Pima County's population growth might seem frenetic by national standards, but it's just a loping trot compared with the rest of Arizona's.
Environmentalists say they deserve some of the credit for the county's relatively slow growth rate.
But their efforts to put the brakes on rampant development could end up fueling faster growth, environmentalists acknowledge. Carolyn Campbell, director of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, said the county growth rate likely will accelerate once the county adopts stricter development standards to protect the area's natural resources. Cities with a high quality of life are some of the ones growing the fastest. Southern Arizona Home Builders Association spokesman Alan Lurie said many potential Tucsonans were scared away in the '90s by the city's problems with Central Arizona Project water and what he calls the county's attempt to limit private property rights. The Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is pleased with the local growth rate.