Why Tucson?
One of the most livable cities in the American Southwest, Tucson appeals to all who desire a moderate, dry climate, lots of sunny days and plenty of desert wilderness. Tucson is now a major industrial and outdoor recreational hub and its residents love to immerse themselves in wildly diverse culture. It is the county seat of Pima County and home to the University of Arizona. Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona with a population of 542,629 (33rd largest city in the US). The city is 108 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the US border with Mexico. Also one of the Joint Venture partners (Wilfredo) lives in Tucson to have a consistent presence.
Access:
Tucson has unique resources that make our city an ideal place to operate a business:
- Tucson International Airport, located 10 miles from the city center, offers nonstop service to 19 major cities. With more than 134,400 landings and takeoffs annually, Tucson International Airport (TUS) ranks as the 65th busiest airport in the United States
- Over 150 transportation and logistics providers with the ability to serve over 55 million customers within a 1,000-mile radius.
- Interstates 10 and 19 connect Tucson with Phoenix, Los Angeles, El Paso, and Sonora, Mexico.
- The SunLink Modern Streetcar connects Downtown Tucson with the University of Arizona.
Proximity To Mexico
Located just 66 miles from the international border and the Mariposa Port of Entry, Tucson holds a special geographic position for businesses engaged in international trade:
- In 2018, total trade between Arizona and Mexico exceeded $16 billion.
- Mexican tourists spend more than $20 billion per year in Arizona stores, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.
- The Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) brings together business leaders, academics, policymakers, and others interested in strengthening Arizona’s ties to Mexico.
- Tech Parks Arizona Global Advantage business development program provides a broad array of business development services through its “soft landing program.”
Lifestyle
Tucson’s plentiful sunshine, natural beauty, and diverse culture lend to an active lifestyle rich in great food, gorgeous hikes, challenging biking trails, and unforgettable experiences:
- Tucson is the first North American city to be designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
- The Loop, a 131-mile network of paved shared-use paths, provides car-free recreational opportunities around and through the city.
- El Tour de Tucson, a 100-mile fun ride, attracts over 9,000 cyclists annually.
- Over 40 golf courses, including Omni Tucson National Resort, home of an annual PGA Tour Champions event.
- Hundreds of miles of hiking trails, from the Sonoran Desert, to the Sky Islands peaks 9,000 feet above sea level, provide breathtaking views, unforgettable sunsets, and access to nature for all ages and abilities.
- Southern Arizona’s crisp high desert air, sunny climate, lack of natural disasters an exceptional air quality. With more than 350 days a year of sunshine you can play in wide open spaces outdoors or relax in the casualness of Tucson and its rich cultural heritage.
Education:
Tucson is home to the University of Arizona, a premier public research institution recognized for leadership and innovation in advanced energy, defense and security, bioscience, mining technology, arid lands agriculture, and water resources. Tucson is also home to Pima Community College, and a diverse constellation of public, private, and parochial K-12 education institutions:
- Established in 1885, the University of Arizona, the state’s land grant university, with two medical schools. It leads in research, bringing more than $684 million in research investment each year and ranking in the top 2% among all public universities. It benefits that state with an estimated economic impact of $8.3 billion annually. The University of Arizona enrolls more than 45,000 students across all academic disciplines, and ranks in the top 4% of all U.S. universities in research and development expenditures and No. 1 in astronomy and astrophysics, according to data from the National Science Foundation.
- The University of Arizona Center for Innovation is a startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region and a mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel Arizona’s economy.
- The Pima Community College Center of Excellence in Applied Technology is one of six being developed by the college in partnership with industry to ensure seamless integration of education and training to meet workforce needs now and well into the future.
Click here for Tucson travel guide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RosI62hWP_r764QbxQPWqUqKVdZaEDB0/view?usp=sharing
- Ranks #8 in US cities with largest growth in high paying jobs. Stessa.com
- Top 100 most culturally diverse cities in the US. suncorridorinc.com
- #9 among new US tech markets. suncorridorinc.com
- #19 best city for new college graduates. Smart Asset

Tucson 20 Largest Employers
- University of Arizona = 10,846 employees
The University of Arizona is the leading public research university in the southwest and ranks among the top 20 public research universities in the nation. It’s also the state’s only member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
- Raytheon Missile Systems = 9,600 employees
Raytheon Missile Systems headquartered in Tucson designs develops and produces missile systems for U.S. and allied forces including air-to-air strike naval weapon systems land combat missiles guided projectiles,, exoatmospheric kill vehicles, and directed energy weapons. Other capabilities include electronic warfare, space solutions, naval solutions, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base = 8,406 employees
Davis-Monthan (D-M) Air Force Base in Tucson is the home of the 355th Fighter Wing host unit providing medical logistical and operational support to all D-M units. The wing’s missions are to train A-10 and OA-10 pilots and to provide A-10 and OA-10 support to groundforces worldwide as well as provide command control and communications countermeasures in support of tactical forces with its EC-130H aircraft.
- State of Arizona = 8,508 employees
The State of Arizona employs close to 9000 in various state government offices in the Tucson area including the Department of Corrections, Department of Public Safety, Department of Medical Benefits and Eligibility and many others.
- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. = 7,450 employees
Retail giant WalMart based in Bentonville, Arkansas employs more than 33000 in the state of Arizona, including more than 7000 in Tucson at its supercenters, discount stores , neighborhood markets, Sam’s Clubs and distribution centers.
- Tucson Unified School District = 7,688 employees
The Tucson Unified School District is the second largest school district in the state of Arizona serving close to 50000 students and employing over 7600.
- U.S. Border Patrol = 6,500 employees
The Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol is part of the Department of Homeland Security. It is among the busiest on the southwest border covering 262 miles from the Yuma county line to the Arizona/New Mexico state line. Coverage includes eight stations: Ajo Casa Gran de Tucson Nogales Wilcox Sonoita Naco and Douglas.
- University of Arizona Health Network = 6,099 employees
UMC is a private nonprofit hospital located at the Arizona Health Sciences Center adjacent to The University of Arizona in Tucson. AHSC includes the colleges of Medicine Nursing Pharmacy and Public Health as well as the physicians from University Physicians Healthcare. It has been nationally recognized for exceptional patient care the education of new healthcare professionals and groundbreaking research conducted at the College of Medicine.
- Pima County = 6,076 employees
Pima County is the second largest of the four original Arizona counties covering 9184 square miles. It was founded in 1864 and primarily includes South Tucson some areas of southwest Tucson and other cities in the Santa Cruz River Valley making its population just over 980000 residents by the 2010 Census count.
- Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold = 5,463 employees
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) is an international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix Arizona and several mining operations in the Tucson area. The company has a dynamic portfolio of operating expansion and growth projects in the copper industry and is the world’s largest producer of molybdenum.
- U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca = 5,096 employees
Fort Huachuca’s long history started in the 1870s when the base served as a camp during the Indian Wars with the Apaches. In 1971 it became the home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and is now a major military installation in Arizona.
- City of Tucson = 4,585 employees
Tucson started out as a rich mix of Hohokam Indian culture and continues today with the culture’s modern-day descendants the Pima and Tohono Oodham Indians. Today the city is the 33rd-largest in the U.S. and home to a top public university and several public and private sector employers.
- Tohono O’odham Nation = 4,350 employees
The Tohono O’odham Nation which means “desert people” is a federally recognized Tribe in southwestern Arizona’s Pima Pinal and Maricopa counties. The main reservation is located between Tucson and Ajo and at more than 4400 square miles is the second largest Indian reservation in Arizona both in population and size.
- Carondelet Health Network = 3,668 employees
Carondelet Health Network in Tucson is a member of Ascension Health the nation’s largest religious-sponsored not-for-profit health care system. Its Tucson health network encompasses three hospitals –including St. Mary’s which opened in 1880 –with several centers and institutes meeting the healthcare needs of the Tucson area.
- TMC HealthCare = 2,977 employees
TMC HealthCare is Southern Arizona’s locally governed nonprofit hospital system and includes the Tucson Medical Center Tucson Orthopedic Institute the Cancer Care Center of Southern Arizona and the Children’s Clinics for Rehabilitative Services. Tucson Medical Center is also known as one of the nation’s top neuroscience programs and has been designated as a Neuroscience Center of Excellence.
- Fry’s Food Stores of Arizona Inc. = 2,700 employees
A subsidiary of the Kroger Co. Fry’s Food Stores operates more than 100 grocery stores that serve the Tucson area and surrounding counties.
- Pima Community College = 2,384 employees
Since 1966 Pima Community College has been developing the Pima County community through learning. Through campuses strategically placed throughout the Tucson metro area PCC offers convenient affordable educational opportunities that can help you make its students’ dreams a reality.
- Corrections Corp. of America (CCA) = 2,314 employees
CCA operates six corrections facilities in Florence and Eloy. It founded the private corrections management industry more than 25 years ago establishing industry standards for future-focused forward-thinking correctional solutions. A commitment to innovation efficiency cost effectiveness and achievement has made the company the private corrections management provider of choice for federal state and local agencies since 1983.
- Asarco LLC = 2,297 employees
Founded as the American Smelting and Refining Company in 1899 Asarco is a fully integrated miner smelter and refiner of copper in the United States producing about 350-400 million pounds of copper. Significant copper mines include the Mission Silver Bell and Ray open-pit mines all in Arizona.
- Afni Inc. = 2,199 employees
Afni Inc. is a leading provider of contact center solutions and receivables management services to many of the nation’s largest companies. With three locations in Tucson various opportunities for employment are available.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System = 2,182 employees
Part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Arizona VA Health Care (SAVAHCS) serves more than 170000 veterans located in eight counties in southern Arizona and one county in western New Mexico. SAVAHCS is a 285-bed hospital that provides primary care and sub-specialty health care in numerous medical areas for eligible veterans.
- Sunnyside Unified School District = 2,083 employees
The Sunnyside Unified School District serves more than 17000 students in 22 schools and is the second largest school district in Pima County Arizona. It operates early childhood care centers 13 elementary five middle and three high schools all staffing full-time counselor s registered nurses music teacher art teachers physical education teachers and librarians.
- Citi = 2,000 employees
The Citi financial services company (banking insurance and investments) operates a corporate center and several other Tucson locations that employ nearly 2000. The company’s major brands include Citibank CitiFinancial Primerica Salomon Smith Barney Banamex and Travelers Life and Annuity.
- Pinal County = 1,993 employees
Founded in 1875 and located in the central part of Arizona Pinal County is the third most populous county in the state with an estimated population of 387365 as of July 1 2012. It contains parts of four different Indian Reservations and is situated conveniently between the Phoenix and Tucson Arizona’s two largest metropolitan areas.
- Amphitheater Unified School District = 1,833 employees
Amphitheater schools and facilities offer a place where students thrive academically; where parents want their children to go; where highly skilled people work; and places community members respect because of the high student achievement caring environment and focus on individual needs! Amphitheater strives to empower all students to become contributing members of society equipped with the skills knowledge and values necessary to meet the challenges of a changing world.
To further your research on Tucson please visit these links:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DzA_mo_oyeJ1gRDFeXrcDDIkuW7OvrUw/view?usp=sharing
https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US0477000
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/tucson-az