Tucson (population 520,116) is a city within the state of Arizona, United States. It serves as the county seat of Pima County. The city of Tucson is situated in the southern part of the state, just 98 km north of the border of Mexico. The city of Phoenix lies 188 km towards the northwest of Tucson. The metropolitan area population is just over one million. The city is the second largest city in Arizona after the city of Phoenix. Tucson is the nation's 32nd largest city.
A major city within the Arizona Sun Corridor, the city of Tucson attracts more than 3.5 million tourists every year. Tourism is a $2 billion-a-year business and the city of Tucson has lots of hotels, resorts and attractions. The city of Tucson is called "Optics Valley" because of the approximately 150 companies designing and manufacturing optoelectronic systems and optics.
The city of Tucson consists of some large incorporated suburbs: Oro Valley, Marana, South Tucson and Sahuarita. Some communities lie within or overlap the city limits, such as Casas Adobes, Catalina Foorhills, New Pascua, Flowing Wells, Tanque Verde, Sahuarita, Tortilita and Vail.
Tucson is the home of the University of Arizona. The university is a center of economic development in the city and the second largest employer. Another large employer is the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, on Tucson's southeastern edge. A lot of local people are working at the US Army Intelligence Center, Fort Huachuca, located within Sierra Vista. These core industries support a considerable number of high-tech businesses to locate in the area, including government contractors.
The county, state and local governments have made it a priority to commit to fostering a healthy area economy on the back of the sophisticated technology industry sectors. The city of Tucson has many tech businesses situated in the area: IMB, Bombardier Aerospace, Raytheon Missile Systems, Intuit Inc., Sunquest Information Systems, Texas Instruments, Universal Avionics, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc and Sanofi-Aventis.
The city likewise hosts numerous local events such as the largest mineral and gem show within the globe. Each and every year during early the month of February, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, showcases over 40 associated shows.