The south side of Tucson gets hotter than other parts of the city, and not just because of the high local news

Neighborhood guides document differences

Beki Quintero of the Sunnyside Neighborhood on the south side says she can sense temperature changes as she drives north.

“When I go to Oro Valley and Marana you can see the bleak decay first and then the lush green grass and beauty as you go further north,” said Quintero, a Tucson native, a 48-year-old Sunnyside resident and Secretary and Treasurer of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.

“When you go up there and see shadow structures, trees and grass, you can feel the difference,” said Quintero.

She has documented temperature differences between barren and lush landscapes in her neighborhood in Fiesta Park near Alvord Street and Liberty Avenue.

Some time ago she stuck a thermometer in the ground in the park’s peace garden, adorned with mesquite, lime, orange, and Texas mountain laurel trees. It showed 94 degrees.

She moved to a more barren area of ​​the park. The thermometer registered 151 degrees, she said.

“You go to parks in other parts of the city, they have structures for children to play in and lots of trees that provide shade. Take Morris K. Udall Park on the northeast side, Quintero said.

“You have a lot of trees and a splash pad. It is green. It’s pretty, ”she said. “The trees are older at Mission Manor Park in Sunnyside. They die and are not replaced. “

.