The county seat of Pima County, Arizona, Tucson is one of the largest and most populous cities in the entire state, second only to the capital, Phoenix. Over half a million people call Tucson home, with another half a million living in the surrounding metropolitan area. The city, known commonly as Optics Valley and The Old Pueblo, has a rich history and is located just 60 miles away from the US-Mexico border.
Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains is the highest point in the Tucson area
As well as the population and surface area, one of the key pieces of information for any town or city is its elevation. This statistic tells us how high a city is above sea level. Tucson, Arizona, has an elevation of 2388 feet (728 m). The city itself is situated on a plane, but is surrounded by several mountain ranges including the Tucson Mountains, the Santa Catalina Mountains, and the Santa Rita Mountains, so there are many highly elevated areas all around Tucson. Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains is the highest point in the Tucson area, with an elevation of 9,453 feet (2,881 m).
Elevation of Tucson
The elevation of Arizona cities can vary quite wildly from one to the next. The highest city in the state is Flagstaff, which has an elevation of 6,910 feet (2,106 m). The highest unincorporated community in the state is Greer, which sits at a height of 8356 feet (2547 m). Other major cities in the state of Arizona include Phoenix, which has an elevation of just 1,086 feet (331 m), Mesa, which has an elevation of 1243 feet (379 m), and Scottsdale, which has an elevation of 1,257 feet (380 m), so it’s clear to see that Tucson is higher than all of these cities in terms of its elevation.
Tucson Elevation compared to other AZ cities
Arizona is actually one of the highest states in all of America, with a mean elevation of 4,100 feet (1250 m). When compared with the elevation of Tucson, we can see that Tucson’s elevation is nearly 2,000 feet lower than the state average. The highest point in the state is Humphreys Peak, which stands at an elevation of 12,633 feet (3,851 m) and is located near the city of Flagstaff. Meanwhile, the lowest point in the state of Arizona is a section of the Colorado River which is situated just 70 feet (21 m) above sea level.
