On The Road Again

We are on the road again. After a month long stay in Alamogordo we are headed west to Oceanside, CA. Today's journey is to Tucsan, AZ. It's only 348 miles away. Tucsan is the 32nd largest city in the U.S. and the 2nd largest city in Arizona. There is a special place in my heart for Arizona. I went to college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff so to me Arizona is almost like a second home. Of course I am going to have to wait a while before I make it to Flagstaff but that will be coming soon.
Tucson is a large city. Its population for the city is 520,116 and metropolitan Tucson is 1,020,200. The Median income is $30,900 and the median age is 32. It is home to the University of Arizona (the Wildcats). It is alos known as the "Optic Valley" because there are over 150 companies that design and manufacture optics and optoelectronics. Tucson is surrounded by mountains. To the north is the Santa Catalina Mounutains, to the east the Rincon Mountains, to the south the Santa Rita Mountains, and to the west the Tucson Mountains.
Tucson became part of the U.S. in 1853 as part of the southwest Territory. It was first populated when it became a Stage Station then it became the 3rd District headquarters of the butterfield Overland Mail until 1861 when the station and the mail headquarters was shut down due to the Apache raids. It did become the Confederate Arizona Territory from 1861 - 1862. In 1862 the California Column drove the Conferates out. In 1863 Tucson officially became a part of the Arizona Territory and in 1885 the University of Arizona was founded. So, we are On The Road Again!