Town of Marana
Year Incorporated:
1977
2017 Estimated Population: 41,720
Projected 2050 Population:
100,881
Major Industries:
Aerospace, aviation services and defense industries
Before being incorporated, the area that is today Marana was an agricultural center,
producing cotton, wheat, barley, alfalfa, and pecans. The Town of Marana was
incorporated in 1977 so that civic leaders could secure water rights for current and
future residents. When Marana was incorporated it covered ten square miles, and
following a targeted annexation policy, it now covers 121 square miles.
Marana is primarily within Pima County but has 0.7 square miles of land within
Pinal County. Its location within the Sun Corridor and on the northern edge of the
Tucson metropolitan area have generated a lot of growth in recent years and the
population has increased by 208 percent between 2000 and 2017.
Now, as in its past, Marana benefits by its location along a major trade route. The Union
Pacific Railroad and Interstate 10 travel through the heart of the town. Goods move by
rail from the Atlantic Seaboard and from manufacturing centers in Mexico, and a major
transcontinental highway spanning almost 2,500 miles connects it to the East and West
Coasts. Marana is also close to international transoceanic markets, with the deep‐water
harbor in Guaymas, Mexico, slightly closer than San Diego, California.
Marana has a council‐manager form of government. In this form, an appointed town
manager is responsible for implementing municipal policy and for administration of town
operations. The mayor serves on the city council and is elected at‐large for a four‐year
term. Similarly, council members serve four‐year staggered terms. The Council fixes the
duties and compensation of Town officials and employees, and enacts ordinances and
resolutions relating to Town services, taxes, appropriating and borrowing moneys,
licensing and regulating businesses and trades and other municipal purposes.
Background Report
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