It’s High Time for Show Low

The U.S. can claim its share of towns and cities with unique, colorful names. For one, Bucksnort, Tennessee, comes to mind. Then there are the celebrated standards like Speed, North Carolina; Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; Uncertain, Texas; Oblong, Illinois; and, for sheer vibes, Cool, Texas.

But when it comes to mysteriously emblematic names, Show Low, Arizona, is in a class all by itself. Which, of course, begs the question, “Why, Show Low?”

In the late 1860s, two settlers homesteading on the lush, ponderosa pine-strewn plateau of the Mogollon Rim decided that there wasn’t enough space separating their properties. So one of them needed to move…lock, stock and barrel.

The gentlemen, Marion Clark and Corydon Cooley, agreed they would decide on which of them would get packing by playing a simple, deck-cutting card game. To claim victory, the winner needed to “show low”—in other words, to draw a lower card than his opponent. Clark drew the deuce of clubs, Cooley packed up and moved, and—to celebrate the community’s quirky beginnings—Clark named the expanded acreage Show Low.

Over the past 150-plus years since its founding, Show Low clearly hasn’t lost any of its rustic charm or natural beauty. Vouching for that, Grace Payne, communications manager for the City of Show Low, says one of the area’s primary attractions is its ideal climate. She points out that, just two hours from Phoenix, the small city’s 6,345-foot elevation helps keep it cool during Arizona’s sweltering summers, but not so cool that it can’t be enjoyed year-round.

“Weather-wise, Show Low can’t be beat,” Payne says. “We have ‘four-season’ enjoyment here. It’s that lifestyle piece that we know people are moving here to enjoy.”

Indeed, as legions of Arizonans and more far-flung travelers know, sojourning for any length of time on the Mogollon Rim can be a deeply satisfying experience.

With the foregoing, it’s easy to understand why tourism has become such a valuable commodity for Show Low and its environs. (And Show Low’s location at the convergence of five state highways and its proximity to Interstate 40 certainly helps in that cause.)

One longtime attraction is the region’s abundant, world-class hunting and fishing opportunities. The thickly-wooded White Mountains where Show Low nestles are dotted with rivers, streams and lakes that are annually stocked for anglers’ enjoyment.

Hiking is another popular pastime in the region. The Show Low Bluff Trail overlooking Show Low Creek has incomparable vistas along its leisurely one-and-a-half-mile length. And in neighboring Greer, the longer, 14-mile West Baldy Trail is rated as one of the most beautiful hikes in Arizona.

Payne sums up Show Low’s attraction to visitors: “If you just want to get out of the city and stretch your legs, breathe some fresh air, do some out-of-the-norm activities like hunting or fishing with your family, all you need to do is hop in the car and drive a couple hours north, and you’ll have the most refreshing weekend you can create for yourself.”

Show Low’s many charms don’t end with its natural beauty and climate. Its superlatives extend into the city center itself, where a bustling business climate and thoughtful city planning are helping put the community more markedly on the map.

Not only is the city a haven for sports and recreation, it also offers its fair share of dining and shopping opportunities. Show Low’s main thoroughfare—Deuce of Clubs Avenue (named for the denomination of the low card the city’s founder drew)—is increasingly a shopper’s and diner’s delight, offering scores of small shops and restaurants to please every pocketbook or palate.

“With some of our historical buildings set right downtown among our shops and restaurants and service facilities, it truly is a community that blends the charm of a small town with all the comforts of a larger city,” Payne says.

But, Show Low’s city managers are well aware, a city can’t thrive on tourism or retail alone. To broaden its economic base, they note that Show Low city government agencies are proactively working in tandem to expand and balance the city’s attractiveness to small business entrepreneurs and residential developers alike.

“In fact,” notes Steve North, Show Low’s business development manager, “Show Low is shifting from a coal-influenced community to becoming a regional center of light manufacturing and aviation. We have several hundred acres of shovel-ready lots in three industrial parks, and a regional airport that includes developable property with runway access and daily commuter service to Phoenix.”

North also cites the city’s thriving healthcare system, including Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center and a network of ancillary services that offer a host of specialized medical treatments. 

One of Show Low’s far-sighted local entrepreneurs, David Malmgren says that he and his wife saw the opportunities the town presented in the late 1990s when they lived in Phoenix—and they haven’t looked back since. Owner of the thriving Pet Food Warehouse in downtown Show Low, he is the archetype of a small business entrepreneur whose dogged vision and a roll-up-your-sleeves willingness to work led to success.

It wasn’t easy, as Malmgren points out. In 2008, he began by selling hay to local ranchers and livestock owners. That enterprise evolved into a multi-faceted store, incorporating a tack shop, feed and hay sales, along with boots, jeans, hats and pet supplies. Malmgren adds that they’re soon opening a human food-service facet of their business.

“It’s funny,” he muses. “I started selling hay on the side of the road all those years ago and that’s still one of our top-selling items.”

Show Low’s increasing status as a community on the rise isn’t just happenstance. As Payne points out, the city’s proactive government and economic development efforts have made a huge difference in Show Low’s rising star. In that regard, one development that Payne notes is on the near horizon is a business incubator for the city.

“It’s still in the early planning stages, but we’re all incredibly excited about it here as a part of our municipal campus,” she says. “It’s a passion for all of us here in the city because we’re trying to attract and nurture young businesses and young entrepreneurs, and give them a hand up.”

Payne also points out that the city’s collaborative, fast-track permitting process is helping to expedite all of the necessary paperwork that new business owners need to fill out and file.

“It’s helping immensely,” she emphasizes. “For us to work all-hands-on-deck collaboratively within one city facility is making a big difference. We want our businesses and industries to know that once you put in your paperwork, you’re not going to get lost in the shuffle—you’re going to be handled by decisionmakers who will walk you through every step of the process, with open communication all the way.”

Malmgren agrees that Show Low city leaders and managers have significantly ramped up their assistance to local businesses. He credits the mayor, John Leech, and other government offices and representatives for helping to grow the local economy.

“They’ve been terrific,” he says. “I feel like Show Low is becoming the shiny penny now, where before it wasn’t quite in that category.”

Malmgren adds that there are a lot of people trying to get out of the cities these days, and Show Low presents a nice quiet place to live and work.

“I think the appeal of small mom-and-pop store shopping has taken root with a lot of people, and that’s mostly what we offer. We just treat people like friends because they are friends,” he says. “Here in Show Low, community support—be it from the local residents or from your fellow small-business folks—is really the essence of living and working in the city.”