Words from Harry B. Oberg, Mayor of Prescott

 

Mayor of Prescott
Harry B. Oberg

 

Prescott is located about 90 miles north of Phoenix, situated a mile in elevation, in the Bradshaw Mountains, next to the Prescott National Forest. Prescott has many outstanding assets, including our outdoor amenities, hundreds of miles of trails, a historic downtown, Old West History, art and culture. We are a vibrant tourism destination, just two hours from the Grand Canyon as well. But Prescott has much more than you may know. Here are some examples. Prescott has four institutes of higher learning, lead by Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which brings top students from all over the world to study aerospace, cyber-security, and now security and intelligence. Northern Arizona University, Yavapai College and Prescott College offer a wide range of curricula meeting the needs of a diverse student population. Prescott’s housing market is growing to meet demand, with nearly 500 multi-family units being planned and built, as well as hundreds more single family homes in various phases of planning and construction. The City is also developing a new economic development strategy centered around high tech and cyber security. Working with Embry Riddle, and our other three institutes of higher learning, we are inviting CEOs from the tech industry to visit Prescott for symposiums and retreats. We are pleased to welcome the AZ Tech Council CEO Summit in August, followed by another high-tech CEO cyber security conference in September. We believe that they will recognize all that Prescott has to offer in terms of quality lifestyle, higher education, and infrastructure, and then decide to open satellite offices.

We are also working with our education and business partners to develop a business incubator that will provide a space for entrepreneurs to meet, work, collaborate and develop new ideas to launch their businesses. From there we will connect them with investors to launch their business ideas. Our goal is to give our graduates job opportunities right here in Prescott. These sustainable, long-term jobs will propel Prescott, making us a hub of high tech business, and quality lifestyle in Northern Arizona.

Another exciting prospect is the Prescott Municipal Airport. The City of Prescott recently received grant funding to complete a comprehensive Airport Master Plan. This will ultimately enhance the capabilities of our airport and provide the opportunity for a regional airport serving the “quad cities” region of Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and DeweyHumboldt. Our passenger air carrier partner, Great Lakes Airlines has added planes and flights taking passengers to Los Angeles and Denver. In April of this year, passenger enplanements were up 150 percent over the previous year.

Recently, Prescott was named the “Best Place to Live in the Southwest” by Sunset Magazine; we were also named in the Top 13 Happiest and Healthiest Communities in the country by Time Magazine. More recently, Prescott was named one of the “Coolest” Downtowns in North America by Expedia, and was nominated by USA Today to be one of the “Top 10 Arizona Travel Destinations.” The American Lung Association consistently ranks Prescott’s air quality to be the best in the continental United States.

Our network of over 450 miles of trails, three lakes which support fishing, kayaking and canoeing, plus our great parks and sports facilities make Prescott a world-class place to visit and to live. Recently GoodCall.com, a consumer reporting website, ranked Prescott among the top cities to retire in the country. As you can see, Prescott is a city on the move. We have many engaged and passionate citizens who see the potential of this City, and will help us build a Prescott that is sustainable and exciting for generations to come.