Tortolita Mountains
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The Tortolita Mountains are a minor mountain range located north of Tucson, Arizona, USA. The Tortolita Mountains are specifically situated north of Oro Valley and Marana, two suburban towns of Tucson, with a peak elevation of 4,652 feet. Much of the mountain range is protected land within the Tortolita Mountain Park, a joint operation between Pima County and Arizona.
The Tortolita Mountains include extensive cultural resources. Native American peoples known as the Hohokam heavily occupied the area for approximately 700 years beginning around 500 AD. In the eastern foothills of the Tortolita Mountains are the ruins of Honeybee Village, a former Hohokam village preserved and maintained by the Town of Oro Valley.
Located in the eastern Tortolita Mountains is also Honeybee Canyon, a riparian area with one of Pima County's only perennial streams, Honeybee Creek. Honeybee Canyon has been the source of great contention between environmentalists and real estate developers, beginning in the 1990s. Resorts, golf courses, and million-dollar homes have been developed near the canyon with significant controversy.
Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley include the most prominent, the Santa Catalina Mountains, followed by the Rincon Mountains, the Santa Rita Mountains, and the Tucson Mountains.
