Arizona’s West Coast

What makes Arizona’s West Coast such as jewel? I have always thought it could be focused to three primary factors. Tourism, Location, and Scarcity of land.

TOURISM

The county attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, many of which become seasonal or full time residents.
Fall, winter and spring bring the RVers, retirees and pre-retirees looking for sun, fun and lots of activities.
Spring, summer and fall bring boaters, fisherman, hunters and other sportsmen to the Colorado River and the mountains.
La Paz County is one of a limited number of areas with a year around tourist industry.

A STRATEGIC LOCATION

The county is the very important link between the major metropolitan areas of the southwest.
Southern California – population, approximately 22 million.
The Phoenix Metropolitan area – population, approximately 3.5 million.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan area – population approximately 2 million.
Companies which have traditionally located in those markets are now locating in La Paz County.
This activity is enhanced by the fact that the county is much more open to industrial development than the metropolitan areas.
In addition, the US Government is now building an $80 million, 70 acre Mexican border crossing complex near Yuma, Arizona.
This facility will process the increasing flow of truck traffic to and from Mexico which has been forced to use inadequate crossings in New Mexico, Arizona and California. US/Arizona Highway 95 and Interstate 10 funnel this traffic into and through La Paz County to destinations in California, Arizona, Nevada, and throughout the western US.
This flow will continue to increase as major Mexican seaports are constructed or expanded. These ports are being enlarged in order to expand the flow of Asian cargo into the US. This flow is beginning to be restricted due to the congestion in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. Expansion of these ports is very difficult, if not impossible.

A VERY LIMITED AMOUNT OF PRIVATELY HELD LAND

Only 5% of the land in La Paz County is privately held. The remaining 95% is owned by the US Government, the State of Arizona and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. In addition, only a modest amount of the private land can be zoned at densities suitable for urban development. This creates and excellent opportunity for land investment and development.