Homes for Sale in Tubac, AZ

Rich in History and Culture: Exit 34, off of Interstate I-19, will take you to the outskirts of Tubac. When you arrive you have followed directly in the footsteps of at least five distinct cultures: The Hohokam between 300 and 1400 AD; the Tohono O’odham arriving sometime in the 1500’s; the Spaniards arriving with Father Campos in 1726; Mexico claimed Tubac during the 1821 Mexican War of Independence; and finally, Tubac was included as a part of the Gadsden Purchase by the United States in 1853. 

Turning off the frontage onto Plaza Road you pass through the ‘gates’ of Tubac whose entrance proudly states “Where art and history meet” and displaying the flags of Spain, Mexico, The United States of America, the State of Arizona, and Tubac, each having flown their flags above the village in succession from the beginning of her European history until the present day.

And indeed, Tubac can rightfully lay claim as the oldest European settlement in Arizona. It was established as the Royal Spanish Presidio San Ignacio De Tubac in 1752, after an uprising of the local Pima tribes. In 1775 Captain Juan Bautista De Anza led an expedition of 240 colonists from Tubac to California and founded the city of San Francisco. And in the 1850s, under C. D. Poston, Tubac was headquarters for a silver mining venture.

One of the area’s best museums, replete with innumerable artifacts of the area’s history as well as copies of Arizona’s first newspaper, The Weekly Arizonian, can be viewed at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. Reflecting her pioneer roots, local residents recently rallied to keep the Presidio from closing after the Arizona State legislature voted to end its funding.

In recent times artists from around the world have made Tubac their home and with its wealth of art, no visit is complete without devoting sufficient time to take in the many diverse galleries. And the town features a twice a year art-festival featuring renown artists from around the world.

Santa Cruz River Riparian Habitat: One of the only rivers in the continental United States that flows from South to North, the Santa Cruz River Valley riparian area runs the length of Tubac and provides the scenic center-piece of the surrounding Santa Cruz Valley. Birders from around the world have discovered this birding paradise where many South American species have established this area as the extreme northern edge of their territory. The historic Anza trail parallels the river valley offering easy and intimate access to this exceptional area.