Community: Oro Valley

Introduction

Oro Valley services Lodging: Make hotel reservations in Oro Valley.

Oro Valley is in Northwestern Pima County, six miles north of the Tucson city limits. The valley, formed by the Santa Cruz River joining Gold Creek in the Catalina Mountains, covers nearly 32 square miles.

Just east of Oro Valley is Catalina State Park. The pine-covered Santa Catalina Mountains were called La Iglesia, or the church, by the early Spaniards for their cathedral-like appearance. The 9,000-foot Mount Lemmon, which is the southernmost ski area in the United States, is part of the range. Within short drive from Oro Valley are: Picacho Peak State Park, the site of Arizona's only Civil War battle; the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Old Tucson Studios; Saguaro National Monuments East and West; San Xavier Mission; and the world-famous Biosphere 2, a three-acre model of the earth's ecosystem. Kitt Peak National Observatory, home of the world's largest solar telescope, is also nearby.

HIGHWAYS: SR 79
DISTANCE TO PHOENIX: 109 miles
INCORPORATED: Yes - 1974
ELEVATION: 2,600 feet
DISTANCE TO TUCSON: 6 miles
COUNTY: Pima County