Flagstaff Proposed New Name: Abundance With A View (Phoenix, Tucson: for sale, 2010)

[Tom Lane]

This local physician proposes in the Arizona Daily Sun an elimination of Flagstaff's traditional nickname of "Poverty With A View" and replacing it with "Abundance With A View."

I agree. The "Poverty With A View" and other similar phrases like "Ghetto In The Meadow" give Flagstaff a bad image, especially to newcomers. I think the City Council and Chamber of Commerce should adopt this phrase, or something similar, immediately.

I don't know how many times I was told in moving here last spring, that "KNAU radio" had a "Poverty with a View Series." As one in the communications field, that is bad radio. You do not invoke a phrase that constitutes negative feelings, when your goal is to provide objective journalism.

And, a town struggling economically should never have a phrase that conveys a negative image to the world, even if it is partially true (which it is, but that's a different subject). Lots of Southwestern towns are like Flagstaff, also having a significant income disparity between the rich and the poor (such as Albuquerque), but they don't have bad nicknames (ABQ = "The Duke City").

Edited: Link doesn't work if clicked on. Copy link to your favorite web browser.

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/02/18/news/opinion/letters/20090218_lette_191083.txt

[BillR1]

I just replied to Dr. Gowey's letter. (I doubt it'll be printed)
"Poverty with a View" fits most of us very well that are trying to scratch out a living in this backwards, transient, tourist trap.
"Abundance with a View"??? LMAO!
Maybe if you're a physician...

[zonababe]

The locals have shortened the name Flagstaff to Flag. If they are too lazy to use two syllables do you think they will use a descriptive phrase?

[ComeBack_Kid]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

This local physician proposes in the Arizona Daily Sun an elimination of Flagstaff's traditional nickname of "Poverty With A View" and replacing it with "Abundance With A View."

I agree. The "Poverty With A View" and other similar phrases like "Ghetto In The Meadow" give Flagstaff a bad image, especially to newcomers. I think the City Council and Chamber of Commerce should adopt this phrase, or something similar, immediately.

I don't know how many times I was told in moving here last spring, that "KNAU radio" had a "Poverty with a View Series." As one in the communications field, that is bad radio. You do not invoke a phrase that constitutes negative feelings, when your goal is to provide objective journalism.

And, a town struggling economically should never have a phrase that conveys a negative image to the world, even if it is partially true (which it is, but that's a different subject). Lots of Southwestern towns are like Flagstaff, also having a significant income disparity between the rich and the poor (such as Albuquerque), but they don't have bad nicknames (ABQ = "The Duke City").

Edited: Link doesn't work if clicked on. Copy link to your favorite web browser.

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/02/18/news/opinion/letters/20090218_lette_191083.txt

"Poverty with a view" describes Flag perfectly... but they say the same thing about South Lake Tahoe, where I lived before. I was going to school there working just enough to get by and snowboard when i could, and my girlfriend, whose father was a multi-millionaire, grew up in a 4-story, 5,300 sq. ft mansion in a gated community and had a sweet, resort-like life... so yeah, you get both ends of the spectrum in any of these places...

[Tom Lane]

Originally Posted by BillR1

I just replied to Dr. Gowey's letter. (I doubt it'll be printed)
"Poverty with a View" fits most of us very well that are trying to scratch out a living in this backwards, transient, tourist trap.
"Abundance with a View"??? LMAO!
Maybe if you're a physician...

Bill I agree - Abundance isn't the right word .... but clearly Poverty is the wrong word since it's too negative.

How about just a neutral term - such as "The City By The Peaks?"

Could I sell that to the Chamber for $5,000 for their brochures?

Well, anyway, this town would be a better place if the City would eliminate its "Smart Growth" policies (a national liberal movement that isn't liberal, because it increases rents and the cost of housing).

I think this is the real issue for Flagstaff - this "smart growth" concept should be cancelled and removed from every aspect of the City in order to get us out of the recession, and make Flagstaff once again a happy and prosperous place for students and young families:

Smart growth increases housing costs:

http://americandreamcoalition.org/BriefCO.pdf

Dr. Wendell Cox has insights on housing affordability and smart growth:

DEMOGRAPHIA: Demographics Development Impacts Market Research & Urban Policy

[Tom Lane]

In my email today from The City of Flagstaff Email Distribution List, is info about the upcoming meetings for revising the regional plan. Apparently, (I didn't know this) the Smart Growth provisions in Flagstaff are dictated by the State of Arizona which passed a Smart Growth Act.
So it appears that all of Arizona is "potentially anti-business and anti-growth," not just Flagstaff.
Agree or disagree with these "smart growth" policies?

I'd rather live in a state where my city's planning process wasn't dictated from the State level, by way of the "smart growth clique" that many cities have adopted nationwide. This drives the cost of housing and food through the roof, as Dr. Wendell Cox points out in the previous posts.

I think anyone moving to Arizona to start a business or buy a home should carefully research these strong centralized policies that border on Socialism, and whether or not it will effect them.

Everyone here says - "Well, Tom, it's just the economy! It will get better!" Well, yes it will, but it will take many more years since this state has environmental policies that are very restrictive + impact fees/ high taxes that will delay the recovery for AZ. NM will recover by 2010.

I think the entire AZ smart growth act should be suspended immediately, in the interests of small businesses and working families.

City of Flagstaff Smart Growth / 2012 Regional Plan -
City of Flagstaff Official Website

Arizona Dept. of Commerce - Smart Growth Office
Office of Smart Growth Home Page

[azteacher]

And if that actually happens, guaranteed there'll be an outcry by 2012 that Flagstaff is being "trashed" by developers.

Haven't enough $100+/night hotels been built on McConnell Drive already? Aren't there enough vacant houses over by the golf course on Country Club?

If you've ever lived in Phoenix or suburban Tucson, you'd know that the only population center in Arizona that DOES respect Smart Growth is Flagstaff. And for good reason. The city can't sustain the businesses serving it right now.

And "this state has very restrictive environmental policies"...that's hilarious. Truly. Somebody should tell that joke to the hundreds of homeowners perched just beneath that brown cloud all over Camelback Mountain.

Flag doesn't need any more developers hiring illegals to uproot hundreds of pine trees from a restricted construction site in the middle of the night, as happened back in 2000.

Some of us DO happen to be Arizona natives with memories here. We know better than to be swayed by an agenda masquerading as pseudo-small business agitprop.

[BillR1]

Originally Posted by azteacher

Flag doesn't need any more developers hiring illegals to uproot hundreds of pine trees from a restricted construction site in the middle of the night, as happened back in 2000.

That incident was a joke anyway!
It was HIS PROPERTY! He shouldn't have to resort to removing trees in the middle of the night.
The hotel's going in now, so it's all good. His fine was probably just a minor nusiance for him.

[Tom Lane]

Originally Posted by azteacher

Haven't enough $100+/night hotels been built on McConnell Drive already? Aren't there enough vacant houses over by the golf course on Country Club?

Flag doesn't need any more developers hiring illegals to uproot hundreds of pine trees from a restricted construction site in the middle of the night, as happened back in 2000.

Some of us DO happen to be Arizona natives with memories here. We know better than to be swayed by an agenda masquerading as pseudo-small business agitprop.

In response:

I agree with you about too many hotels, and too many vacant houses (see my previous posts about this).

However --

Why did the Arizona natives allow all these office buildings to be built on West University Ave., and today, they remain UN-occupied, with for rent and for sale signs all over the place?

Why did the Arizona natives keep re-electing people to the City Council who allow people like Marriott International to build ugly 3 story hotels on S. Beulah Blvd, and, strip malls on the eastside with stores that have gone out of business -- like Linens and Things?

Why do the Arizona natives NOT elect people to the Council who WOULD allow places that cater to a younger demographic -- like Trader Joes, Costco, REI, and Whole Foods, boosting tax revenues thanks to liberal, Bohemain students who would shop there?

You know, there's a perfect spot for a Trader Joes at one of the entrances to Rio Homes. A sign says - "Retail Space," - and it would be the perfect place for a Trader Joes - getting lots of students who would bike from the campus, and who live in Rio Homes!

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Why do the Arizona natives NOT elect people to the Council who WOULD allow places that cater to a younger demographic -- like Trader Joes, Costco, REI, and Whole Foods, boosting tax revenues thanks to liberal, Bohemain students who would shop there?

Because - Flagstaff is not a "liberal" town Also, they do no want to cater to "liberal, Bohemain students".

Also - I would hazard a guess that Trader Joes has scoped out Flagstaff - did their demographics and said - NO. You might check with Trader Joes corp