Although Arizona is one of the states most affected by the housing crunch and the foreclosure crisis, Phoenix is becoming a hotspot for green jobs. In 2009, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon unveiled a 17-point Green Phoenix plan to create new green-collar jobs and make the city the first carbon-neutral city in the nation.

 

Phoenix was recently awarded a $25 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to launch Energize Phoenix, a project that will reduce electricty consumption and generate 1,900 to 2,700 new jobs, most of them green jobs. The city council also voted to award the city's largest ever solar project to Tessera Solar, which will create more than 300 new jobs and provide power to 50,000 homes by the end of 2012. The city itself is already fairly green, boasting a virtually pollution-free METRO Light Rail, a LEED-certified convention center and more than 80 sustainability programs in water, energy and natural resource conservation.

 

CareerBuilder.com recently included Phoenix on its list of cities for new grads, noting that rent is affordable at $699.