Flagstaff Travel Forum

We are moving next month from Washington to Flagstaff. I am very excited and am hoping it will be a positive move for us. We are a family of 5. 3 kids going with - 20, 14 and 7. Any information will be helpful. My Father in Law and other in law family lives there but I want the skinny from someone who isn't related (grin).

D.

Flagstaff is a cool town, but it's very difficult to find a job and those jobs that are there are underpaid because of the large, educated labor pool.
Housing (and especially land) is also overpriced. Many people live in the "suburbs" like Bellemont and Kachina/Mountainair which are 10-20 miles out of town.
Lots of nightlife and a very laid-back, liberal atmosphere. It's also an extremely conservation-minded town, which is one reason why the land costs are so high.
Coming from Washington, the winters and snow shouldn't be an issue for you, and you'll very much like the summers (no humidity, rarely above 80).
Excellent restaurants (collectively some of the best pizza I've had), but supermarkets are few and far between. Other shopping can also be problematic (one Target, Wal-Mart is outside of town).
Oh, and if train noise bothers you, don't get near the railroad. They run about every half hour and all day and night.

hth