Show Low, Arizona

4 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 C I TY OF SHOW LOW, AR I ZONA and as the Gateway to the state’s White Mountains, which offer more than two million acres of pristine and protected national forests and 50 lakes and streams that host world famous fishing opportunities, boating, kayaking, swimming, and relaxing. The region offers an abundance of world class hunting, hiking, skiing, and cycling, as well as mountain climbing and anything else an outdoor enthusiast could imagine. Steve North, Economic Development Manager for the City of Show Low boasts, “We have some of the best and most unique outdoor recreation opportunities in the state. We also have several hundred miles of trails in the area, both non- motorised and motorised trails that visitors take advantage of, and they are all well maintained so, very popular.” Show Low is located in Navajo County on the Mogollon Rim in east central Arizona. The city was established in 1870 and incorporated in 1953. Over the past decade it has grown exponentially with a year-round population of nearly 13,000. That number booms in the summer months with tourists and second homeowners to almost 170,000. The city borders the Fort Apache Reservation, which contains the Sunrise Park Resort ski resort with 65 runs – operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. North says, “It’s very popular in the wintertime and a well-maintained resort, year-round, and so we enjoy visitors in all four seasons. We do quite a bit of marketing in the wintertime to take advantage of that and to attract additional visitors to the area.” North says the city has focused on attracting entrepreneurs to the city for more than a decade to grow industry in the area, as a result they have quite a few entrepreneurs that have come to the area to start small businesses. A lot of those businesses and industries focus on the manufacturing and sales of outdoor adventure, sports, and clothing, as well as those that produce eco-sustainable forest products, for instance Forest Energy Corporation, that makes wood pellets for home heating pellet stoves, long- Proud Interline Partners with Now Daily Flights between Phoenix and Show Low Seamless baggage transfers to American, United, and Alaska Airlines. 1 (800) 329-0485 QUICK TSA SCREENING lasting condensed logs for wood stoves, and more. Since the pandemic started in 2020 and remote work became an option, more people are discovering the unparalleled quality of life opportunities that exist in places like Show Low. North reports, “Although some communities suffered during the pandemic, Show Low thrived. Now we’re seeing quite a few folks from particularly Phoenix and Tucson and again; the activity from Southern California is up as well. We’re seeing people move into the area because of the quality of life and, frankly, to get out of the metro areas. A lot of those folks are working remotely out of their second homes or even starting new businesses in the area and so we recognize that, and we are doing our best to try to nurture it.” Show Low’s retail sales boomed in the last two years – up 18 percent in 2021 and eight percent in the first quarter of 2022. Building permits and home sales were up, as well – 35 percent in 2021 and in the first quarter of 2022 up 26 percent.