A mecca for entrepreneurs – Study says Phoenix, state (Arizona) top lists for new businesses

We’re hot.

Metro Phoenix is the No. 1 large metro area and Arizona is the No. 1 state for new businesses and entrepreneurs, according to rankings of entrepreneurial hot sites from a national research organization.

Tucson ranked No. 2 behind El Paso among midsize cities, and Yuma ranked No. 4 among small cities, the National Research Policy Council said this week.

The nonpartisan council ranked regions on their record for creating new businesses and for adding employees to existing companies over the past 14 years. It based its analysis on data for more than 17 million businesses nationwide.

No one factor makes a place hot, council officials said. It seems to take a combination of education, infrastructure, climate, quality of life and, especially, population growth.

"The only common factor we could find is population growth," council spokesman Chris Madison said. "But we’re not sure if it’s the chicken or the egg" in spurring entrepreneurial growth.

Jane Larson
The Arizona Republic

Full Story: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/1014Werehot.html