In an effort to augment the efforts of a Regional Economic Development Board and the local Chamber of Commerce the Bullhead City Economic Recovery Committee was formed several months ago. The driving force behind this committee came from the sister industries of construction and real estate. Originally the brain child of Larry Adams of Pueblo Construction Concepts and member of the Mohave Valley Contractors Association, the committee was formed to try to reduce local economic development to its lowest common denominator, namely new home construction and real estate sales. The question posed was “Who is most likely to move to Bullhead City and buy or build housing?”. After an exhaustive and detailed demographic study it was determined that 23% of the local population was in the 45 to 64 year old age group. It was also determined that that was also the largest single age group buying homes in Bullhead City. It only followed that if the committee was to reach its stated goal of recruiting 1000 new residents, a year, to move to the Bullhead City area this was the most likely group to target. Studies further showed that the two biggest concerns within this group were affordability and health care. The committee commissioned an economic comparison study with The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that compared the cost of virtually everything associated with the cost of living (milk, eggs, peanut butter, gasoline, housing, health care, etc.) in Bullhead City with the same costs in hundreds of other cities. The results of this study were shocking!! It was determined that the cost of living, in Bullhead City, was lower than in most other markets around the US!! In some cases the differences were absolutely staggering! For example using a national average score 0f 100 Bullhead City scored 90.6 or about 9% less than the national average. Orange County, California however, scored at 144 or about 44% above the national average and 53% higher than Bullhead City. Minneapolis, Minnesota meanwhile scored a 110 to Bullhead City’s 90.6. It was felt that this “affordability index” was powerful enough that it needed to be promoted. To that end a widget was constructed on the City of Bullhead City’s website that displays a Cost of Living Index Calculator that can be used by anyone thinking of relocating to Bullhead City to compare the cost of living with that in their home town.