For over 200 centuries, Tucson was home solely to Native Americans. It was then the Frontera del Norte of New Spain for about 40 years, then part of the Republic of Mexico for about 30 years. In 1854, Tucson became part of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase (Treaty of Mesilla).
In 2000, the racial/ethnic breakdown of Metro Tucson (Pima County) was:
• 61.48% White, Non-Hispanic, alone
• 29.34% Hispanic (can be any race)
• 2.85% Black/African American, alone
• 2.59% Native American, alone
• 1.97% Asian, alone
• 0.11% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, alone
• 0.12% Other, alone (self-identified)
• 1.55% Two or more races
In 2000, Tucson was the 8th largest city in number of Native Americans. In 1990, the metro area was 23rd largest in number of Hispanics.
Tucson is a very diverse community and home to several hundred ancestry groups. Leading ancestry groups according to Census 2000 include: Mexican (24.4%); German (16.2%); Irish (10.6%); English (10.3%); Other Latino Groups (4.5); Italian (4.4%); American (4.1%); and French (3.1%).
Links to Additional Race and Ethnicity Information:
Racial Proportions, Tucson: 1850-2050 (PDF 14KB)
Census 2000 Factoids (PDF 32KB)
Tucson Urban Planning & Design Census 2000 Data Page (Internet Link)
Tucson Urban Planning & Design Census 2000 Map Page (Internet Link)
American Factfinder (Internet Link)