Thinking of moving from Silicon Valley to Flagstaff-What am I in for? (Phoenix: hotel, home search)

[srbca]

We were thinking about moving for a job to Flagstaff from Silicon Valley (which I can’t stand because of the congestion, the miserable housing, and California taxes). I like what I’ve seen on visits to Flagstaff, but I have no idea if I would enjoy living there. I’m 50, over-educated, politically slightly left of center, and like the outdoors, i.e., the California stereotype. My wife has a similar profile. We need a very good public or private school for the next 3 years.

Are we nuts for even contemplate moving to Flagstaff? I would appreciate and advice, particularly from California ex-pats.

[keninaz]

I am from CA originally but my wife is a native of AZ.
I have lived in SE AZ a couple of times starting with the Army in '67-8 in the Sierra Vista area. I followed that up years later spending some 5 years just south of SV before we settled into retirement in Prescott.
We looked at Flagstaff before we moved.
With Northern AZ University there we noted that the town had a lot of younger kids.
We also found that we did not like the trains in the center of old town. It just looked dirty to us and noisy too.
Flagstaff can get fairly heavy snows about every 7-10 years. A good friend of mine that was born and raised there told me that. They get an average of some 100" of snow a year there. Flagstaff, Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And here are the WX averages for them~ Average Weather for Flagstaff, AZ - Temperature and Precipitation

If you like hiking and such their is lots of areas to do that up there and even some snow skiing but I understand that gets pretty crowded with Phoenix residents at times when it snows good.

You will find that in AZ the mountains are certainly not the larger cities of the lower valleys and not near as crowded either.

I would hope that you have visited the city before you make the move as I hate to see folks move without doing that.

[buckeyenative01]

When the snow falls, its a Moderator cut: snip to clean up, but thankfully, it starts to melt a couple days later.

Cost of living, for Arizona at least, is expensive, but I don't think you'll suffer from the same sticker shock you'd get in California.

We have Northern Arizona University, which tends to skew us a little more to the left. While we'd be considered "moderate" in almost any other state, in Arizona, we're got a reputation for being a bunch of tree-hugging liberal hippies.

We like Phoenecians for the tourism dollars they spend, but hate that they clog our roads to ski in the winter and to get out of the heat in the summer (75-80 is about the average high in the summer months, its possible, but rare, to reach 90).

The altitude might take some getting used to, especially if you're coming from California (we sit an an elevation of about 7000 feet, hence the reason our average snowfall is off the charts).

The problem, however, is the non-existant job market and a provincial outlook from most companies who want to hire only people from within the area, if they're even hiring at all. A living wage is not easy to come by here, quite honestly.

Despite that, Flagstaff is (despite my desire to move elsewhere), my favorite city in Arizona.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by srbca

We were thinking about moving for a job to Flagstaff from Silicon Valley (which I can’t stand because of the congestion, the miserable housing, and California taxes). I like what I’ve seen on visits to Flagstaff, but I have no idea if I would enjoy living there. I’m 50, over-educated, politically slightly left of center, and like the outdoors, i.e., the California stereotype. My wife has a similar profile. We need a very good public or private school for the next 3 years.

Are we nuts for even contemplate moving to Flagstaff? I would appreciate and advice, particularly from California ex-pats.

Great summers , springs , falls " but much too much cold and snow in the winter time.

[azdr0710]

may not be sophisticated enough compared to the Bay Area, but maybe that's a good thing??....

enormous variety of people-types here: gun-totin' redneck hunters, wannabe cowboys, real cowboys, old-family business owners, wannabe tree huggers, real tree-huggers, students here for four years then outta here, second-home country club types from Phoenix, tourists heading to/from the Grand Canyon, professors and their families, liberal professionals, conservative professionals......if I forgot any type, please add all to this list.....

confirm a job before you get here.....home prices are down, but it's still among the most expensive places in Arizona....check northernarizonamls.com for prices (check the correct boxes in the home search window).....

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by srbca

We were thinking about moving for a job to Flagstaff from Silicon Valley (which I can’t stand because of the congestion, the miserable housing, and California taxes). I like what I’ve seen on visits to Flagstaff, but I have no idea if I would enjoy living there. I’m 50, over-educated, politically slightly left of center, and like the outdoors, i.e., the California stereotype. My wife has a similar profile. We need a very good public or private school for the next 3 years.

Are we nuts for even contemplate moving to Flagstaff? I would appreciate and advice, particularly from California ex-pats.

If you don't mind the fact that Flagstaff is a much smaller city and slower paced than the Bay Area/Silicon Valley, it sounds like it might be the perfect place for you. Oh, and keep in mind that northern AZ can have some brutally cold, snowy winters, unlike what you have in northern coastal CA. If you can tolerate that, you'll really enjoy the Flagstaff summers because they are very pleasant. Only once in a while does it get hot (90s) ... but the average summer day has high temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees. It also rains in July & August, which is also different than the dry summers of CA.

Compared to where you presently live, you won't have the traffic congestion, high cost of living, or high taxes. Flagstaff also tends to moderately liberal (mainly due to the presence of NAU) ... and if you like the outdoor lifestyle, there is plenty of that to explore nearby. Grand Canyon, Sedona, Sunset Crater, boating, fishing, and skiing are all within close proximity.

[picalina]

If you don't mind comuting, the twentyseven miles to flagstaff, cottonwood, or sedona, would be your best bet. for cheap housing, and wonderful weather and no congestion. Lots to see and do in Sedona, Cottonwood is a laid back small town with wonderful people, and we do have a Walmart.

Old town in cottonwood, is a small interesting place with shops and nice restaurants, and then you have Jerome, old historical mining town, with a hotel that is even haunted. good luck

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by picalina

If you don't mind comuting, the twentyseven miles to flagstaff, cottonwood, or sedona, would be your best bet.

Cottonwood to Flagstaff is 48 or 68 miles depending on which route you take and in winter you will sometimes be forced to take the longer route as the canyon shuts down. I can't imagine anyone wanting a 68 mile one-way commute. Sedona is closer but I wouldn't want to do that commute daily either.

[buckeyenative01]

Cottonwood to Flagstaff is also mostly an uphill climb. That's a lot of gas and wear and tear on your car.

[Jaggy001]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

Cottonwood to Flagstaff is 48 or 68 miles depending on which route you take and in winter you will sometimes be forced to take the longer route as the canyon shuts down. I can't imagine anyone wanting a 68 mile one-way commute. Sedona is closer but I wouldn't want to do that commute daily either.

On a good day, Cottonwood to Flagstaff takes 75 mins. Sedona to Flagstaff takes 45 mins. When it snows, all bets are off. Sometimes the road through the Canyon is closed, sometimes they close I17 north of 179. It is not a commute I would choose to do.

I like Flagstaff although I have never actually lived there. Seems like a good atmosphere around town and decent services.