How do you like Flagstaff? (Kachina Village: 2009, apartments, loft)

[bobbilly79]

Originally Posted by kdog

You can't compare a big city like Alb (pop. 500,000) to a small town like Flagstaff (pop. 50,000), as Alb is 10x the size. A better comparison would be Alb compared to Phoenix (2.5x).

There isn't enough land in Flag to support a population like Alb anyway. So it makes sense that the city council is going to be very conservative in managing its growth. It would seem if you want a quaint little town in the mountains, go with Flag. If you want a big bustling city, go with Alb. Right?

I wouldn't say Flag is conservative in managing growth. They kept on allowing homes to be built, hinging their future on the volatile construction & real estate industries. Now that NAU is going to be forced to cut something like $20 million from their budget (I can't remember exact figures at the moment), and real estate is a bust, and tourism has dropped, Flag is going to find itself hurting, and soon.

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by bobbilly79

......that NAU is going to be forced to cut something like $20 million from their budget (I can't remember exact figures at the moment), and real estate is a bust, and tourism has dropped, Flag is going to find itself hurting, and soon.

You're absolutely correct about the NAU cuts and the slowdown in the real estate, tourism, and also the auto sales. Flagstaff will be hit very hard by this recession. They don't have enough high-tech firms that could maintain the tax base and purchasing power. Look at twin city Boulder where there's hardly a recession, because there are lots of IT firms, and only a 4% unemployment rate. The time to leave Flag is now or never.

[BillR1]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

The time to leave Flag is now or never.

I couldn't agree more! But if you're currently stuck with a morgage in this town, then you are truly "stuck"!

[bobbilly79]

Originally Posted by BillR1

I couldn't agree more! But if you're currently stuck with a morgage in this town, then you are truly "stuck"!

BillR1

You could always attempt to rent it out if you are that desperate to get out of Dodge. Good luck

[dboc2000]

Originally Posted by BillR1

Most of the ones I've met here are hard-core liberals! Bush is equivlent to the devil himself, in their opinions.
But come on ahead; we NEED more conservatives here, that's for sure!!

Ok so I visited Flagstaff this past week and here is my partially informed take. The views are beautiful, good chain retail. While downtown I encountered annoying, dirty, know-it-all, liberal, overpriveleged college kids who think mountain biking is a religion-- honestly what's not to hate? Met some nice older people while there who seemed like they were true small town people-- friendly and honest. Really liked Doney Park area and will probably rent there since its on my way to work.

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by dboc2000

Ok so I visited Flagstaff this past week and here is my partially informed take. The views are beautiful, good chain retail. While downtown I encountered annoying, dirty, know-it-all, liberal, overpriveleged college kids who think mountain biking is a religion-- honestly what's not to hate? Met some nice older people while there who seemed like they were true small town people-- friendly and honest. Really liked Doney Park area and will probably rent there since its on my way to work.

It is a religion here because The City spends a huge amount of money on the FUTS (Flagstaff Urban Trail System). Most of these trails are in the woods where nobody sees them and are covered with snow for half the year. I'd like to see some of that money to go filling in potholes, adding another Railroad bridge (N-S, over I-40) to relieve vehicular congestion through downtown, or fixing the sidewalk cracks that cause a lot of people to trip! Over in Albuquerque, where there is a huge bike trail network, the majority of bike trails are in the City (rather than the forest).

[Spoonman]

Originally Posted by dboc2000

Ok so I visited Flagstaff this past week and here is my partially informed take. The views are beautiful, good chain retail. While downtown I encountered annoying, dirty, know-it-all, liberal, overpriveleged college kids who think mountain biking is a religion-- honestly what's not to hate? Met some nice older people while there who seemed like they were true small town people-- friendly and honest. Really liked Doney Park area and will probably rent there since its on my way to work.

Yes, the Trustafarians and snotty second home owners do tend to ruin the vibe now and then but there are lots of very good people here.

[azdr0710]

well put, Spoonman....

Flag has a vast diversity of people....any popular "mountain town" will attract all the types, thus causing prices to rise, supply and demand, blah, blah, blah.....in Flag, there are down-to-Earth real people, hippies, drunk natives, spoiled college kids, cowboys, rednecks, liberal NIMBYs, conservative pro-business types, everything....

gotta go with the flow, do your homework, and realize not everyone can be like you and me, and sometimes I wonder about you!....

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by Spoonman

Yes, the Trustafarians and snotty second home owners do tend to ruin the vibe now and then but there are lots of very good people here.

how many of the $500,000+ homes in the Ponderosa Trails, University Heights, and the area just southeast of the westside Home Depot are even occupied?

whenever I was drive through these areas at night, many of the properties are dark and seem unoccupied.

If I was the City manager, I would not allow so many 500K homes to go up on land so close to the University, given that there's a housing shortage for University students. The City manager should be an elected position, not an appointed one, but that's another subject.

It's ridiculous when NAU students have to live in Mountainnaire or Doney Park, and commute 9 miles in the ice and snow. I'm not knocking those places, they're beautiful...I almost rented in both...but a 9 mile commute in ice and snow?

In a small town there should be enough *affordable* housing within one mile of the University for everyone including NAU staff. Over in Albuquerque, there's no problem with affordable housing at UNM - the radius is 3 miles given that it's a larger town, but everything is affordable within that radius.

Unfortunately, most students are just starting out and don't understand these political problems. If they did, they would revolt, and the mayor, city manager, and city council would be recalled in a special election.

And back to the OP and secondary homes, I think the City should slash its property and sales taxes, and then maybe people would stay here all year, start businesses, and not go back to Phoenix for 9 months of the year. -Tom

[Andrejoan]

Thank you for sharing your experience