Everyone knows Texas. It possesses a diversified economic mix that is rivaled by only California. Best known for oil and gas extraction, the state is a leader in agriculture, mining, aerospace, chemical manufacturing, information technology, and construction. That doesn’t even cover an exploding startup ecosystem in Austin that is netting investment from players like Google. Arizona, once dismissed as a haven for golfers and tourists, has increasingly grown into a tech powerhouse, buoyed by low taxes, strong educational systems, and a high quality of life. In this region, you’ll find Stanford GSB grads earning the highest bases in any region -- $159,100. The caveat, of course, is the region lured just five Stanford MBAs last year. The same can’t be said for Ivy Leaguers Harvard, Wharton, and Yale, where a combined 63 grads moved to the Southwest to the tune of $140,000 to start, on average. That said, a Stanford grad did collect the largest paycheck in the region at $210,000, followed closely by graduates at Maryland Smith ($197,600) and Texas McCombs ($195,000).