Fast, Fun Facts about Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, located the southern central part of Arizona, offers an eclectic blend of history, culture, art, recreation, shopping, cuisine and entertainment in a beautiful and relaxing setting. It serves as the gateway to North America's most important port of entry, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. A journey from the twin border towns of Nogales, Arizona and Mexico, to the mountain and birding town of Patagonia, to Arizona's wine country in Sonoita and Elgin, to the rolling hills of growing Rio Rico, to the bustling artist’s colony at Tubac will leave you wanting to see more.

A Brief Overview of Santa Cruz County

History

The valley of the Santa Cruz River appears on the horizon as a narrow, curving green band. That vibrant green is, in fact, the world’s largest cottonwood forest. Ancient indigenous peoples had made settlements and traded goods along the route; later, the Spaniards and Mexicans used the same route for approximately 300 years.

Spaniards first explored the area in the 1500s. Late in the 1600s, they used this corridor to establish Roman Catholic missions to the Indians on the northern frontier of New Spain. The Spanish also established isolated ranches and mines. To protect settlers from Indian raids, they founded two presidios, or fortified military outposts: Tubac in 1752, and Tucson in 1775.

Geography

The Santa Cruz River is usually dry for long periods of time, but seasonal rains make it flow, and even flood. Then it simply gets wider, rather than cutting a deep channel. People accustomed to wetter climates expect a river to flow year-round. But several Arizona rivers simply disappear into the sand, and others have been dammed upstream to store water and control flooding.

The Santa Cruz valley separates two kinds of terrain. To the west, low mountains screen the valley from the harsh Sonoran Desert. On the east, the forested Santa Rita Mountains rise 6,000 feet above the river, and more than 9,000 feet above sea level.

Southern Arizona has several abrupt mountains or small ranges called "sky islands," because they are not connected to any other mountains. The steep mountainsides start out covered with desert brush, but their tops are crowned with pine forests. Each "sky island" is a separate segment of the Coronado National Forest.

Recreation

Santa Cruz County is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding, boating, swimming, waterskiing, fishing, hunting, mountain climbing and golfing are available.

With warm, sunny winter days and gorgeous views, Santa Cruz County offers ideal conditions for golfing. Several quality courses in the area provide both traditional and desert-style designs.

For those who love to fish, boat or swim, there's Pena Blanca Lake, located near Rio Rico and Nogales. It's a small remote lake surrounded by old cattle ranches. Patagonia Lake, located in Patagonia State Park, includes a beach, picnic area, campground, tables, hiking trail, marina and market.

The region is an internationally renowned bird watching destination with travelers coming from around the world to view birds that migrate here from Mexico.

Hiking and equestrian trails run throughout the county, including the Arizona Trail which weaves its path through the Canelo Hills and majestic Santa Rita Mountains. There are many day trips throughout the county where visitors can experience old west history and breathtaking landscapes.

Nogales

The Santa Cruz River pathway runs north from the border with Mexico, beginning at the pass through wooded hills where the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora have grown. Nogales is Spanish for "walnuts," and the cities were named for the walnut trees that grow there.

Among Arizona's wide weather extremes, Nogales is a pleasant middle ground: relatively cool summers with monsoon rains, and mild winters with only occasional snows.

American Nogales has a population of about 40,000. The population of Nogales, Sonora, is estimated at more than 250,000. The larger Mexican population, typical of border cities today, is supported partly by several American-owned factories in the Sonoran city. Nogales is a popular destination for American tourists. It also is the gateway route to popular Mexico destinations such as San Carlos, less than 5 hours away by car, the Copper Canyon (inland and east), Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad and Manzanillo (Pacific Coast).

Patagonia

Patagonia is a quaint hamlet that rests between the majestic Santa Rita Mountains and the beautiful Patagonia Mountains at the intersection of Harshaw and Sonoita Creeks. Set among rich foothills, valleys and towering trees, Patagonia has been called the “Jewel of the Sonoita Valley” because of its natural beauty and vitality.

Since early days, Patagonia’s oak grasslands at over 4,000 feet have provided excellent climate and terrain for cattle ranching, and the Patagonia Mountains, filled with rich ore bodies, have attracted miners.

Patagonia offers many places to hike, bicycle, horseback ride, birdwatch and four-wheel drive. The historic Arizona Trail runs through Patagonia, weaving its way to the beautiful hiking paths in the Santa Rita Mountains.

Patagonia is also an internationally renowned birdwatching destination with visitors from around the world stopping here to see more than 200 species of rare and exotic birds that migrate from Mexico to this southeastern tip of Arizona.

Unique to Patagonia, its Butterfly Park is about the size of a small backyard in the center of town. There are more than 700 species of butterflies in North America. About 200 of these spend part of their summer vacations in Patagonia, showing up around mid-June and hanging out until mid-October.

Rio Rico

Once, Rio Rico (in English: Rich River) was considered a bedroom community of Nogales. Today, Rio Rico has grown into a series of meandering residential and resort communities straddling the Santa Cruz River between Nogales and Tubac. With a population of 16,000 over an area of about 35,000 acres, Rio Rico’s population growth has far surpassed both its nearest neighboring communities. It is located 57 miles south of Tucson and 12 miles north of Mexico.

The historic trade route along the Santa Cruz River is now called the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, and its pathway is virtually the center of Rio Rico.

Through a unique partnership between Rio Rico Properties, the Anza Trail Coalition and Arizona State Parks, Rio Rico has had success in preserving a portion of the Anza trail for the public while integrating it into future development.

Additionally, with funds from the Arizona Heritage Foundation, Arizona State Parks purchased a four-mile riparian corridor along Sonoita Creek. This acquisition will become part of the 5,000-acre Sonoita Creek Natural Area, Arizona’s first major natural area, with an eye toward preserving important historical sites and sensitive wildlife areas.

The first two miles of streambed through Rio Rico will be developed as an urban trail system with connectivity for future residents. The remaining two miles will be maintained as a pristine wilderness trail, offering hikers the opportunity to view petroglyphs dating to the early Hohokam Period, as well as some of the region’s finest bird watching.

Rio Rico offers a broad range of community facilities including a park, a recreation center, children's playground, riding stables, one swimming pool, a little league baseball park and several basketball, tennis, shuffleboard and racquet ball courts. Rio Rico also boasts one of the finest golf courses in Arizona, a Robert Trend Jones, Sr. golf course that is enjoyed year-round.

Sonoita & Elgin

The settlements of Sonoita and Elgin were founded when the Santa Fe Railroad built an 88-mile-long line that ran the full length of Sonoita Creek, from Benson to Nogales, in 1882. Walking the elevated berm upon which the Railroad Trail is built is one of the many attractions of the area.

The Sonoita area’s 4,970 foot elevation, high rolling grasslands, surrounded by spectacular mountains and canyons, provide some of Arizona’s most beautiful weather and landscapes. Mount Wrightson, one of the tallest peaks in Arizona, dominates the horizon.

Filmmakers have chosen the charming old west atmosphere and beauty of the Sonoita area for several films including, “Oklahoma,” “Red River,” and more recently, “Tin Cup,” “The Young Guns,” “The Fantastiks,” “Broken Lance,” “Tom Horn” and television series such as, “The Young Riders” and “Gunsmoke.”

Sonoita, Arizona’s Wine Country, is home to several wineries that offer some of the best wines found outside of France. These vineyards represent a rapidly growing industry, which began some four decades in the Sonoita Valley. Each vineyard produces unique vintages which reflect the personalities and attitudes of their owners, from colorful picnic-style wine to serious award winning varietals.

Tumacacori

A few miles north of Rio Rico is Tumacacori National Monument, the partially restored ruins of a mission church built on the west bank of the Santa Cruz River about 1800. Earlier, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino founded the first Tumacacori Mission at an Indian village on the east side of the river. Kino, a Jesuit priest, introduced Christianity to the Indians in 1691. He also taught them cattle ranching, which has been a major industry in the area ever since.

Tubac

The first European settlement in Arizona was Tubac, 10 miles north of Tumacacori, established by the Spanish in 1752. Juan Bautista de Anza used Tubac to rest and reprovision a large expedition that began a historic journey to California in 1775. Members of his expedition founded San Francisco. In addition to serving as a center for cattle ranching and farming, Tubac was headquarters for some of the earliest mines in the area. Arizona's first newspaper, The Weekly Arizonian, was published at Tubac in 1859.

Articles in that newspaper ignited the first recorded duel in Arizona. When editor Edward Cross criticized mine owner Sylvester Mowry for promoting the creation of Arizona Territory, Mowry challenged him to duel with rifles. Neither man hit the other. Mowry fired his final shot into the air to avoid killing Cross, and they retired from the field to toast each other's survival.

Tubac is quieter now, and it has grown to be a cultural and arts community whose residents work to preserve its scenic setting and its heritage. Painters, potters, sculptors and carvers are among the many artists who make their home in the village and they produce works in every medium. Works by nationally and internationally known artists fill the galleries and bring national acclaim to the area and its humble beginnings. Its architecture imitates that of colonial times. Tubac State Historic Park preserves the hand press on which The Weekly Arizonian was printed.

As you travel northward from Tubac toward Tucson, the plain of the Santa Cruz broadens.

Green Valley

Green Valley, an aptly-named community, was founded in the 1960s. In a state where towns once grew haphazardly, several planned communities such as Rio Rico and Green Valley have emerged since World War II. Green Valley has one area for retirees and another for families who simply want a home in a scenic setting.

North to Tucson

A few miles farther north is one of the Southwest's most beautiful missions: San Xavier del Bac, "the white dove of the desert." Father Kino first came to this Tohono O'odham (formerly known as Papago) village before 1700. The graceful design of the present mission church was finished nearly a century later.

At the northern end of the Santa Cruz Trail is Tucson, founded by Spanish Colonel Don Hugo O’conor and Father Francisco Garces. It has grown from a humble cluster of adobe dwellings to Arizona's second-largest metropolitan center.

Rio Rico Community Facilities

Newspapers: The Nogales International is an English newspaper published twice a week in Nogales, Arizona. In addition, The Arizonan is published monthly in Rio Rico. The Santa Cruz Valley Sun is published in Green Valley in Pima County, but is distributed to Santa Cruz county residents, and includes information about Santa Cruz county. Other local English language newspapers available include the Tucson Citizen and Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, and The Arizona Republic from Phoenix. Several Spanish language newspapers published in Mexico are available to Santa Cruz county residents.

Television: available via cable and satellite systems.

High speed internet: access is available in most areas.

Corporate relocation services can be accessible to get your office belongings relocated. The corporate Relocation Services understand that your belongings are very valuable for you. Corporate relocation services can transfer their belongings to any part of the world. alcohol and drug screening tests

Schools: There are 7 school districts and 20 public schools in Santa Cruz County. This includes 11 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 4 high schools. Ten of these schools are in the Nogales Unified School District, which served over 6,500 enrolled students in 1997. In addition, the city of Nogales includes a charter high school. A number of small communities in the county do not have their own schools.

Health and Social Services: The majority of health care services available in Santa Cruz County are located in Nogales, including Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital, the only hospital in the county. Holy Cross Hospital provides general medical, critical care, surgical treatment, and outpatient services. These outpatient services include a cardiology lab, family services, home health care, laboratory, mammography, maternal/child services, nutritional services, physical therapy, radiology, respiratory therapy, speech and hearing therapy, dialysis, and 24-hour emergency services. Carondelet operates two outpatient treatment clinics in the city of Nogales.

The Mariposa Community Health Center is a primary care clinic, and is also located in Nogales. Health care provided at this site includes family practice, general practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and dentistry. In addition, the clinic provides comprehensive pregnancy care; family planning; women, infants, and children (WIC); mammography; ultrasound; x-ray and laboratory services; immunizations; and transportation.

Law Enforcement: Police protection is provided in Nogales by the Nogales Police Department and the county Sheriff's Department. Outside of the city of Nogales, police protection is provided solely by the county Sheriff's Department. In addition, the US Border Patrol extensively monitors the area.

Financial: Wells Fargo Bank operates one bank branch office in Rio Rico.

Governmental: The community of Rio Rico is governed by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and serviced by the sheriff's department. The fire department has 25 volunteers, a rescue unit and firehouse.

Airport: The residents of Rio Rico have access to the Nogales International Airport (12 miles south). Tucson International Airport (approx. 57 miles north) provides travelers with access to most major airlines.

Industrial Properties: There is one industrial park with 256 acres available for light industry, warehousing and produce distribution. All utilities are available, and there is easy access to the Southern Pacific Railroad and I-19. A neighborhood business park with 47.5 acres is available for light industry, warehousing and neighborhood-type business.

History: The history of the region dates back to the cultures of the Apache, Yaqui and Hohokam peoples who built their communities along the Santa Cruz River, Sonoita Creek and Harshaw Creek, whose waters flowed year round and provided ideal sites for agriculture and ranching.

In 1539 the Spanish explorer and Franciscan monk, Fray Marcos de Niza, was the first European to visit the area, entering near present-day Lochiel on the Mexican border. Coronado's expedition also entered the region in the 16th century in search of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. Nearly a century and a half later in the late 1600s, the Spanish sent the Jesuit priest Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino to the region to establish missions and map the territory for Spain. For the next two decades this extraordinary man, known as a humanitarian, farmer, cattle rancher, explorer, mathematician, cartographer and geographer, traveled through Southern Arizona spreading the Catholic faith and teaching people how to farm.

In 1752, after an uprising by the Pima Indians, the Spanish Crown established New Spain's northernmost outpost and Europe's first settlement in Arizona at what is now Tubac. Shortly thereafter, soldier and explorer Juan Bautista de Anza along with 240 settlers traveled through Presidio de Tubac on their journey to found the city of San Francisco in 1775 and 1776. During his tenure at Tubac ), Anza built the chapel of Santa Gertrudis, the foundations of which lie beneath today's St. Ann's Church.

Gradually the vast Spanish land grants that had been established were broken up as settlers from the East moved west to homestead and ranch. By 1853, the Gadsden Purchase formed the southeastern corner of Arizona, then Mexico, making it part of the United States. Santa Cruz County, created in 1899 by Arizona's 20th Territorial Assembly, is named after the Santa Cruz River which was named in the late 1600s by Father Kino. Santa Cruz means "holy cross" in Spanish.