Suburbs of Flagstaff (Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott: trip , salary, jobs)

[kmcgaughey]

Are there any towns around Flagstaff that have a much lower cost of living? I'm looking for a place to live in northern AZ that's good for recently graduated outdoorsy folks, so hopefully the job market is ok. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[Valley Native]

I'm not sure what the cost of living is like, but I'd imagine it isn't all that cheap ... especially considering that Flagstaff has some of the highest gas prices in all of Arizona. And what are you comparing the cost of living to? A lot of that depends on where you're moving from.

Also, there are no suburbs of Flagstaff. It's too small of a city to have true suburbs, unless you want to count Munds Park or Bellemont. However, if they keep allowing Phoenix's city limits to expand further north, Flagstaff will be a suburb of Phoenix in the future! That's something I sure don't want to happen.

[Ponderosa]

There's cheaper parts of Flagstaff on the north side. But the trees are gone and the winds there are non-stop. It's really (to me) a rather unattractive area that people would not associate with Flagstaff living. The prices there are still higher than Phoenix prices and it's hard to see why.

As far as job market goes, you should understand that outside Phoenix (and to a much lesser extent, Tucson) there is no job market in Arizona outside retail and services. Of course, there are job openings from time to time in all areas and some of them will pay well. But it's hit and miss and you have to be at the right place and the right time. In many ways, Phoenix actually has more for the "outdoorsy" than does Flagstaff.

[Patrick754]

I honestly think that if you're a college grad looking for a good outdoors area with a good job market, Flagstaff isn't it. Check out Denver or Salt Lake.

[esselcue]

I disagree...there are jobs all over Arizona for people who have some sort of training or education or a specific field. Flagstaff is no worse than anywhere else except that it is seasonal so construction can be "iffy". If you are trained and looking for a job in a specific field other than "whatever" you can probably get directed to the right place. If not, then it will, indeed, probably be a service-related job.

[breer23]

Originally Posted by esselcue

I disagree...there are jobs all over Arizona for people who have some sort of training or education or a specific field.

This may be very true, but can one live off of what these jobs might pay, in Flagstaff? I personally found this was not the case.

[esselcue]

I don't know...it depends on the job, I suppose. A service-related job, probably not...but someone who is a college grad (as the first poster was saying) out to have some way of getting a foot in the door in his chosen field. Anyway, that was my experience but perhaps things have changed a lot. I don't live in Flag, I live in Chino Valley and work in Prescott, but a LOT of people make livings here (and in Flag) so there must be decent work out there somewhere.

I apologize...I am just kind of tired of hearing the "no work" thing. There IS work, and much of the work is very good work with livable wages...but in ANY job, one has to start at the bottom and work up, especially if one does not have a very good education...a young person with a college degree CAN choose where he or she wants to live and make it there, but he or she must be willing to scramble some at first, like all of us did.

[Badland wonder]

Flagstaff has a problem with the cost of living exceeding the pay rate. There is not much manufacturing of any kind other than Gore and Purina. Teachers have a hard time buying property, or even renting, with the high cost of living. In the housing "boom" prices in Flagstaff tripled. The average medium house is over $300,000 dollars. A lot of the new homes and even existing homes belong to "second home owners". The outdoor activities are abundant. the air clear, and the mountains beautiful.

[breer23]

Originally Posted by Badland wonder

Flagstaff has a problem with the cost of living exceeding the pay rate. There is not much manufacturing of any kind other than Gore and Purina. Teachers have a hard time buying property, or even renting, with the high cost of living.

To clarify, this is what I meant in my earlier post. Several of the newer profs at NAU had a hard time making ends meet at a salary of $45K-$50, and I arrived right in the heart of the housing boom, so I saw more of the downside w/regards to being able to afford to live in Flagstaff.

The outdoor activities are abundant. the air clear, and the mountains beautiful.

No question on that - if I could have afforded to stay in Flagstaff, I would have done so. My wife and I certainly treasure every return trip to visit her family!

[domromer]

There really are no cheap suburbs of Flagstaff, Donney Park is about 10 miles out of town but most lots are two acres so it's not cheap out there. Kachina village is about 10 miles south. Unless you live in a trailer it's not cheap there either. As someone mentioned before the north side of town is cheaper but the neighborhood is a bit rough up that way.

As for jobs, you will have no problem if you plan on working hospitality or retail. But for jobs that actually pay a living wage it's a bit harder. It's mostly a service economy up there. WL Gore is the biggest employer followed by the college and then the hospital. I love Flag but we couldn't afford to buy a house there.