Tucson

Downtown Tucson is about 120 miles from Phoenix, but Arizona’s two largest cities are threatening to merge into a megalopolis as suburban sprawl slowly overtakes the intervening towns along Interstate 10. Still, there is much to distinguish the capital’s southern neighbor: Native American, Spanish Colonial and Old West influences infuse the landscape, from adobe chapels to conquistadors’ trails. 

Tucson’s modern geography is characterized by first-rate golf courses and symphony, opera, ballet, museum and theater venues, plus a hip college enclave anchored by the University of Arizona. The resplendent Southwest desert is inescapable -- Sabino Canyon provides a window into the diverse flora and fauna of the Santa Catalina mountain range.