The sun shines an average of 350 days per year in Tucson. The pleasant year-round climate and varied geography lends itself to numerous recreational opportunities, including mountain biking and road cycling, birding, skiing (at the most southerly location in the USA), hiking, swimming, and camping. Saguaro National Park borders the city of Tucson to both the east and west, and many of Arizona's other beautiful parks and wilderness areas are easily accessible for weekend trips. The nearest beach is a 4-hour drive away at Mexico's Puerto Peñasco, on the Gulf of California.

With a symphony orchestra, theater company, opera, and ballet, Tucson is home to a growing community of artists from around the world, important non-profit and environmental organizations, and a diverse mix of desert-dwelling residents. There is an active community radio station and a fun mix of nightlife ranging from hip hop to swing to salsa, especially in the Fourth Avenue and downtown parts of the city. Prehistoric archaeological sites, Spanish missions, and other diverse architecture in and around Tucson reflect the rich and continuing interplay of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures in the region. Formerly part of Spain and then Mexico, southern Arizona was annexed by the USA in 1854, and Spanish remains the second language.

Phoenix is 120 miles to the northwest, and San Diego, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque are a day's drive away. The border with Mexico is 65 miles to the south at Nogales. Tucson has an international airport and also lies along major Amtrak and bus lines.

Many graduate students live in apartments and houses in Tucson neighborhoods that are close to campus. There is not a shortage of rental properties in Tucson. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment, excluding utilities, start at about $350-400. Two-bedroom apartments, excluding utilities, start at $450-500. To check out the housing situation try the online classified section of the Arizona Daily Wildcat, a campus newspaper. The university Student Union center also has a helpful student housing webpage. Given the agreeable climate, many students bicycle or walk to campus, while others use free university shuttle buses, city buses (subsidized 50% by the University for students), or their own vehicles.