Provo, UT, USA. Construction projects and high-tech start-ups drive Utah's economic recovery, led by Provo, a top pick by Forbes for business and career opportunities.

The first sign that Provo got through the Great Recession better than most places shows up quickly, when a driver heading south from Salt Lake City comes upon an army of workers and machines widening the main interstate highway exit into town.

Phoenix, AZ, USA. Two ballot initiatives and new district maps for legislative elections will test the hold of conservative Republicans on the Arizona state legislature.

The Republican majorities in the Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin legislatures that reshaped state policy over the last two years were following the lead of their GOP counterparts in Arizona, who embarked on a similar path two years earlier.