Rita Ranch is a masterplanned community located in southeastern Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. It is home to the Vail School District, one of the top public school districts in Arizona. It borders the small towns of Vail

Vail, Arizona

Vail is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 10,208 at the 2010 census. The area is known for the nearby Colossal Cave, a large cave system, and the Rincon Mountains District of Saguaro National Park, a top tourism spot within Arizona.Vail was...

 and Corona de Tucson. Many military families from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....

live in the area. The population was estimated at 18,925 in 2007 .

History

Rita Ranch is part of Esmond Station Area Development Plan created in 1986 by the City of Tucson. It was so named that in reference to the historical Esmond Train Station, which was located near the current neighborhoods of Rita Ranch. Between 1890 and 1910, the nation's growing railway system had finally reached the city of Tucson in the Arizona territory. The Southern Pacific Railroad was the first route, coming south from Phoenix. In the early 1900's, a rail line was established to connect Tucson to El Paso, Texas. This set of lines ran through present day Rita Ranch, and many of the undeveloped areas still have deteriorating railroad tracks that can be found today. East of the present day intersection of Houghton Road and Old Vail Road, about half a mile down the old Esmond Station Road, lie the remains of Esmond (once called Papago) and its dilapidated train depot, Esmond Station .