When I moved to Arizona 33 years ago, it was because I fell in love with it at first sight. It was the mountains, the saguaros, the palm trees, the friendliness of the people, and the state itself, full of surprises.

That hasn’t changed, and a funny thing happens when others come to visit… that same feeling comes over them. Perhaps I should say the sun is a mood-elevator! It is.

We could always boast that we had jobs, new homes, great corporations, etc. Our economy (and that of all the states, unfortunately) has suffered in the last 2 years, due to financial institutions imploding, and the subsequent job losses., which has impacted our economy and devalued our homes.

If there’s one thing I observed and learned over those 33 years, having been through 3 recessions here before this one, is that there is a resilience to Americans, and especially to Arizonans. The West wasn’t “won” by those moving west because they were wimps. They were rugged individualists seeking a better life. I have faith that that same spirit will lift us up from this current recession.

I have never taken Arizona or the Valley for granted. It’s been exciting to witness the growth over the years, and additions of new homes, new subdivisions, new malls, new sport arenas, expansions of our renowned educational institutions, the new medical institutions, the addition of new diversity in our economics, ie, biotech, biomedicine, medical research centers, going green solar, wind, etc. And the Phoenix metropolitan area is considered the United States’ 14th-safest city, according to a recently released forbes.com list.

I need to mention that the state itself is a land of contrasts and topography. I have a webpage devoted to that very thing, Places to Explore. Just 40% is desert (and that desert has mountains for hiking, biking, national parks for exploring, unique and interesting wildlife; the rest is a mixture of ponderosa pines, red rocks, snow and even skiing! I need to mention, too, our Grand Canyon, and thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, our many lakes for recreation and water storage. I need to mention… our proximity to our neighboring states, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and California, each with their own specialness to share in a day trip. And did I say… our 8 months of the year with beautiful and perfect weather! Oops… there are some that do like the heat of the other 4! As they say… you don’t have to shovel it.

I think there’s a case for optimism just by being an Arizonan. We do have a lot to be thankful for, and we will concentrate on those benefits as we work our way through the short-sales, the job losses and come back again as strong as before. We invite you to visit to see for yourself, and even invest. The time was never better.