After a long month of controversial legislative decisions putting Arizona in the national media hot seat, some welcome positive news emerged: Tucson came in as number 19 on Forbes’ list of  “America’s Most Innovative Cities.”

Tucson’s rankings, as reported by the May 27 Arizona Daily Star:
• 31st for technology and science jobs
• 27th for creative jobs
• 16th in patents per capita
• 45th in venture investments per capita.

The ranking puts Tucson is the company of San Jose, Calif., was at the top of the list, followed by Austin, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; San Francisco; and Seattle. Phoenix or New York did not make the top-20.

The Forbes ranking reinforces the region’s position as an innovative, creative place to live and work — a boon to economic development.  Business owners and managers can use this information to clear up misconceptions about our region, and to draw attention to its strengths.

Forbes said to develop the list it started with the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. and used data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine number of patents per capita. Forbes then combined it with venture capital investment per capita from the National Venture Capital Association, along with those cities’ ratios of high-tech, science and “creative” jobs from ZoomProspector.com and Payscale.com.

Forbes’s complex process gives the list credibility and Tucson’s notable position helps establish its brand as a creative, desirable place to live and work.  Our community should celebrate being among the nation’s 20 most innovative cities.

(Thanks to Ken Lund for the photo.)

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