Nelson Arizona Map

About Nelson, Arizona

Nelson is a locality in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is a small community with a population of 249. The population density is 201.6 people per km². Nelson is located at 32.4298°N, 111.2649°W. It observes the Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix) timezone. ZIP codes: 86434, 85653.

Nelson emerges from the arid expanse as a quiet intersection of earth and sky, defined by the dry, winding passage of the Los Robles Wash that carves a pale scar through the desert floor. It lies 2.6 miles west-southwest of Marana, AZ (from Marana, AZ: bearing 258°T), and is situated 5.9 miles north-northwest of Picture Rocks. The landscape surrounding Nelson is characterized by low-slung, sun-bleached plains that stretch toward the faint, jagged silhouettes of the Tortolita Mountains on the distant horizon. Beyond the immediate reach of the wash, the terrain shifts into the subtle depressions of China Draw, where the sparse vegetation—mostly scrub brush and the occasional skeletal ocotillo—clings to a soil baked hard by the relentless sun. Water remains a rare and precious ghost here, save for the occasional, stagnant reflection found at BK Tank, which serves as a solitary focal point in an otherwise thirsty topography.

State Trust Land encompasses the entirety of the terrain surrounding Nelson, preserving a vast, unadorned wilderness that dictates the slow, deliberate pace of the local character. Historically, the region relied on the harsh demands of extraction and the rugged endurance of those who sought a living from the mineral-rich dust, though today the economy hums with a quieter, more utilitarian rhythm. The air here holds a distinct, metallic clarity that intensifies as the light wanes, turning the landscape into a study of violet shadows and muted ochre. In Nelson, the passage of time is measured not by the clock, but by the gradual lengthening of those shadows as they stretch across the open basin, marking the end of another day under the immense, unblinking desert sky.

About This Nelson Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Nelson, Arizona. Coordinates: 32.42981, -111.264924. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Nelson includes the ZIP code (86434, 85653), telephone area code (928, 520), county seat of Pima County (Tucson), and school district assignment (Marana Unified District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.