Phoenix Relocation Guide

W E L C OM E T O A R I Z O N A

Are you an avid park-lover? Tucson is home to several national parks, including Catalina State Park and Saguaro National Park, as well as more than 125 citywide parks for fun and recreation. The city’s climate also means that it’s a golfer’s paradise, with a mix of municipal, private, and unique desert courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Fazio, Tom Weiskopf, Jack Nicklaus, and other professionals. As for spectator sports, Tucson is home to several professional sports clubs, including two minor league baseball teams, the Tucson Padres, a triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and the Tucson Toros, a member- team of the independent Golden Baseball League that has made the historic Hi Corbett Field its home for much of the past 42 years. A PLACE TO GROW: TUCSON’S THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITY Economically, Tucson thrives on its vibrant tourist culture and attractions, as well as a healthy and diverse business climate. Research indicates that more than 40,000 Tucson-area jobs are directly related to tourist activities, such as resorts, hotels, and attractions that account for more than 3.5 million annual visitors. In all, 10.4 percent of all Tucson MSA jobs are tour- ism-oriented, resulting in about $2 billion in economic impact. Although it’s a relatively small city, Tucson celebrates the arts in style with ballet, symphony, live theater, and opera that also provide significant jobs and economic impact for the city. Manufacturing and technology are also big business in Tucson, with companies like IBM, Raytheon Missile Systems, Honeywell, Texas Instruments, and others bolstering the city’s reputation as a thriving place to conduct business. Recent economic research estimates that the city’s technology industry employs about 50,000 people and generates a whopping $4 billion in revenues. In fact, the Milken Institute ranked Tucson 77th out of 200 on its Best Performing Cities Index, which takes into consideration each state’s research and development, ability

Photo by Fred Hood courtesy of Visit Tucson

Mesilla) in 1853, however, when the U.S. bought parts of southern Arizona and New Mexico to make way for the construction of a transcontinental railroad, the city became part of the U.S. and was named the capital of what was then known as the Arizona Territory. The epitome of the “Wild, Wild West” in the 1860s, Tucson was a rough-and-tumble fron- tier town coming into its own like many other western cities of the time. In fact, the town of Tombstone, where the famous “Shootout at the OK Corral” took place, is just 50 miles southeast of Tucson. The city is still known for its Western roots and culture. THE GREAT OUTDOORS Tucson sits atop a plain in the Sonoran desert, surrounded by five minor mountain ranges: the Santa Catalina Mountains and Tortolita Mountains to the north, the Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the Rincon Mountains to the east, and the Tucson Mountains to the west. The high point of the Santa Catalina Mountains is 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon, the southernmost ski desti- nation in the continental U.S. The Tucson Mountains, on the other hand, feature the 4,687-foot Wasson Peak. The city’s mild weather and warm, dry climate coaxes both residents and visi- tors outside to enjoy the sunshine. The surrounding mountains offer cooler

temperatures and an outdoor dichotomy that allows residents to swim, hike, and ski – all in the same day! The average minimum temperature is 54F (12C), and the average maximum is 82F (28C), while the rainfall is minimal at about 12 inches annually. Summer is the warmest time of the year, with hot, dry temperatures in the 100s during the day and comfortable nights that lower to the 70s and 80s. The humidity is only about 10 percent in the spring and early summer and results in a much drier heat, a top reason why the state has long been known as a healing destination. Summer also ushers in a monsoon period in Southern Arizona, which begins in mid-June and runs to the end of September. During this time, the humidity climbs with a buildup of daily cloud cover, followed by afternoon and evening thunderstorms or rainfall. Many Tucso- nans welcome the monsoons, since it blocks the bright, warm afternoon sun experienced in early summer. In fact, monsoon season is typi- cally regarded by residents as its own annual season and can actually drop temperatures by as much as 20 degrees or more. During the cooler nights of fall and winter, it’s not unusual to experience temperature drops in the low 30s. It even snows every so often, with skiing and other snow sports a popular activity choice for residents near Mt. Lemmon.

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