Area Info
Schools
Valley of the Sun / Phoenix Area Market Highlights:
- Phoenix is the state capital, and the business and cultural hub of the southwest
- America’s fastest-growing major metro over the past 10 years (+45.3%- an increase of over 1 million)
- Third fastest-growing top 10 metro in numeric growth over the past year, with over 130,200 additional inhabitants
- It is also expected to double in size over the next 20 years (U.S. Census
- Phoenix is one of the most affordable major areas in the U.S.– of the top 15 metros
- Phoenix is ranked #4 overall, based on a composite of grocery, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, misc. (ACCRA, 1st qtr. ‘08);
- Phoenix is also one of the most affordable housing markets - more affordable than Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (NAHB Housing Opportunity Index, 1st Qtr 2008)
- Of the top 15 DMAs, Phoenix is ranked #1 in total retail sales per HH; and in 5-year % change
- Phoenix is ranked: #1 in general merchandising #1 in furniture – sleeping equipment #2 in motor vehicles/parts #1 in furniture/furnishing #1 in floor coverings #2 in groceries/other foods #1 in major HH appliances #2 in computer hardware/software #2 in TV/VCR/tape sales
- Phoenix is home to 6 Fortune 500 firms: Freeport- McMoRan, Cooper & Gold, Avnet, U.S.Airways, Allied Waste, Insight Enterprises, and PetSmart; Fortune 1000 HQs: Pinnacle West Capital, Amkor Technology, Apollo Group, Meritage Homes, CSK Auto, and RSC Holdings (Fortune Magazine,4/08)
- Phoenix’s other major employers: Wells Fargo, Cox Communications, Medtronic, Intel, and Honeywell
- Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International is the 9th-busiest U.S. airport in 2007, with 20 airports nearly 42.2million passengers annually (Airport Council International, 7/08), with a $8.2 billion economic impact (Carey School of Business, Arizona State Univ. 3/08); HQs for US Airways & major hub for S.W. airlines; Phoenix-Mesa
- Downtown development includes: $2 billion revitalization over next 3 years for Cooper Square, a 90-block area, for public and private redevelopment projects; the valley’s 20-mile light rail system from N.W. Phoenix to Tempe & Mesa growth,
- Phoenix Convention Center expansion, now triple in size;
- There is the new Arizona State University urban campus for 15,000 students in downtown Phoenix
- Phoenix is home to 4 professional sports teams: Arizona Diamondbacks (baseball), Phoenix Suns (basketball), Phoenix Coyotes (hockey), Arizona Cardinals (football), and the surrounding area also hosts the spring training bases for several major league baseball teams and is growing that base.
Phoenix is Ranked:
#1 “Best place to live” of top 10 big cities (Money Magazine, 10/07)
#2 “Top metro in annual rate of employment growth, adults age 18-34” (bizjournals.com, ’00-’07, top 25 metros)
#2 “Top growing US market” in job growth, climate, recreation, cost of living, housing (NuWire Investor, 11/07)
#2 “Best city for telecommuting” of top 15 metros (Time Magazine, 5/08)
#2 “Best boom-town” for large cities, based on employment growth rates (Inc. Magazine, 5/07)
#3 “Best city for jobs,” based on HH income, unemployment, income and job growth (Forbes, ’07)
#3 “Top metro in semiconductor mfg.”
#3 “Top metro in computer training by employment”
#7 “Top metro in high-tech job growth”
#7 “Top metro in high-tech mfg. employment” (AEA Cybercities, 6/08)
#4 “Best city with young college grads in cost of living & availability of good jobs (Apartments.com, 4/08)
#4 “Best place to live” in growth, educ., employment, crime, housing (Relocate-America, top 100 markets, 5/08)
#5 “Top major market for economic vitality” in job opportunities & population growth (Bizjournals, 5/08)
#6 “Top metro in economic strength” based on earnings, jobs, wages, and growth (Policom Rankings, ’08)