The Old Pueblo used to be considered a quiet, dusty sort of town, known more for climate than for commerce.

That hasn't been the case for quite a while, now.  Ranked by population, the city of Tucson, Arizona now tops

• Atlanta, GA,
• Sacramento, CA
• Cleveland, OH
• Kansas City, MO
• Miami, FL
• Minneapolis, MN
• and many more

That's for only the city of Tucson, with a 2005 population estimate of 515,526.  (I'm that last digit.  It used to be 515,525.) 

Greater Tucson, an area of more than 900 square miles, has one million residents as of May, 2007.

Interstate 10 comes across from Texas, connecting Tucson with Phoenix and Los Angeles.  If you take the Interstate 8 hike to the left, you'll get to San Diego.

Small wonder, then, that Tucson is vying with Kingman, AZ as a major inland port.  Kingman is located on what's known as the N-S Canamex I-93 corridor, but Tucson has the edge economically.  Kingman doesn't have the economic clout that Tucson has, or the population to support the jobs that will be created.

This spells profitability for commercial and residential real estate.  When the current credit crunch eases, look for Tucson property values to move up more quickly than most of the rest of the nation.

And you can hedge your bets by buying real estate now in Kingman, Arizona.  Just in case...

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ mortgage lender.
 
Think of me as your local expert

photo and commentary
copyright Michael W. Jones