Oro Valley, Arizona
| View of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Oro Valley Public Library, Oro Valley, AZ | |
| File:Orovalleyseal.gif | |
| Town seal | |
 Location in Pima County and Arizona | |
| Location in the Tucson metropolitan area Location in the Tucson metropolitan area | |
| Founded (settled) | 1874 |
| Incorporated | 1974 |
| County | Pima County, Arizona |
| Area - Total - Water |
82.7 km² (31.9 mi²) 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) 0.31% |
| Population - Total (2005) - Density |
39,335 475.64/km² |
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC–7 |
| Location | 32°25′16″N 110°58′34″W / 32.42111°N 110.97611°W |
| Elevation | 2,620 ft (798.57 m) |
| Mayor | Paul Loomis |
| Town website | |
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town situated six miles north of Tucson, Arizona, USA in Pima County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the town had a total population of 29,700. As of 2005, Oro Valley had a population of 39,335. The town is located approximately 110 miles southeast of the state capital of Phoenix. Oro Valley is one of 18 towns, cities, and census-designated places in Arizona with a per capita income over $30,000 USD.
Oro Valley is characterized by scenic mountain views of the Santa Catalina Mountains immediately to the east and the Tortolita Mountains just to the north, miles of multi-use recreational paths, and vistas of the Tucson valley to the south and the city lights of Tucson. Oro Valley supports a large number of residents from around the U.S. who maintain second or winter homes in the town.
Oro Valley also hosts the El Tour de Tucson bicycle race, the Tucson Marathon, the Cactus Speed Classic for inline skaters, and the Arizona Distance Classic. Nick Jr. Family Magazine rated Oro Valley as one of the "Ten Most Playful Towns in America" in 2004. The magazine used criteria such as schools performing in the top third of their states, favorable student-teacher ratios, general safety, library programs, and access to arts and recreation activities.
Also, in 2005 Oro Valley was named one of "America's Top-Rated Smaller Cities" in the publication by Grey House Publishing. Oro Valley was the only community in Arizona to receive a top ranking. Oro Valley was included with other communities including Hilton Head, South Carolina, Kailua, Hawaii, and Burlington, Vermont. The publication specifically noted the strength of Oro Valley's schools, medical facilities, and golf courses.
Law and government
The Town of Oro Valley employs the council-manager form of municipal government. Oro Valley is administered by the seven member Town Council. The Town Council oversees all issues pertaining to Oro Valley, including residential and commercial development and natural preservation.
Oro Valley residents elect five members of the Town Council. The Mayor and Vice Mayor are not elected members on the Town Council, but serve as rank and file council members.
- Mayor: Mr. Paul Loomis (term expires May 2006)
- Vice Mayor: Mr. Barry Gillaspie (term expires May 2008)
The remaining five members of the Oro Valley Town Council include:
- Ms. Paula Abbott (term expires May 2006)
- Mr. Kenneth Carter (term expires May 2006)
- Ms. Conny Culver (term expires May 2006)
- Ms. Helen Dankwerth (term expires May 2008)
- Mr. Terry Parish (term expires May 2008)
The primary law enforcement in the town is the highly visible Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD). OVPD is headed by the Chief of Police Daniel G. Sharp. The Oro Valley Citizen Corps Council, appointed by the Mayor, is also a task force involved in community public safety.
Geography
Oro Valley is located at 32°25'16" North, 110°58'34" West (32.421247, -110.975993)Template:GR. Oro Valley sits at an average elevation of 2,620 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau (2000), the town has a total area of 82.7 km² (31.9 mi²). 82.4 km² (31.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.31% water.
Notable geographic features
The topography of Oro Valley is distinguished by the Cañada del Oro riverbed bisecting the town. The eastern banks of the Cañada del Oro rise dramatically to the Santa Catalina Mountains. The western banks of the Cañada del Oro rise more gradually to a plateau and the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains farther north.
Notable geographic features include:
- Pusch Ridge (peak elevation: 5,361 ft.) & Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area
- Santa Catalina Mountains (peak elevation: 9,157 ft.)
- Cañada del Oro
- Tortolita Mountains (peak elevation: 4,652 ft.)
Parks
Major parks in Oro Valley include the oldest, James D. Kriegh Park (formerly Dennis Weaver Park) with an olympic-sized swimming pool, recreational fields, and racquetball courts. The Cañada del Oro Riverfront Park features tennis and basketball courts, recreational fields, walking trails, and connections to equestrian trails along the Cañada del Oro. West Lambert Lane Park in Cañada Hills is a nature park with a number of hiking trails.
The Naranja Town Site is also in the planning phase, and will ultimately be the largest recreational park in Southern Arizona. The site plans include a performing arts center, aquatics center, recreational fields, tennis and basketball courts, and a skate park.
Catalina State Park and the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Catalina Mountains form the eastern boundary of Oro Valley.
La Cholla Airpark, a private airport community, is also located in northwestern Oro Valley. La Cholla Airpark was founded in 1972 and includes nearly 100 residential estates. A 4,500 foot air strip is situated at the center of the community for member use.
Economy
Biotechnology
Oro Valley is emerging as a regional center for the biotech industry, as the town is continually identified as a desirable community in which to conduct business. Innovation Park is the high-tech center of Oro Valley, featuring numerous medical and biotech campuses.
Golf and resorts
The economy of Oro Valley is also fueled by the resort industry. Oro Valley features several top resorts and amenities. The town provides a number of golfing opportunities, including:
- Oro Valley Country Club
- Hilton El Conquistador Resort & Pusch Ridge Golf Course
- Hilton El Conquistador Country Club in Cañada Hills
- The Golf Club at Vistoso
- The Stone Canyon Golf Club
- Sun City Vistoso Golf Club
- A new resort planned for Stone Canyon
Arts
Oro Valley supports an emerging arts scene and community. The Greater Oro Valley Arts Council (GOVAC) actively promotes artistic endeavors throughout the town.
Each winter Musical Magic for Kids is held at the Oro Valley Town Hall, along with multiple string quartet and choral performances throughout the town.
Every April the Oro Valley Festival of the Arts is held celebrating all forms of art and artistic expression. Live musical performances are held throughout the spring in the open-air amphitheater at Cañada del Oro Riverfront Park.
The annual Independence Day celebration is one of the largest events in Oro Valley. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra performs, along with several choirs. Fireworks shows and concerts are also provided by the Hilton El Conquistador Resort.
Public art is exhibited throughout the year at the Northwest Hospital-Oro Valley in Rancho Vistoso. A number of sculptures, murals, and statues of public art are featured throughout Oro Valley.
Taxes
Oro Valley does not levy a local property tax. Commercial property is assessed at 25% of fair market value, while residential property is assessed at 10% of fair market value.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 29,700 people, 12,249 households, and 9,382 families residing in the town. The population density is 360.3/km² (933.1/mi²). There are 13,946 housing units at an average density of 169.2/km² (438.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 93.10% White, 1.06% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.83% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 7.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 12,249 households out of which 27.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% are married couples living together, 4.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% are non-families. 19.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 2.76.
In the town the population is spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $61,037, and the median income for a family is $67,563. Males have a median income of $55,522 versus $31,517 for females. The per capita income for the town is $31,134. 3.1% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.0% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Pre-U.S. annexation period
The area of Oro Valley has been inhabited discontinuously for nearly two thousand years by various groups of people. The Native American Hohokam tribe lived in the Honeybee Village located in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains on Oro Valley's far north side around 500 AD. Hohokam artifacts continue to be discovered in the Honeybee Village that the Hohokam inhabited continuously for nearly 700 years, and studied by archaeologists around the globe.
Early in the 16th century, Native American tribes known as the Apache arrived in the southern Arizona area, including Oro Valley. These tribes inhabited the region only a few decades prior to the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors, including Francisco Coronado. The Spanish established forts in the area, including the Presidio at Tucson (1775) beginning in the late 16th century.
Arizona Territorial period
Beginning in the 19th century, Americans increasingly settled in the Arizona Territory, following the Mexican-American War and the subsequent Gadsden Purchase including Southern Arizona. George Pusch, a German immigrant, settled in the area of Oro Valley in 1874, establishing a cattle ranch. This ranch was unique because it utilized a steam pump to provide water, eventually popularizing Pusch's property as the Steam Pump Ranch on the Cañada del Oro. The steam pump was one of only two in the Arizona Territory.
Pusch's ranch provided respite for settlers and travelers entering and leaving the Tucson area. Pusch Ridge is named in honor of George Pusch.
Ranching in the area continued to flourish as greater numbers of Americans settled in the Arizona Territory. Large ranching families in the Oro Valley area included the Romeros and the Rooneys.
Gold rushers into the American West also were attracted to southern Arizona, where gold was said to be in abundance in and around the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. Fueled by the legend of the lost Iron Door Gold Mine in the mountains, those in search of gold trekked through the Oro Valley area focusing their attention along the Cañada del Oro washbed.
Post-World War II period
After World War II, the Tucson area experienced dramatic population growth, impacting Oro Valley as well. In the early 1950s the Oro Valley Country Club opened at the base of Pusch Ridge, affirming the area's future as an affluent community. Although one tract housing development was built in the area in the early 1950s, the majority of homes in the Oro Valley area were built by individual land owners on large lots in a low density residential style.
Founding of the town
The community continued to grow gradually, and area residents increasingly desired local control of the land in the area. In the late 1960s, incorporation became a greater focus in Oro Valley. Tucson Mayor James M. Corbett, Jr. expressed great interest in expanding the Tucson city limits to the far north side of Pima County. Corbett vowed to bring the Oro Valley area into Tucson "kicking and screaming," alluding to the reservations Oro Valley residents expressed in joining Tucson.
A petition to incorporate began circulation in Oro Valley. The Pima County Board of Supervisors officially refused to allow Oro Valley to incorporate, and litigation followed. Ultimately, in 1974 a group of area residents successfully incorporated the Town of Oro Valley, then only 2.4 square miles. Oro Valley centered primarily around the Oro Valley Country Club and Canyon del Oro High School. The Town began with a population of nearly 1,200.
Record growth period
Through the 1980s and particularly in the 1990s Oro Valley experienced significant residential and commercial growth. In 1990 the town had a population of 6,670, and by 2000 that figure had increased to 29,700 residents. During that time, residential communities of all housing-unit densities were developed in the town, including several master-planned communities. For several years in the 1990s Oro Valley was the fastest growing municipality in Arizona.
Population growth
- 1970: 581
- 1974: 1,200
- 1980: 1,489
- 1985: 3,012
- 1990: 6,670
- 1995: 19,657
- 1998: 25,455
- 2000: 29,700
- 2002: 34,050
- 2004: 38,280
- 2005: 39,335
(Pima Association of Governments)
Current state of the town
Oro Valley has attempted to strike a balance between population growth and environmental preservation. The town has attracted a number of country clubs, golf courses, and resorts, helping to solidify its reputation as one of the Southwest's most affluent communities, with one of the highest median household incomes in the region.
Oro Valley presently encompasses approximately 34 square miles (2005), featuring an expanding public parks system, notable outdoor amenities, upscale retailing ventures, and one of the statistically highest performing public school systems in Arizona.
Education
Public schools in Oro Valley are administered by Amphitheater Public Schools of Tucson. Oro Valley is served by four elementary schools, two K-8 schools, one middle school, and two high schools (Canyon del Oro High School and Ironwood Ridge High School).
Oro Valley also has three private schools, two of which include high schools (Pusch Ridge Christian Academy and Immaculate Heart High School.)
Colleges and universities
Residents of Oro Valley have convenient access to Pima Community College Northwest, located just south of the town. The University of Arizona is also nearby in Tucson, with a student body of nearly 37,000.
Historical Society
Formed by citizens of Oro Valley, the not-for-profit Oro Valley Historical Society has a mission in "preserving the Town's heritage for future generations." Additional information can be found on the Society's website Oro Valley Historical Society.
External links
