Population Growth Patterns
The 1900 decennial census recorded 14,689 residents in Pima County. As new migrants arrived in Tucson, they settled along the northern and southern corridors of State Highway 89/90; later arrivals moved steadily eastward. By 1970, development was constrained by federal lands to the east and development began to spread to the northwest. In 1970, the population center was located at Broadway Boulevard and Alvernon Way, it moved north to Sixth Street and Tucson Boulevard by 1980 and by 1990 was located near Sam Hughes Elementary School at Third Street and Norton Avenue. The northwestern growth continued through the 1990s and by 2000 the population was centered on the University of Arizona around First Street and Cherry Avenue. In 2010, the center of population moved southwest near the intersection of South Park Avenue and East Aviation Parkway. The earlier north-south pattern of expansion appears to be recurring and future development is expected to be strongly oriented around I-10 and I-19 corridors.