Tucson Like many other Sunbelt cities, Tucson has experienced tremendous growth over the past 20 years, expanding from a mid-size Western town into a metropolitan area of more than 800,000 people and counting. Most of the new development consists of rather non-descriptor tract homes and shopping plazas, which are hailed as signs of a continuing economic boom by some and cursed by others as environmental destruction. At any rate, as you drive or fly into Tucson, you may perceive it as an urban conglomerate of endless streets laid out in a neat grid system, with a lot of desert mixed in. Take a closer look, however, and you will find plenty of historical and ...Tucson Overview