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:
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:
American Factfinder (Internet Link)