WashDC to FLAG Fall 2014 (Flagstaff, Sedona: rent, motel, house)

[rangerpaige84]

Hi there,

I am currently a full-time student,with a full-time job at Trader Joe's.. I will be attending the park ranger training program at NAU next Fall and will be in Flagstaff for a few months..I've visited before. I typically make under 1500 a month, and would like to know from current Flagstaff citizens what it costs monthly to stay in Flagstaff? I would move permanently, but have some loose ends to tie up with work and family obligations so that'll have to wait..I do have a car,but there's no way it would survive a cross country trip..I visited Flag while on my way to and from grand canyon two years ago and thought it was gorgeous. I also got a chance to visit Sedona, AZ is a beautiful place. My ultimate goal is to become a law enforcement ranger working at the Canyon. I'm hoping by the time I get a permanent job with the park service(if I am lucky) I'll have enough in my Trader joe's retirement fund to secure me for a bit.. anyway,thanks for your comments.

[azdr0710]

living alone in Flag will be about $600/month rent minimum and very easily more...might not even be that cheap.....plus food and all that....

is living in a dorm possible?....does NAU have a housing advice service?.....is a roommate or three possible?...have you looked at craigslist?....

you can easily get by w/o a car in Flag after you learn about the public transport/biking options...NAU and downtown are very near each other and everything you need to live an entire lifetime can be found along nearby Milton Ave.!!

[scottfs]

Flagstaff will be much less expensive when compared to the DC area but its not really cheap by Arizona standards. That said $1,500 doesn't seem like much for anywhere. If its for a few months you could probably rent a room and get by ok, but I don't think there's much chance of you living alone on that budget.

[rangerpaige84]

thanks,guys

[homebeyer2013]

Last time I went through there; I stayed at a nice motel in Williams that was nice/clean/ and cheap. It was right by the gc railroad. Apparently they make all their money in the Summer, and barely stay open in the low season. Could probably be even cheaper weekly. Nothing by NAU is cheap, and to be honest, Flagstaff is the most over-rated city in AZ....and they don't even have a Trader Joe's. Employment scene was never good in Flag, either, even during the boom. A combination of low/no growth policies/nutjob environmentalists/ and the Mormon Mafia can make employment a near impossibility for an "outsider." The students compound the low wage problem. It's 30 degrees cooler than PHX in the Summer, though.

[rangerpaige84]

uggg, what a discouraging response,

[azdr0710]

yeah, a bit of a downer response from homebeyer and probably overly-pessimistic....you will be able to find a job, but it almost certainly will be a service-oriented one that doesn't pay a lot....you'll probably need to find a roommate, as discussed already.....Flag is NOT overrated, but it depends on one's experience there - homebeyer may have had a bad one....as discussed in the other thread, you'll probably need to forget about a TJ's gig while living in Flag....will digging into your "retirement" fund create some income taxes due??.....have you checked with NAU about housing services/advice offered by them?...plan to live frugally and have some cash ready upon arrival for initial deposits, moving expenses, house set-up, the usual living expenses