Oro Valley Recruits High Incomes

My friends in Arizona never cease to amaze me. Here is an example of how a community that started out wanting to be a retirement haven has diversified itself into a high-income community for tech executives and others in the Tucson area.

Oro Valley Arizona is attracting a new type of mature resident - established high-tech firms whose well-paid employees want beautiful neighborhoods and a short commute.

"People have thought Oro Valley is primarily a retirement community. Not so," said Jeff Weir, Oro Valley's economic development administrator. The town north of Tucson has 38,000 residents and a median age of 45.

Oro Valley's development shows the impact that tech transfer can have on a community, and broadens the portfolio economic development officials use to lure companies to the greater Tucson area.

Downtown Tucson offers an urban environment. Marana offers plenty of land and potential. Oro Valley has mountain views, upscale homes - and 10 high-tech companies, with room for three times more than that.

"Essentially what we've got up there is sort of the emerging upper-middle-class suburbs," said Lay James Gibson, a University of Arizona regional economist. "You can argue that the Tucson region is well served by this because you're minimizing the journey to work - you're putting jobs and people together."

I've known Jeff Weir and Lay Gibson for sometime. Jeff, maybe someday my wife and I will buy a home in your town. I know--buy-in now before the prices go higher.

Read more here.