Tucson has had residents since 10,000B.C. with Migrations of Paleoindian and Archaic hunters and gatherers. Though the more recent Native Americans to inhabit Tucson where the Papago Indians who later changed their name to the Tohono O'odham. In the 1700's there where also the Apache Indians who where in usual states of war with the Tohono Oodham. The Apaches made quite a statement on the area and today just Southeast of Tucson there is an area known as the Apache or Cochise Stronghold which even today is a visually beautiful and very spiritual area just under 2 hours from Tucson. Near the 1750's the Spanish Christian Missionaries who did not think much of the "savage" Tohono O'odham did their best to convert them to Christianity as they set up missions along Arizona and California. Meanwhile the as the Apaches fought with the Tohono Oodham and the newly settles Europeans Tucson still managed to grow and by 1777 Tucson had grown to 77 persons of European Descent, by 1804 that number had multiplied to 300 and my 1819, Tucson had a population of 500, counting only Spaniards,  of course!  But with no real thriving trade and battles between natives and natives and Europeans, Tucson was not doing so well by the mid 1850's.  By this time the Tubac Presidio and the Tucson Presidio were in horrible condition and the Tucson convento (a large fortified mission) was abandoned as farm fields and orchards were untended. And the combination of the constant attacks by the Apaches and various European diseases the local native population was on its way out too! 

The California gold rush of 1848 helped change the face of Tucson as folks from the East passed through Tucson on their way to California Tucson slowly started to grow. Then in 1854 the United states through the Gadsden Purchase, bought about 30,000 square miles that is  now Southern New Mexico and Southern Arizona from the Mexican government for $10 million dollars and 2 years later in 1956 the U.S. Army actually took control of Tucson. By 1858 Americans were being elected to public office, although our of 200 inhabitants only a dozen or so were American Anglos! But it was the Americans who started building stagecoaches and wagon trail roadways as Tucson was becoming a transportation hub on the way from San Antonio to San Diego. Things were now moving in Tucson! 

By 1900, 7,531 people lived in Tucson. and by 1940 Tucson was a bustling town of just under 37,000. And some of those characters were rather colorful! In January 1934 John Dillinger and his gang where arrested at the now historic Hotel Congress....said to be hunted but for sure is a great place for dinner and drinks at The Cup Cafe! 

Modern day Tucson is a humming city with just over 560,000 residents and Pima County has about 1.1 million living in the greater Tucson Valley. The major economic forces in Tucson are: 

Raytheon Missile Systems
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
UA Health Network
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
Carondelet Health Network
TMC HealthCare

University of Arizona
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
State of Arizona
Tucson Unified School District
Pima County
U.S. Customs & Border Patrol

Downtown Tucson has recently just EXPLODED!  Powered by the Downtown Tucson Partnership downtown is the place to see and be seen! with over 30+ new restaurants, Live Theater and a new light rail system you can be in the city center day and night and always find something fantastic going on!