Goodyear, Arizona
With a brand-new Microsoft campus and a Nike manufacturing facility set to bring in more than 500 full-time jobs, the city of Goodyear, located just outside of Phoenix, has ample career opportunities. Job growth in the surrounding county increased by 23.1% from 2010 to 2018, and is projected to go up 7.7% by 2023.
Goodyear gets 296 sunny days a year, and residents enjoy stunning desert landscapes nestled beneath Estrella Mountain Regional Park. There are two man-made lakes to help beat the Arizona heat, or folks can take a dip in the Gila River. Sports fans enjoy ballgames at the renowned Goodyear Ballpark, spring training home to the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.
It's only about a 25-minute drive, barring traffic, to arrive in downtown Phoenix, which offers a wide variety of bars and restaurants. If the city's name sounds familiar, you should know that Goodyear was, in fact, founded over 100 years ago by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Factory as a place to grow cotton for its tires. There's one more connection to a well-known brand: a Snyder's of Hanover pretzel factory is also in town. — Chloe Wilt