About Yuma County - Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation

Yuma County, one of the original four counties designated by the First Territorial Legislature, encompasses approximately 5,500 square miles in southwest Arizona - bordered by both California and Mexico. Much of Yuma County is desert land accented by rugged mountains. The valley regions, however, contain an abundance of arable land, which is irrigated with Colorado River water. The region’s economy thrives on two major defense facilities, a highly progressive inter-state regional medical facility, a retail and hospitality sector that attracts 70,000 winter visitors annually, a $3.2 billion high-tech agribusiness industry and a booming industrial development sector.

There are many factors to consider when evaluating a region for business investment. Throughout the past decade Yuma County has developed and expanded their business-friendly environment, available labor pool and high quality of life making the region a desirable location. Companies such as Advanced Call Center Technology, Allstate, ALSCO, Alside, Civigenics, Johnson Controls (Fortune 500), General Motors, Northwestern Industries, Schwan’s, Shaw Industries (Fortune 500) and Superlite Block have either built new facilities or expanded their operations recently due to the abundant labor force, strong support services and strategic location.

Within a day’s truck haul, companies can access over 50 million consumers in California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Mexico. The advantageous position of being located on the Mexican border also makes bi-national commerce an efficient option for twin plant and maquila operations. Interstate 8 and Highway 95 run directly through the county and connect to I-10, I-5, and a myriad of other freeway routes.

Yuma County has two national highway systems running directly through the region: Interstate 8 with East/West access and Highway 95 (Canamex Corridor) with North/South access is located in close proximity to both major domestic and foreign markets. Yuma Airport has 145 acres with runways exceeding 13,000 feet and has the ability to accommodate aircraft of all sizes. Rail connectivity is offered throughout the entire county serviced by the Union Pacific “Sunset Route”. The New San Luis II Commercial Port of Entry will provide expedited movement of commercial traffic from the border directly to Interstate 8.

Yuma County has earned a reputation for fair dealing and close partnering with businesses moving into the community. All area jurisdictions provide swift and smooth permitting and development processes. Open communications and a flexible attitude demonstrated by leadership have contributed to the major investments recently made by companies such as Associated Materials Incorporated and Northwestern Industries.

Constant migration of a variety of skilled workers from California, Greater Phoenix and Mexico provide a wealth of talent from which to draw. The fair regulatory environment and proximity to the Southern California, Nevada and Phoenix markets also contribute to making Yuma an attractive location for commerce and industry.

The Yuma Region has an abundant supply of natural resources including:

Water: The Yuma Region has the senior most water rights on the Colorado River. Yuma’s allocation is approximately 1.3 million acre feet (40%) of the State’s allotment. The Yuma region sits on two aquifers that provide an abundant source of ground water for well use.

Sun: All of Yuma County ranks 6.1 - 6.5 kWh/m2/day in the solar insolation annual average chart with a portion of Yuma County ranking 6.6 - 7.0. The electricity generation potential for Arizona is 101 million MWH/yr.

Wind: Pacific Northwest Laboratories rates Arizona as a level class 4 for wind development, identifying 77,000 acres as a viable wind area for development. The Yuma region serves as a great source for small wind turbines like the Air 403 turbines used for recharging batteries and supplementing the electrical supply of a business or home.

Geothermal: Arizona’s geothermal resources found almost exclusively in Yuma County are a potential source of electricity and direct heating and cooling. Currently there are no geothermal installations producing electricity in the state. The electric generation potential for Yuma County is approximately 4 million MWh/yr.

Nav: Site Selection