Noise Levels in Miramonte, Tucson, AZ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map

Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold

The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 446 Miramonte residents, or 14.1%, live above that level. By land area, 15.8% of Miramonte is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in Miramonte compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.

Noise by Part of Miramonte

Average noise levels for Miramonte residents, grouped by direction from the center of Miramonte. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern Miramonte; the lowest is in western Miramonte, where just 15% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in eastern Miramonte sounds about 16% louder than in western Miramonte, a 2.1 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.

Airport Noise

Tucson International (TUS) sits south of Miramonte. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.

Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Miramonte, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.

How Noise Is Distributed Across Miramonte

The bar chart below shows the share of Miramonte residents in each noise band. About 84% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How Miramonte Compares

Miramonte sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Miramonte's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with South Park, El Gheko, Hedrick Acres, and Rincon Heights.

Average noise level (dBA)

Miramonte's 51.7 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Arizona as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Miramonte because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 14.1% of Miramonte residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 15.8% of Miramonte's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Arizona average of 28.3% and a national average of 28.1%.

What This Means if You're Moving to Miramonte

• Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from 10E~2ND~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ST~~~~~~ and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
• Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 0% of Miramonte is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is medium-intensity developed land. Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
• Airport noise is directional. Tucson International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology