By Michele Nelson | Payson Roundup
Pinal and Gila counties could have been siblings.
Both started as ranching and mining communities.
Both were rural, with no big population center.
Both struggled to create an economic base to provide good jobs.
But then, Pinal took a different path.
As a result, in the last 10 years Pinal has boomed while Gila struggled to escape the recession.
“We have the lowest poverty rate in the state,” said Timothy Kanavel, Economic Development program manager for Pinal County. “We’ve also lowered our property taxes for the third year in a row.”
