OLIVAS: Magazine's Ranking of Tucson
as a Top City for Latinos is Right On
By Rogelio Olivas, Tucson Citizen,
August 7, 2003
Citizen file photo
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Hispanic Magazine mentions Los Changuitos
Feos as one of the draws for Latinos in
Tucson.
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Hispanic Magazine has revealed to the rest of the country
what we already knew: Tucson is one of the best places
in the United States for Latinos to live.
In its annual rundown of Hispanic-friendly cities the
magazine ranked the Old Pueblo No. 7. Others on the
list in are: (1) Miami, (2) San Diego, (3) Austin, Tex.,
(4) San Antonio, (5, tie) El Paso-Las Cruces, (6) Albuquerque,
(8) Los Angeles, (9) Chicago and (10) Las Vegas.
"High-tech industry is moving in, programs to
promote entreprenuership are sprouting, and the arts
community is expanding, which are the main reasons Tucson,
a city of 800,000 can hold its own," the magazine
states.
"Tucson also has a strong social life, which centers
on serious mariachi. Residents can hear the latest and
greatest live at local restaurants. And there's even
a youth group for children to join - Los Changuitos
Feos," it continues.
The magazine is right on the money with its remarks
about the cultural opportunities in the city, whose
residents embrace the area's Hispanic heritage and participate
enthusiastically in various Latino-themed events. From
the annual International Mariachi Conference, which
continues to draw record crowds, to the Día de
los Muertos events downtown in October and November
to the acclaimed Latino acts UApresents brings to town
every year, Tucsonans have a rich assortment of entertainment
options to choose from. Thanks to the fun and innovative
Borderlands theater group, we also have our own Tucson
Pastorela, which has become a yearly holiday tradition.
The play is a hilarious re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's
journey to Bethlehem with a few local personalities
and current events thrown into the story for fun.
Other traditions include Las Posadas, the Mexican Independence
Day and Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Kennedy Park and
the upcoming Norteño Festival in South Tucson.
Besides praising Tucson for its variety of cultural
events, the magazine also gave extra marks to the city
for its excelente Mexican food.
"It's also known for the best mole sauce ... in
the west, and the oldest Mexican-run family restaurant:
El Charro, 80 years."
The writer must have tried the mole at Cafe Poca Cosa
and the carne seca at El Charro, two of Tucson's culinary
treasures. Most of the Mexican food restaurants on South
Fourth Avenue also deserved a mention in the article.
An oddity: Phoenix, soon to replace Philadelphia as
the nation's fifth-largest city, didn't make the cut.
The omission is surprising given the area's sizable
Latino population, high wages and big-city luster. Maybe
some of that luster was tarnished by increased air pollution,
oppressive heat and conservative politics.
Or maybe it was because Phoenix lacks something valuable
that Tucson's always had: a soul - one with a Hispanic
essence.
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