The famous Sam Hughes Tucson neighborhood, a Historic District where many UA faculty and staff live, is just east of the University of

Sam Hughes National Historic District

Sam Hughes Today

A charming neighborhood of mature Tucson homes, Sam Hughes is in a continual state of revitalization as new owners re-habilitate the historic buildings. The streets are closed to through traffic, a policy instituted by one of our previous mayors when his mother lived there. The streets are tree-lined and you get a sense of calm in Sam Hughes. There is steady bicycle traffic because of the proximity to the university.

There are more than 1700 Tucson homes in the greater Sam Hughes area. Home prices range dramatically because of the age vs. rehab situation. You could find a home here for anywhere from $200,000 to $900,000. Maybe a few lower, maybe a few higher.

Who is Sam Hughes?

Sam Hughes, the namesake, was a Welsh immigrant who came to the US in 1837 at the age of eight.  He never attended a day of formal schooling and when both of his parents became ill and died early he help raise and educate his 8 siblings.  Hughes married Atanacia Santa Cruz, a young orphan, in 1863 and they had 15 children, 5 of whom died in infancy.

Hughes was a man of vision, principles, and courage.  When Confederate forces occupied Tucson at the onset of the Civil War, around 1860, Hughes moved back to California rather than live under the Confederate flag.  He left his financial interests to a friend until 1862 when he accompanied the first battery of Union soldiers to return to Southern Arizona.

In the early 1870s Hughes helped to incorporate the City of Tucson, refused the Mayorship and served as an alderman on the first city council.  In 1871 he helped early territorial governor A.P.K. Safford establish public education in the Territory saying it was "the pride of my life." (This is why the Tucson Unified School District is called "Number 1"!)

In 1928, 11 years after his death, the new elementary school in one of Tucson's first subdivisions was named after Sam Hughes.  The Sam Hughes Neighborhood takes its name from the school that sits squarely in the middle of the original quadrant.  We are now one square mile, bounded by Speedway, Broadway, Country Club and Campbell.

Article courtesey of Scott James Hubbard - Tucson Real Estate: Who is Sam Hughes? - Written by by Frank Soltz