Today ORO Valley is a thriving Town not far from Tucson surrounded on three sides with open, protected space.

Brief History of ORO Valley, Arizona

ORO Valley was incorporated in 1974, with 2.4 square miles and 1,200 people. It now encompasses nearly 36 miles northwest of Tucson in an area that has been occupied on and off for over two thousand years, in part by the Native American Hohokam and Apache Tribes.  Cattle ranching played a big part in development of the area in the 19th century, and the gold rush reached into the area near the Santa Catalina Mountains.  Remnants of this history remain in the names of the town and the river and wash that bisects it, the Cañada Del Oro.