Everyone who lives here knows that Santa Cruz County is a great place to live. One of the nation’s most intriguing attractions, Santa Cruz County has something for everyone from bikers and hikers to birdwatchers and history enthusiasts. Each community has its own unique personality and a drive through Santa Cruz County provides travelors with extraordinary vistas of color and beauty.

Amado.
Nestled in the Santa Cruz River Valley, the picturesque beauty of Amado is a paradise for birdwatchers, nature-lovers, and city folk alike. The wide range of ecosystems extend from rugged peaks and pine forests of the Santa Rita mountains, named for the patroness of impossible causes, and spring fed canyons to the Sonoran desert and Santa Cruz River Valley.

Tubac.
As Arizona’s first European settlement, the village of Tubac has seen its share of history and change. First settled in 1752 when Spanish soldiers built a presidio, Tubac also bears evidence of mammoth hunters, who preceded the O’odham peoples (formerly known as the Pimas and Papagos). Five flags have flown over the town. Tubac has been an Indian community, a Spanish Colony, part of the New Mexico Territory, a Mexican community and an Arizona Territory.

Today, art and history are juxtaposed amid the stunning beauty in Santa Cruz County. After years of conflict over the land, the town had virtually vanished. In the 1940s, the late painter Dale Nichols visualized an art colony and started a school in 1948. Fascinated with the seclusion and simplicity in the desert landscapes, Nichols painted in a Tubac studio for six years.

Painters, potters, sculptors and carvers are among the many artists who make their home in the village and they produce works in every medium. Works by nationally and internationally known artists fill the galleries and bring national acclaim to the area and its humble beginnings.

Rio Rico.
Once part of a vast land grant from the King of Spain, Rio Rico finds itself in the unique position of balancing a luxury Four Diamond resort with an unspoiled rural residential ambiance. While coyotes still howl under crystalline skies and the cattle roam free, its par 72 Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course is listed as one of the finest in the state. Rio Rico’s major attraction is a resort lifestyle, affordable housing, and its proximity to Mexico.

The centerpiece of the modern community is the Rio Rico Resort and Country Club, a pampered oasis surrounded by rugged mountains and pristine Sonoran landscape. During the summer months heat-weary guests from Phoenix and Tucson come to enjoy the brisk climate and legendary cuisine. Hiking, horseback riding and golf can be enjoyed year around—even July and August.

The Par 72 Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course is frequently top-listed and one of the finest in Arizona. Critics have called the front nine, “The most beautiful and beastly stretches of golf in Arizona.”

Nogales.
Thousands of years ago, before European explorers ever dreamed of sailing across the Atlantic, Nogales was part of a migratory path and trade route much later called El Camino Real (The King’s Highway). Much later, regiments of armor-clad Conquistadors forayed north along this very valley in quest of precious metals and gems. Today missions built by the Spanish colonials still dot the valley’s landscape.

Today, Nogales serves as one of the largest ports of entry between the United States and Mexico with almost 50% of the nation's produce passing through its gateways each year. Nogales is also an important retail hub for Northern Mexico with an estimated 60% of sales tax revenue coming from the 50,000 shoppers from Mexico who cross the border daily!

Architectural buffs will have a heyday in Nogales. In addition to the predominant Sonoran Style, there are also fine examples of Queen Anne Cottage, Second Empire, Spanish Colonial, Pueblo Revival, Mediterranean Style, and Bungalow Style all within the downtown area. Many of the stores along historic Morley Avenue, like Capin & Company and Brackers Department Store, were established in the early 1900s and are run by descendents of pioneer merchants.

Patagonia.
Patagonia is a quaint hamlet that rests between the majestic Santa Rita Mountains and the beautiful Patagonia Mountains at the intersection of Harshaw and Sonoita Creeks. Set among rich foothills, valleys and towering trees, Patagonia has been called the “Jewel of the Sonoita Valley because of its natural beauty and vitality.

Since early days, Patagonia’s oak grasslands, at over 4,000 feet have provided excellent climate and terrain for cattle ranching, and the Patagonia Mountains, filled with rich ore bodies, have attracted miners.

Patagonia is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise offering many places to hike, bicycle, horseback ride, birdwatch, and four-wheel drive. The historic Arizona Trail runs through Patagonia, weaving its way to the beautiful hiking paths in the Santa Rita Mountains.

Patagonia is an internationally renowned “birdwatching” destination with visitors from around the world stopping here to see over 200 species of rare and exotic birds that migrate from Mexico to this southeastern tip of Arizona.

Sonoita & Elgin.
The settlements of Sonoita and Elgin were founded when the Santa Fe Railroad built an 88-mile-long line that ran the full length of Sonoita Creek, from Benson to Nogales, in 1882. Walking the elevated berm upon which the Railroad Trail is built is one of the many attractions of the area.

The Sonoita area’s 4,970 foot elevation, high rolling grasslands, surrounded by spectacular mountains and canyons, provide some of Arizona’s most beautiful weather and landscapes. Mount Wrightson, one of the tallest peaks in Arizona, dominates the horizon.

Filmmakers have chosen the charming old west atmosphere and beauty of the Sonoita area for several films including, “Oklahoma,” “Red River,” and more recently, “Tin Cup,” “The Young Guns,” “The Fantastiks,” “Broken Lance,” “Tom Horn” and television series such as, “The Young Riders” and “Gunsmoke.”

Sonoita, Arizona’s Wine Country, is home to several wineries that offer some of the best wines found outside of France. These vineyards represent a rapidly growing industry, which began some four decades in the Sonoita Valley. Each vineyard produces unique vintages which reflect the personalities and attitudes of their owners, from colorful picnic-style wine to serious award winning varietals.