Tumacacori, 20 miles south of Gold Canyon

Green Valley is the one major city along the 60 miles of I-19 between Tucson and Nogales, situated on a vast, gently sloping desert plain, with distant mountains east and west. The city stretches for seven miles along the interstate; shops and other facilities are concentrated around three exits: 63 (Continental Road), 65 (Esperanza Boulevard) and 69 (Duval Mine Road). This latter leads to the largest of several copper mines in the area.

Green Valley is popular as a retirement community, partly due to the quiet, scenic location and the mild climate, slightly less extreme than Tucson, 20 miles north. This area is well placed for explorations of the Santa Rita Mountains to the southeast, accessed by the paved Madera Canyon Road. One more unusual attraction is the Titan Missile Museum, preserving the last remaining US missile site from the Cold War era. Tumacacori National Historical Park is 22 miles south.


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