaks, several canyons, extensive hiking and biking trails, two National Parks, numerous golf courses, and a desert of incredible richness and beauty, with 30-foot high Saguaro cacti in abundance. There are also many additional tourist attractions, including the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, the Biosphere II Center, the San Xavier Mission, the Titan Missile Museum, Kitt Peak Observatory, the Pima Air and Space Museum, Sabino Canyon, the Mount Lemmon Sky Island Scenic Highway, Kartchner Caverns and Colossal Cave State Parks, Old Tucson Studios, the Tucson Museum of Art, the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Reid Park Zoo, and the nearby town of Tombstone, Arizona (home of the OK Corral). In April (as in most of the year), our weather is perfect: average daily high temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, ample sunshine, and no humidity. The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, the Gulf of California beaches, and the whole of Southern California are also within an easy half-day drive.