In deciding how best to market the state, consultant Kathy Heasley had to look at how outsiders perceive Arizona and those who live here. And while some of what she found was expected — and even flattering — her work showed some interesting perspectives.
One person in Chicago, asked to describe what Arizonans are like, found them brave. Why? We deal with scorpions and other desert creatures.
Another said Arizonans have to be “rugged because they have to deal with a lot when it comes to their environment.”
A New Yorker described Arizonans as “pleasant” and “slower paced.”
There was more than one suggestion that Arizonans are laid back, with one speaking of the “free spirits” that exist here.
Someone from San Francisco said the state is filled with “retirees and artists who like a slower-paced lifestyle and love clean air and being surrounded by beautiful and colorful scenery,” while another said those in Tucson “kind of tend towards the earthy/crunchy type.”
