Why Arizona?

Please allow us to introduce you to one of the fastest growing states in the US!

Arizona has long been famous for its breathtaking beauty and its healthy climate. With an annual rainfall of approximately 7 inches, Arizona boasts sunshine nearly 325 days a year. From one end of the state to the other, Arizona is filled with wonderment. In the north you will find snow-capped mountains and the awesome beauty of the Grand Canyon while the southern area is home to the Sonoran Desert. In the middle you will find places of unequalled beauty such as Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, the Painted Desert and Monument Valley. Because elevations in Arizona range from 70 feet on the Colorado River to 12,633 feet on Humphrey‘s Peak, one of the San Francisco Peaks (near Flagstaff), it is possible on any given day for the coldest or the hottest temperature in the United States to be recorded in Arizona.

Not only is the climate conducive to great outdoor living, but the absence of such natural disasters as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados make life in Arizona extremely rich. It is one of the few places on earth where one can drive to the ski slopes, spend a few hours skiing and taking in the amazing scenery of the Flagstaff area, then jump back into your car for the 2-hour drive back to Phoenix in the Valley of the Sun where the mean year-round temperature is a balmy 82 degrees.

Arizona has been rated as the fastest growing state in the nation. It has the second best job growth and the second best GDP growth in the US. It boasted the lowest unemployment rate in the US during the boom years of 2006 and even during the 2009 recession had an unemployment rate that was below the national average. The population grows by about 100,000 people a year, with 2/3rds of the growth coming from net in-migration. These productive newcomers are immigrating to Arizona for many and varied reasons. However, with clean air, open spaces, sunshine in abundance and a booming economy, why would anyone chose another place to live – or to have a second home?

Arizona‘s natural beauty, its diversification in climate and terrain, and its continuous strength in economic growth are some of the reasons that Arizona‘s phenomenal growth rate is forecasted to continue for years to come.

Only a small percentage of Arizona is private land, and an even smaller percent- age remains available for development.

The State of Arizona contains an estimated 72,931,000 acres, or approximately 113,417 square miles, making it the sixth largest state in the United States. The surface land owner- ship in Arizona can be classified into four basic categories, as illustrated in the pie chart to the right.

The percentages are estimates derived from digitized map data. The category called Private is overestimated due to the inclusion of small amounts of land owned by local, State, and Federal agencies.

Maricopa County (the county than encompasses the metropolitan Phoenix area has a Median Family income greater than the US average. Contrary to popular belief, Arizona is not full of retirees—the population over age 65 makes up only 11% of the population and the median age is 35.

Why Phoenix?

In 1867, Jack Swilling formed a canal company and diverted irrigation water from the Salt River to grow crops and three years later he became the founder of Phoenix. In 1911, the Roosevelt Dam was completed and water supplies were stabilized. Although the town was originally founded in 1870, there were no residents living there at that time. By 1912 the population had reached 22,000 and grew to 65,000 by 1950.

Phoenix is now the fifth largest city in the US with just over 1.5 million people. However, it‘s more important to look at the greater Metropolitan Phoenix, which covers the surrounding communities and has over 4.3 million in population. Phoenix covers an area larger than the city of Los Angeles and has a population similar to that of the entire state of Massachusetts. Experts ascribe the city‘s exceptional growth to a number of factors. Significant improvements in transportation facilities, exceptional education venues including Arizona State University (the largest university in the US), Thunderbird School of Global Management and Maricopa county Community colleges and the allure of 325 days of sunshine each year attributes to this phenomenal growth.

More than a tourist destination, Phoenix is home to over 50 national and regional headquarters, a large number of which are high-tech firms, aerospace concerns, manufacturing companies, food producers and next-generation bioscience companies. Job growth, over the past decade, has averaged over 3% per year or some 40,000 new jobs annually. The area currently ranks third nationally among electronics manufacturing centers and tourism is a very important income producer for the Phoenix area. “Greater Phoenix remains the #1 place for entrepreneurial start-ups” according to Entrepreneur magazine. Maricopa County boasts a median family income higher than the national average; when coupled with a high affordability for housing, offers residents a high quality of life. The metropolitan Phoenix area is also well diversified in terms of employment base, and is not reliant on any one sector too heavily.

Metropolitan Phoenix Employment by Sector Source:
Arizona Department of Commerce October 2009

Professional sports flourish here in The Valley of the sun. The Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series Championship in 2001 and is still considered to be a very competitive team in Major League Baseball. The Arizona Cardinals Professional Football team plays in the NFL, the Phoenix Suns are Arizona‘s professional (NBA) basketball team, the Phoenix Mercury plays in the Women‘s NBA and the Phoenix Coyotes are Arizona‘s National Hockey League team. Each spring professional baseball teams such as the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners are featured in the Cactus League with all games played in and around Phoenix venues.