Winter in Page,AZ (Mesa, Flagstaff: apartment complexes, for rent, condo)

[rich67]

Just out of curiousity for those of you familiar with Page, what is the typical winter like there? I see Flagstaff gets a substantial amount of snow; being Page is relatively close to Flag, are the weather conditions/snowfall amounts similar? I don't see too much info on Page on the 'net, and see even less in the way of winter images. I've been told it gets chilly, and the snowfall is light. Just wanted to verify this. Thanks!

[BillR1]

Page is considerably warmer than Flagstaff, mainly due to the difference in altitude. I doubt you'd see much snow there.

[esselcue]

Page is nice in the winter...too hot in the summer IMHO

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by BillR1

Page is considerably warmer than Flagstaff, mainly due to the difference in altitude. I doubt you'd see much snow there.

It's also drier and more desert-like (Very much so actually). Flagstaff is lush in comparison, with lots of pine trees. They are really not at all alike.

Ken

[rich67]

I noticed the difference when I was out there, but it almost seemed like (during the drive from Flag into Page) that Page is higher in elevation, but I made most of the drive at night. Therefore it seemed like it might have a harsher winter, but it's nice to see that's not the case. The heat doesn't bother me. I have the heat and humidity in Florida, and I prefer dry heat, to be honest. Plus, I'll be on the lake most of the time anyhow...

[LordBalfor]

Here's a comparison of the 2 places. Note that you can compare high's, lows, precip etc.

Climatology Comparison for Page, AZ - weather.com

Ken

[AzDreamer]

Here's a climate map of AZ. Click a zone button to get a description of that climate.

Map of Arizona Plant Climate Zones

[rich67]

Ah! Thank you folks!

[Nikki Shinn]

Hi

I lived in Page several times in the last 10 years and it's an amazing little town. The weather really is ideal compared to just about everywhere else in Az. It hardly ever rained though but when it did, usually monsoon season, it'd blow up for 15 minutes then back to glorious sunshine. Summers were warm and comfortable, winter was more chilly than frigid. I brought 2 heavy winter coats with me from my hometown in Louisiana and never wore them the first time in the 'dead of winter' in Page. I got by all seasons of coolness with a light jacket mostly to block the chill.

Word of warning - Page is a tourist town, make no mistake. It begins to clear out down to Natives at the end of September and is completely dead until about April. Only the locals to keep you company. Large Navajo population who do love to party. Two mainline bars - Windy Mesa is mostly classic rock/southern rock, live bands, Navajo majority, close knit and very friendly. Owner (unless she sold it already, there was talk at one point) is Rose and she is a class act, a very amazing woman but business minded. Her place is more laid back biker-esque, "rougher" in the sense of real people, while the competition across the road is Dam Bar / Gunsmoke Saloon, which is more charged by tourists who favor more mainstream style bands/music, dance club-esque music and flair, it's tons busier in the summer than Windy, but the locals walk back and forth. In the winter both of them die out considerably as does the whole town and there isn't a lot to do. Locals are friendly but somewhat cliquish, though nothing alienating. Just say hi - usually all it takes ;-) Meaning that the locals seem to stick together and tolerate the tourists so if you're visiting, it's easier to hook up with locals who are in the line of work already catering to tourists. Just making local buds is harder because they're usually in their own little circles waiting for tourist season to end so they can get their town back!

Spring/summer it picks up considerably with up to a million tourists each season there for the lake and outdoor stuff. There is a slight sad problem with some of the Navajo panhandling for change to get booze (when most of them are gainfully employed by the power plant making pretty good wages, which often made me wonder if they did that mostly for sh*ts & giggles or boredom), sometimes you'll see them passed out at the park.

Driving through town listening to the radio, don't expect to actually finish one song before you get where you're going - speed limit is 35mph through town and you can get from one side of it to the other in less time it takes to listen to one song. I know, it irritated me so much I got in the habit of just making several loops through town to go up the road, just to be able to listen to the radio while driving like I was always used to!

Page has a low crime rate - what crime is there is general drug use, or interpersonal conflicts. It's quite safe if you have kids and unless you live in the trailer community you can leave a door unlocked without worrying too much. If you come from a larger city that might take getting used to more in a psychological sense.

Workwise, service biz or specialty work gets jobs but most of them shut down in winter because there is no business. Lots of the locals also leave town for the winter to go elsewhere in the state to keep working...and most of those live in "roommate" style set ups. Bottom line, there are only two types of people in Page - residents and tourists, and it takes one season to see how distinct that is. If you intend to be a resident, find work that is year round and settle in. If you're transient visiting sort of resident or temp, recreation and hotel/service work is going to be your best bet, but it will be yanked out from under you come about September.

Movie crews tend to show up pretty frequently doing shoots so there is also opportunity for "extras" work if you sign up with the casting service. When I was there, they shot for Planet of the Apes and Evolution. In fact, I drove uptown to the circle k and was redirected around several blocks by military jeeps, servicemen, choppers and bright lights - I seriously thought Page had been invaded (it was also immediately after 911, too) - freaked me out...then at the store I discovered nope, they're shooting a movie so it was fun hanging out awhile watching.

Hiking is wonderful and Lake Powell is stunning though it doesn't warm up to real comfortable temps til August. The Navajo artists are remarkably talented and their events are worth checking out. If you're the religious sort, there is no shortage of churches on "Church Row" - a strip of the main street lined with churches of various denominations. If church isn't your thing, you'll find plenty of open minded party sorts who love the outdors. You're practically guaranteed, no matter who you make friends with, to discover they own a boat and like to use it.

There are only 3 or 4 apartment complexes there, 3 I know for sure...but there are seasonal condo conversions, many mobiles for rent, the town is clean and not too cramped together, has half a dozen standard fast food joints, a Safeway and Basha's and a pitiful excuse for a WalMart - it's like all the crappy stuff real WalMarts get rid of as rejects end up at the Page WM. There's a Ford dealership and a slew of hotels.
All for about 9600 people.

Again, it's a tourist town and the draw is Lake Powell...so when winter comes and it all dies down, and your line of work is such there's no seasonal layoffs, your biggest concern will be straight up boredom...nothing to do but wait. If you can occupy yourself, then for all intents and purpose, Page is an absolutely ideal place to live.

My main reason for not relocating back there this next move is work related - my husband will be working further south in Az and we're not willing to make a 3-4 hour commute. If that wasn't an issue, I'd be back in Page to raise my son in 0.2 seconds.

Hope that helped a little. If you don't move there, you still MUST visit. It's otherworldy.

[rich67]

Wow...I mean, wow. Thanks for taking the time to write all that up, Nikki. I actually was pretty much right there with my assumptions of the place after only visiting it one time in 07. I simply fell in love with Lake Powell and the fact that Page was a great jumping-off place for exploring Utah and other areas of Arizona. I plan on moving there when I retire, so work is not really a primary concern of mine- I'll be receiving a good pension. I figured I couldn't depend on anything there for solid employment.
I am very active in mountain biking, boating, jetskiing, hiking, among many other things, and I felt that the area was ideal for that kind of activity. The only thing that makes me pause is the fact you say it won't sufficiently warm up until August?? I am used to Florida life where you can start hitting the water around May (I have actually been out jetskiing with a wetsuit in January without any issues out here..lol). I was hoping I could be out and about on the water around May or June....not possible?
I want a small-town feel, and the tourist part of it doesn't bother me...after all, Florida is the tourist mecca YEAR ROUND...ugh. It gets old. We were at Powell in May, and it was beautiful! We had 80+ degree temps, and the water was a little chilly but refreshing.
But thanks again for the writeup and info. Verrryy good read!!!!! +1000