Desert towns often have the air of an oasis around them. Historically this meant water, food and shelter from the blistering sun. Today, desert towns quench a different sort of thirst, providing travellers with cultural riches amid dramatic and unforgiving landscapes. The cool credentials of music-studio-peppered Joshua Tree in California and the arty enclave of Marfa in Texas are unassailable, but now, the real buzz is around Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona’s second city is home to some 40,000 students, many of whom choose never to leave this blessedly affordable, attractive and culturally dynamic town. Set in a flat valley framed in all four directions by distinct mountain ranges, Tucson is geographically blessed for those wanting to get out hiking, biking and mountain-climbing, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a few miles from Saguaro National Park is just 20 minutes out of town. It is a superb introduction to the awe-inspiring desert scenery (distinguished by soaring, endemic saguaro – pronounced “suh-wah-roe” – cacti) that has made Arizona prime road-trip territory. Arizona is also a state synonymous with serene, secluded wellness spas, such as Miraval, 40 minutes out of Tucson, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Perhaps it’s Tucson’s geographic isolation that has bequeathed the town its fiercely independent spirit and artistic bent, but a stroll down the high-end vintage stores and designers studios of 6th Avenue feels a little like Haight-Ashbury might have done four decades ago. To find something unique, Desert Vintage is one of the most renowned vintage stores in the Southwest and boasts a back catalogue of goods from the 1940s onwards, while Tucson Herb Store is worth a visit if you fancy a full moon gong bath or some shamanic healing while you’re in town. In the Barrio Viejo neighbourhood you can find the city’s best Ethiopian dishes at Cafe Desta while the current brunch hotspot is Five Points Market.

This liberal-leaning city in a relatively conservative state has a healthy, diverse international community, and the vibrant restaurant scene to match. For authentic Mexican fare, it doesn’t get more traditional than El Charro; try the beer-battered fish tacos washed down with a cold Tecate. Arizonan wine is garnering a lot of buzz among wine-lovers in neighbouring California, and the Sand-Reckoner tasting room is the best place to get your bearings, before crossing the road for dinner at cult pizza spot Anello.

Unlike the gleaming skyscrapers and chain stores of sprawling Phoenix, Tucson’s artistic temperament emanates from virtually every street corner, and a guided ride with Tucson Bike Tours takes in historic neighbourhoods, the downtown area and street artworks by local muralists.

Tucson has long inspired and seduced artists, writers, musicians and associated hangers-on. In 1975, Mr Ansel Adams, along with four other photographers, founded the Center for Creative Photography on the University of Arizona campus. It is currently exhibiting a retrospective of photographer Mr Edward Weston’s last body of work until November of this year.

Refreshingly for a Southwestern city, Tucson is easily navigable on foot or by bike, so from the aforementioned campus you’re just a short stroll from the Rialto Theatre, an opulent yet delightfully divey music venue where the likes of Mr Kurt Vile play to a music-loving crowd. Just down the road is Tucson’s most iconic hotel, Hotel Congress, which has the dubious distinction of being where gangster Mr John Dillinger was finally arrested.

For sweeter dreams, Barrio Viejo Villas in Tucson’s most charming historic neighbourhood has characterful rooms and suites in a sprawling mansion. And just 20 minutes out of town sits Hacienda del Sol, a swish desert retreat that used to welcome the likes of Mr Spencer Tracy and Ms Katharine Hepburn.