There's also a college-town atmosphere, thanks to the University of Arizona, which has its own share of museums and a science center. Mexican and Native American influences are pervasive, and the city has a distinctly Western flavor.
With a history that goes back much further than many of its southwestern neighbors, Tucson boasts turn-of-the-century architecture, historic neighborhoods, museums and the Mission San Xavier del Bac, a still-functioning 18th-century mission considered one of the most beautiful in the U.S.
