[Buckeye Native 001]

I don't think there's much of a rivalry, other than in college sports. Metropolitan Phoenix/Maricopa County has almost 5 million people and dominates state economics and politics. Even at around 1 million, Tucson can't compete with The Valley (because it really can't be stressed enough that it's not just Phoenix, but also the surrounding cities) and hasn't been able to for a long time. Aside from the Grand Canyon (3.5 hours north of The Valley), Arizona is Phoenix, and Phoenix is Arizona.