The region of Greater Phoenix is in the midst of unprecedented growth, but a survey conducted by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in 2025 displayed a discrepancy in activity compared to perception among CEOs and the general public across the country.
About 45% of the people surveyed stated they were not familiar with the market. When asked for descriptors of Greater Phoenix, there were contradictions between responses: quiet vs. bustling; modern vs. western; creative, innovative and awesome vs. boring and lame. There was a lack of awareness of the lifestyle, amenities, and technology driving community and economic growth.
To better tell our story to the country and world, nine local economic leaders have partnered to launch A New Way To City (ANWTC), a brand platform designed to tell the unique stories of individuals and innovators across Greater Phoenix, sparking local pride and shifting global perceptions.
The founding members — Arizona Public Service (APS), the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Board of Regents, Carlisle, Carvana, Copper Sky Capital, GPEC, Salt River Project (SRP) and The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury — represent leaders in education, business, tech and culture.
“A New Way To City introduces “city” as a verb, illustrating the boundless opportunities of Greater Phoenix’s creativity and innovation through a cultural branding movement that can be adopted and evolved by the community at large,” said GPEC President & CEO Christine Mackay. “Our market’s rich challenger, collaborative spirit has led to opportunities for individuals and businesses alike to grow and thrive here, and this brand platform will broadcast those journeys and successes to inspire a wide, new audience.”
Through collaboration with Forbes 30 under 30 and VIVA PHX, A New Way To City launches this week on anewwaytocity.com with seven stories of innovative leaders undertaking novel endeavors in Greater Phoenix. Over time, the campaign will disseminate additional untold stories and visuals through the website, social media, television, billboards and other mediums to establish a bold statement of the dynamic landscape and abundant opportunity of Greater Phoenix to a national and global audience.
Stories will highlight influencers in technology and innovation, lifestyle and culture, and the arts and entertainment. Explore innovators like Bluetail, Caris Life Science, Carvana, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, Lom Wong and TSMC Arizona here.
Approximately 58% of responding CEOs and executives were familiar with Greater Phoenix, while only 51% of the general public had such understanding. Even so, there was general positivity around the region: Only 8% of CEOs and 7% of the public had a negative perception.
When asked to rate the region on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being positive, the CEO group averaged a 3.68 rating while the general public’s was 3.51. Perception varied significantly between people who had and had lived in the region, as people who have lived here within the last five years scored the region much higher than those who had not.
Most people think first of the climate of Greater Phoenix when asked to describe the region. Hot/warm/dry was the top response when asked for a descriptor, with one of those three words used by more than half the respondents, while desert was in the top-3 for both CEOs and the public. However, many people used words like beautiful, modern, innovative, up-and-coming and creative. Throughout the stories in ANWTC, people will be able to discover more avenues of innovation and uniqueness in Greater Phoenix.
The growth in the advanced manufacturing and technology sectors have been prominent in Arizona, and that was represented by people surveyed who live here or have lived here in the last five years: This sector of respondents associates technology, including financial and educational tech, software, and aerospace and defense industries with Greater Phoenix. Among those who have never visited the region, there was more awareness of the leisure/hospitality, renewable energy, and warehouse/distribution industries.
The national perception of the creative and culture environment also varies. In a question with preselected responses available to choose, nearly half stated they were unfamiliar with the region’s creative scene, but nearly a quarter said “vibrant and diverse or emerging and growing” and many others said “unique and distinctive.”
ANWTC will address these understandings and bolster the visibility of the region’s amenities that have made it one of the fastest-growing metros this century.
