gained national recognition through a segment that aired nationwide December 9th on

highlight Rancho Sahuarita and the Town´s current economic success and to discover

their "magic formula to survive the slowdown." ABC News wanted to know why homes

are continuing to sell in this community in spite of the difficult economic times.

ABC correspondent John Donovan recently toured the community with Tom Murphy,

Community Liaison for Rancho Sahuarita and he was amazed at the strong home

building activity that was taking place. In his story, he talks about how just since

President George W. Bush was first elected to office, there have been over 4,000 homes

sold at Rancho Sahuarita and the population of Sahuarita has grown by nearly 600

planning to build a new store in Sahuarita, if an economic development agreement is

approved by the Town Council, when so many other businesses are closing their doors

across the country.

Donovan´s segment not only focuses on the active residential construction environment

in Rancho Sahuarita, with its 500 new home closings projected for 2008, but also on the

quality of its amenities and the sense of optimism and calm displayed by its residents.

The story highlights the Town´s 15-acre lake park and the 20,000 sq. ft. Club Rancho

Sahuarita, its splash park and its electric train. ABC News also appeared to be impressed

with Rancho Sahuarita´s Marketplace, the community´s primary commercial amenity that

opened less than one year ago as a one-stop shopping destination for pharmacy, grocery,

banking, and a wealth of other convenient services.

Bob Sharpe, managing partner of Rancho Sahuarita, believes that the community´s

current success is due to Rancho Sahuarita offering lifestyle oriented buyers the right

home, in the right neighborhood, at the right price. He recently said, "Rancho

Sahuarita´s vision to create a place where residents can live, learn, work, play and shop is

very attractive to homebuyers, who recognize the value of living in a small town, with an

intimate atmosphere."

Although the unsteady market has made prospective homebuyers insecure and confused

about what exactly a good housing deal is today, Rancho Sahuarita´s continual

introduction of new amenities and events reassures residents that choosing to live in a

"true" master planned community is the correct financial and emotional decision for their

family. Donovan caught up with Rancho Sahuarita resident Lynette Hungerford at the

Fry´s Marketplace, and her feelings towards living in Rancho Sahuarita were very

enthusiastic, describing the abundance of programs and activities as very similar to

"being on a cruise ship with a cruise director." George Bass, owner of Solaris Restaurant

and also a Rancho Sahuarita resident, told Donovan that he has been overwhelmed by the

volume of business that his restaurant is experiencing, saying, "The way the economy is

going, we´re really surprised."

Donovan concluded his Nightline segment on a somewhat optimistic note by saying that

although there may not be any boomtowns left anywhere in America, "there is some kind

of wish" in the Town of Sahuarita "to see things turn out OK like the vision said it would,

and if it does, that would be magic."

If you would like to watch the ABC Nightline story, the video is available on Rancho

Sahuarita´s website. Just visit CLICK HERE: