Population: 543,959 (Source: Arizona Department of Commerce, est. 2008)

Size: Tucson is approximately 195 square miles (city limits). Elevations range from around 2,400 feet above sea level near the airport to nearly 3,500 in the foothills which border nearby mountain ranges.

Location: Tucson is located in Pima County. The city is about 50 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border and is just over 32 degrees in latitude.

Community landmarks: Tucson has the distinction of being surrounding by five mountain ranges — Santa Catalina, Rincon, Tucson, Tortolita and Santa Rita. A mild, high desert environment and numerous outdoor activities create one of the most balanced living/working environments in the country.

Within the city limits are landmarks and attractions such as "A" Mountain, Pima Air and Space Museum, the nationally accredited Reid Park Zoo, Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum, Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block, Tucson Children’s Museum, and the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Tucson is the location for the University of Arizona, which was established in 1885 as the first college in the Arizona Territory. The school is well known for its world-class faculty in fields such as astronomy, plant science, biomedical science, business, law, music and dance. The city is also home to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, which is nationally recognized for its jet and helicopter pilot training.Economy: Continuing in-migration of people positively impacts the local economy and translates directly into increased labor availability. Tucson is rapidly becoming a location of choice nationally, attracting major companies like La Costeña/Arizona Canning Co. LLC and the Target.com Fulfillment Center.

In late 2006, the Tucson/greater Pima County area reached 1 million inhabitants. This milestone helps elevate Tucson to being a national player, attracting major corporations, retailers, restaurants, arts, theater and a host of other services to the area.

The region’s strategic central Southwestern location serves as a manufacturing, transportation and distribution center for Mexico, California and the central/western United States. With prospering business from world-class travel and tourism to a growing presence of "clean and green" manufacturing, the Tucson region is emerging as a major industrial center. High-tech and manufacturing also are on the rise, along with the aerospace, solar, bioscience, and transportation and logistics industries.

Transportation-related highlights: The Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) oversees maintenance and reconstruction of nearly 4,400 lane miles of streets, more than 500 miles of bike paths, and hundreds of drainage structures, public art pieces, street lights and signs, and traffic signs and signals. TDOT also operates the city’s transit services, Sun Tran and Sun Van, and partnered with the Arizona Department of Transportation for the 3½-year Interstate 10 expansion project.

TDOT projects include:

• the recently completed 4th Avenue underpass Project, a $46 million connection between the 4th Avenue/University of Arizona area and the east end of Tucson’s downtown, providing one lane in each direction for vehicle and streetcar traffic, separate bicycle lanes and two pedestrian ways accessible for persons with disabilities
   
• the upcoming El Paso and Southwestern Greenway, a 6-mile multi-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians, extending from north of downtown Tucson through the City of South Tucson to the Kino Sports Complex 
   
• the five-mile widening of Grant Road, one of the first new projects to be funded through the voter-approved, half-cent sales tax that funds the Regional Transportation Authority Plan. The project will feature comprehensive streetscape and infrastructure improvements and adjacent property redevelopment strategies