Tubac, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tubac, Arizona
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St. Ann's Church, Tubac, 1937
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Location in Santa Cruz County and the state of Arizona
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18th century map of Tubac and surroundings
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 Tubac, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Tubac, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Santa Cruz |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.85 sq mi (28.10 km2) |
| • Land | 10.85 sq mi (28.09 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,209 ft (978 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,581 |
| • Density | 145.75/sq mi (56.28/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| ZIP codes |
85640, 85646
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| Area code(s) | 520 |
| FIPS code | 04-75940 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0035489 |
Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name Cuwak, which translates into English as "place of dark water". When first taken into Spanish speech, it was spelled Tubaca. Finally, over time, the latter "a" was dropped. Tubac is situated on the Santa Cruz River.
Tubac was the original Spanish colonial garrison in Arizona. It was depopulated during the O'odham Uprising in the 18th century. During the 19th century, the area was repopulated by miners, farmers and ranchers, but the town of Tubac is best known today as an artists' colony.
History
Established in 1752 as a Spanish presidio, the first Spanish colonial garrison in what is now Arizona, Tubac was one of the stops on the Camino Real (the "Royal Road") from Mexico to the Spanish settlements in California.
Tubac's most famous Spanish resident was Juan Bautista de Anza. While stationed at Tubac (1760–1776), de Anza built the chapel of Santa Gertrudis, the foundations of which lie beneath today's St. Ann's Church.
Apaches attacked the town repeatedly in the 1840s, forcing the Sonoran Mexicans to abandon both Tumacacori and Tubac.
Tubac was the scene of a four-day siege in 1861 among the population of Tubac, Confederate militia, and Apache warriors.
The Confederates won and the Confederate flag used by the headquarters in Richmond was raised. When Union troops then started to approach Tucson, the Confederate troops left Tubac. There the town lay abandoned; grass grew in the streets and the adobe houses crumbled away.
From the 1930s–1960s, Tubac evolved into an art colony. Painter Dale Nichols opened an art school in the small desert village in 1948 and restored some of Tubac's historic buildings. Students included watercolorist Al Romo and sculptor Bob Brisley. In 1955, artist Ross Stefan established a studio in the village. In 1961, the Santa Cruz Valley Art Association was formed with 80 members. This group founded the Tubac Festival of the Arts in 1964. Other significant artists in the Village included Sophie and Harwood Steiger, Hal Empie and Hugh Cabot.
Geography
Tubac is located at 31°37′32″N 111°3′7″W / 31.62556°N 111.05194°W (31.625462, -111.051921).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28.0 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 1,581 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,191 people residing in Tubac. The racial makeup of Tubac was 76.7% non-Hispanic White, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.59% Asian, 6.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 20.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In Tubac 1.5% of the population was age 0–4, 4.7% from 5 to 17, 51.0% from 18 to 64, and 42.5% 65 years of age or older. The population of Tubac is 52.4% female and 47.6% male.
Arts and culture
The remains of the old Spanish presidio are preserved by Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. The park also features a regional museum, an underground archeology display, and other historic buildings. Modern Tubac is home to over 100 art galleries, home decor boutiques, gift shops, jewelers, potters, and artists of every kind. There is a very active art school, along with several restaurants and a golf resort nestled along a verdant valley with one of the oldest stands of cottonwoods in the state.
Historic ruins and structures in Tubac which includes the Presidio Captains Quarters, St. Ann's Catholic Church, the Tubac schoolhouse and various historic residences.
Notable people
Congressman Will Rogers, Jr. retired to a ranch near Tubac and is buried at the Tubac Cemetery.
See also
In Spanish: Tubac para niños
