By Parker Leavitt | The Republic | azcentral.com
It was a frigid 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Winnipeg, Canada, on Christmas Eve, a whopping 60 degrees colder than the high temperature in sunny Gilbert that same day.
While weather stands out as perhaps the most striking difference between the two communities, it also helps tie them together, as many Canadians enjoy spending the winter at a second home in the much warmer Arizona desert.
Residential investment is a common entryway into a market, and town officials are increasingly looking to Canada as an important economic development pipeline.
The town is building relationships with Canadian business leaders and joining with other Arizona organizations to strengthen those ties, Gilbert Economic Development Director Dan Henderson said.