Tucson Pima County Jobs Shrink; Maricopa County Increases Jobs

Almost daily there are announcements about companies planning to open new operations in Maricopa County, especially in the Mesa area, while job opportunities in Tucson continue to remain dormant or shrink.

Does it have anything to do with the different political climates? One major difference between the Tucson area and the Phoenix area is that politically Tucson leans toward the left and Phoenix generally leans to the right.

What makes Pima County deter these companies, while Maricopa County attracts them, some hiring as many as 4000 workers as IntelIntel will do when its new plant is completed?

The town of Gilbert, with about 200,000 residents, alone has attracted nine new businesses and $63 million in capital investment from July to December 2010.

Population may factor into why these companies are avoiding settling in Tucson and Pima County, at least when it comes to retail businesses. The fact that Pima County was expected to reach one million people by 2010 and fell below that figure may be one reason.

What is holding Tucson and Pima County back while Phoenix and Maricopa County continues to attract investment and provide jobs?

http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/news/top_stories/pima-county-falls-short-of-m-mark/article_7364b0fc-50d9-11e0-9e9f-001cc4c002e0.html