Drexel Heights is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 27,749 at the 2010 census. The area is said to be named after financier Francis Anthony Drexel, the father of Saint Katharine Drexel (who established missions to Blacks and Native Americans throughout the United States). Drexel is said to have owned property in the Drexel Heights area and eastward during the late 19th century, although no proof has ever been found that he owned land in the area. Francis A. Drexel died in 1885. Drexel Road was likely named after Saint Katharine Drexel. However, her father Francis A. Drexel didn't own land in the area as has been claimed in the past.