CNNMoney.com
Companies Economy International Corrections Pre-market Trading After-hours Trading Winners/Losers/Actives Bonds Currencies Commodities World Markets Money Magazine Real Estate Taxes Jobs Ask the Expert Money 101 Autos Mutual Funds The Help Desk Loan Center Best Places to Live Ask the Expert Ultimate Guide to Retirement Retirement Calculators Best Funds Ask the Mole Best Places to Retire Big Tech Blog Techland Blog Sectors and Stocks Fortune 500 Techs Tech Talk 100 Best Places to Launch Ultimate Resource Guide Small Biz Makeovers FSB 100 Ask & Answer Fortune 500 Technology Investing Management C-Suite Rankings Main Create Portfolio Edit Portfolio Create Alerts Edit Alerts
44 of 100
BACK NEXT
44. Oro Valley, Ariz.
Population: 35,750
Pro: It's a quick trip to the Tucson International Airport
Con: Most urban cultural amenities are six miles away in Tucson

The population of Oro Valley has increased by 25% since 2000, fueled in part by a strongly pro-business local government. The start-up business rate isn't bad either, with 83 licensed in 2007 - or two for every 1,000 inhabitants.

Oro Valley is also home to an emerging tech and biotech industry: Sanofi-Aventis, a large pharmaceutical company, just completed a new R&D center. The University of Arizona, a public research university, provides a strong talent pool. Located in nearby Tucson, the University of Arizona is also home to the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship.

Despite all this activity, Oro Valley offers a calm and family-friendly environment. Nearby attractions include the southern-most ski area in the U.S. and Kitt Peak National Observatory, home to the world's largest solar telescope. -Malika Zouhali-Worrall

Interactive map: Oro Valley, Ariz.
Homes for sale Find homes for sale in Oro Valley, Ariz.


NEXT: 45. Sioux Falls, S.D.

Last updated July 02 2008: 11:16 AM ET
More Galleries
Oakland: The other city by the bay
Oakland: The other city by the bay
This west coast port city has way more to offer than its reputation suggests. More
The barter business
The barter business
In a tough economy, more small business owners are conserving cash by bartering. The U.S. boasts some 500 barter exchanges - here's a sampling of established and reputable outfits. More
No power outlet? No problem
No power outlet? No problem
Unplug your adventures with off-the-grid gadgets. More

Special Offer
© 2009 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Live Quotes automatically refresh, but individual equities are delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET.
* : Time reflects local markets trading time. † - Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. Disclaimer
Copyright © 2009 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.