COMMUNITY OVERVIEWS

Why Pima County? We believe companies want to grow in communities that have excellent quality of life and that make investments in critical infrastructure that are the foundation for commerce. We believe businesses appreciate efficient governments that maintain an appropriate tax rate, pay off debt rapidly, provide certainty in regulations and deliver high quality service.

The Sonoran Corridor – A Regional Economic Development Catalyst

The Sonoran Corridor is a multilevel, multistep, multiyear economic development initiative for Pima County and Southern Arizona. Once completed it will significantly transform the regional economy, adding billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to the Tucson valley.

Business Retention and Attraction

The Pima County Board of Supervisors enthusiastically supports new businesses and business expansion in Pima County. The Board has an approved a business attraction and expansion plan and has directed staff to assist business development and expansion in any way possible.

A diverse and welcoming community, Tucson offers an outstanding quality of life along with a low cost of doing business. A leading hub for aerospace and defense, bioscience/healthcare, renewable energy and logistics, businesses in Tucson are leading the way in innovation.

Aerospace & Defense Hub

With Davis Monthan Air Force Base as one of the region’s top employers, world-class aerospace and defense companies like Raytheon, Bombardier, Honeywell Aerospace, and World View Enterprises benefit greatly in Tucson’s economy.

Strategic Location

Located entirely in a Foreign Trade Zone, 60 miles from the Mexico border, Tucson’s high-capacity border and transportation infrastructure provide an ideal choice for companies doing business in the United States and Mexico.

City of Gastronomy

Tucson is the first city in the United States with the prestigious UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation, making it a destination for some of the world’s top culinary researchers and enthusiasts.

Tucson by the Numbers

• Tucson ranks top 25 next market for tech talent (CBRE 2023)
• Tucson ranked no. 6 best U.S. city for Gen Z (CommercialCafe)
• Tucson made the NY Times list of 52 places to go in 2023

Marana is known for being the most business-supportive community in Southern Arizona. It is ideally positioned to capitalize on the growth of both the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas, with access to multimodal transportation and leadership that values responsible growth and the development of career-oriented commerce.  The Marana Economic Development Strategic Plan identifies several main targeted sectors that will lead the way to the development of quality, career-oriented jobs and pave the way for the Town’s continued growth in the future: advanced manufacturing, information technology, professional and business services, tourism and hospitality, as well as transportation, distribution and logistics.

Advanced Manufacturing, Professional, and Business Services

A cluster of advanced manufacturing operations in the aerospace and defense, biotechnology, mining, and laser optics industries has developed over the past decades in Marana. These industries provide high-paying, career-oriented jobs, with opportunities for advancement, and support continued innovation.  Additionally, Marana’s geographic position relatively close to the rapidly-growing electric vehicle manufacturing and semiconductor industries in the Phoenix area and Pinal County set it up to be an attractive location for suppliers and customers of these industries.

Transportation, Logistics, and Distribution

Marana’s position straddling approximately 20 miles of Interstate 10, just northwest of Tucson and only 90 minutes south of Phoenix, makes it strategically optimal for manufacturing, transportation, and logistics operations. The Town of Marana has also made significant investments into the infrastructure at the Marana Regional Airport over the past several years, making it a popular facility for business jet travel and general aviation.

Tourism and Hospitality

Marana’s beautiful scenery, hiking trails, world-class golf courses, and highly-lauded resorts bring in visitors from all around the world. The efforts undertaken by Discover Marana, the Town’s Destination Marketing Organization, seek to promote Marana as an attractive tourism destination to local, statewide, national, and international markets alike.  The Town is also in the process of designing and developing its downtown in northwest Marana. The mixed-use area will be a hub for business, entertainment, retail, and culture.

Quality of Life

Marana’s parks, amenities, quality public schools, and reputation as one of the safest communities in Arizona make the town an attractive place to live and work.  When you combine all of these items with a robust economy it forms a community that is attractive to businesses and residents alike.

Upscale Tech Mecca

The Town of Oro Valley is named the “Upscale Tech Mecca” of Southern Arizona by the Arizona Daily Star. With key industry clusters of in bio and life sciences, emerging technology, and aerospace and defense, Oro Valley is home to Roche Tissue Diagnostics, Honeywell, Simpleview, Meggitt Securaplane and Sigma Technologies/Polycharge.

The Town is also focused on entrepreneurs and start-up companies.  The University of Arizona opened its Center for Innovation in Oro Valley a few years ago. This bio and life science incubator is helping to grow more primary employers and related tech talent.

Business Support

Oro Valley has a flourishing business ecosystem. The Mayor and Town staff visit every primary employer and over 200 local small businesses every year. This develops relationships and helps create an understanding that the Town is invested in seeing businesses of all sizes thrive and expand.

Quality of Life

Oro Valley takes great care developing the Town to ensure that businesses thrive while preserving the natural environment and ensuring necessary services are available for residents. Oro Valley residents experience a quality of life that is unmatched in the region, allowing residents to enjoy outdoor activities year-round in the numerous local and state parks. The Town is also situated perfectly in the region as a hub for a variety of great recreational opportunities. While Catalina State Park, Honeybee Canyon, and Tohono Chul Park are located in Oro Valley, it’s less than a two-hour drive to lakes for boating, water skiing, and fishing in the summer and snow skiing on Mount Lemmon in the winter.

A Master-Planned Growing Community

Nestled in the picturesque landscapes of Southern Arizona, Sahuarita emerges as a thriving community experiencing remarkable growth and transformation. Over the past 12 months, the town has welcomed 727 new homes, marking a significant surge in residential development. Sahuarita’s appeal extends beyond its scenic beauty, encapsulating a dynamic demographic landscape within a trade area that encompasses a population of 78,000 residents between Sahuarita and Green Valley. Mirroring the prosperity of its inhabitants, the town boasts a commendable median household income of $91,000, positioning itself as an enclave of economic stability and affluence.

Moreover, Sahuarita’s economic vibrancy is underscored by a robust retail sector, which recorded an impressive trade volume of $5,146,803 in the last fiscal year. It becomes evident that this community is not merely a geographical entity but a testament to the fusion of progress, prosperity, and the unwavering spirit of a community poised for a promising future.

Sahuarita’s Growing Industry Segments of Mining and High-Tech Enterprises

The Town of Sahuarita is a growing community that continues to experience notable expansion. This is attributed in part to the significant presence of the mining industry and emerging high-tech enterprises. Hydronalix, ATAG, PowerPhotonic, and Global Water Resources are prominent among these establishments, each contributing to the town’s dynamic growth trajectory and being the existing tenants of the industrial facility SAMTEC.

Within Sahuarita’s economic landscape framework, the mining sector assumes a pivotal role, featuring the operations of two major copper mining entities, Freeport McMoRan, and ASARCO. These industry leaders underscore the town’s strategic positioning within the mining domain. Sahuarita further solidifies its standing as a mining research and development hub with the presence of the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, an esteemed center affiliated with the University of Arizona, dedicated to advancing the frontiers of mining exploration and technology.

Additionally, Sahuarita hosts two distinguished proving grounds, namely those of Caterpillar and Komatsu. These proving grounds not only bolster the town’s industrial profile but also serve as essential testing and innovation centers for heavy machinery, contributing to the technological advancements in the field.

Major new employers have expanded to Pinal County, including Lucid Motors and Nikola. Located in the heart of the Sun Corridor, Pinal County has a very diverse economy. Since the county’s inception 135 years ago, copper mining has and remains a county economic mainstay, over the many years creating thousands of great paying jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state, county and local economies. Another major economic engine is agriculture. The central to western area of the county is home to hundreds of family, corporate and university based farms supporting various types of agricultural products including Pima cotton, hay, sorghum, millet, corn, sheep, dairy & feeder cattle and several varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Manufacturing and Distribution Hub

Manufacturing and major distribution firms are centered along Pinal County’s main traffic corridors of Interstate 10 (California to Florida), Interstate 8 (Pinal County to San Diego) and US Route 60. Transportation corridors in the county also include the Union Pacific Sunset Line (Long Beach to El Paso) and Copper Basin railroads. With the proposed development of a 950 acre Union Pacific Railroad rail park locating near Red Rock, and close to I-10 and I-8, Pinal County has a great opportunity to create a major multi-modal warehouse/distribution network along with opportunities for the location of national and global rail-served manufacturing operations.

Cochise County is nestled in the southeastern corner of Arizona encompassing 6,200 square miles of mountains, yucca-speckled grasslands, and unique cities and towns. The communities of Sierra Vista, Douglas, Bisbee, Benson, Willcox, Huachuca City, and Tombstone, along with surrounding unincorporated areas and the border state of Sonora, Mexico, boast a shared, diverse workforce with vibrant regional, national, and cross-border/international market opportunities. Cochise County balances high technology and aerospace industries with a rich agricultural setting offering.

Competitive Attributes of Cochise County

• • Eight public general aviation airports (most with available land)
  • Rail access
  • Robust fiberoptic infrastructure
• Access to major east-west interstate highway (I-10)
• Multiple electric cooperatives with reliable and cost-effective power and natural gas providers
• Fertile agricultural land with year-round growing season
• Proximity to U.S./Mexico border with two international ports of entry

Santa Cruz County is located the southernmost central part of Arizona, bordering Mexico and serving as the gateway to North America’s most important port of entry, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. While one of the state’s smallest counties, Santa Cruz County is also one of Arizona’s most diverse and interesting destinations, offering an eclectic blend of history, culture, art, recreation, shopping, cuisine and entertainment in a beautiful and relaxing setting.

From the artist colony of Tubac, to the historic national monuments at Tumacacori, to the twin border towns of Nogales, Arizona and Mexico, to the mountain and birding town of Patagonia, to Arizona’s wine country in Sonoita and Elgin, a journey though Santa Cruz County will intrigue, stimulate and satisfy the senses!