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I am a 26 year old single guy looking to move sometime this summer. Work is not an issue, as I will be telecommuting. Right now I am leaning towards either Flagstaff or Bend. I understand that Flag has more cities close by and is more of a college town with a higher crime rate. I am liberal minded, don't drink or eat meat (anymore), & practice Buddhism. I am wondering which of the two has better mountain biking trails and which has better hiking/camping. I'd also prefer hiking trails that are less crowded. I have been looking on craigslist and it seems more difficult to find affordable apartments in Flag. I realize that the cost of living in both towns is somewhat high. From what I've read online it seems as though Flag has better weather, is this true? Overall, which city would be a better place to live as a single young man such as myself? Better quality of life? Thanks!
Flagstaff is one of the snowiest places in the country. Yes, somehow it is. So if you like snow then yes, that's good. Summer weather is perfect up there, but I would be debatable on those snowy winters. Weather-wise it's pretty close to Denver. Flagstaff has a climate that actually is not mirrored in the rest of the country except maybe two other places, but Denver is probably the closest to it.
Flagstaff has a lot of people that I think would relate to you in terms of your lifestyle. Sedona as well. NAU plays a part in the population there but the school itself is only 7,000 students total so it's not that big of a deal, it's not like Tucson for an example which I think is a quintessential college town. I found Flagstaff's downtown to be cute, and quaint, but does get lively at night. I don't know if it compares to Bend. Flagstaff's COL has to do with it being a popular vacation town for rich Arizonans who want a mountain escape. Snowbowl is a huge event and the desert Arizonans like to flood Flagstaff to ski on Mount Humphreys. It sits in a protected national forest, filled with Ponderosa pine trees... when you visit Flagstaff the COL will seem more justified. I still say it's kind of expensive though. It's the rent where it gets you, food and other things seem to be on par with the rest of Arizona.
Can't talk on Bend but Flagstaff has Sedona half an hour away and nothing in Oregon compares to that. Or the rest of Arizona for that matter. Sedona has some of the best hiking and camping I have ever seen. Not too mention Flagstaff also has the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Mount Humphreys, Walnut Canyon, and a plethora of other mountains and crevices to go exploring into that are fairly close by. I don't even think I can list all of the hiking opportunities there are for you within a couple hour drive or so away from Flagstaff as I would probably miss several of them.
Flagstaff is one of my favorite places in the state and for good reason. It has the best access to the best things Arizona offers. It's also pretty close to Southern Utah and Southern Nevada which also have some incredible hiking. Southwestern Colorado isn't too far either...
I would take Bend over Flagstaff in a heartbeat. I like the access to the Cascades and much better skiing in Bend. The Cascades IMO are prettier (greener, more lakes, thicker prettier forests) than the desert terrain around Flag. I also like downtown Bend and the overall vibe & feel of the town of Bend much better than Flagstaff, less riff raff than Flagstaff. Bend has a higher end feel, the people are more high quality IMO, I like the outdoorsy Oregon vibe, much nicer walkable downtown in Bend. Bend has a REALLY great little downtown. I think since your liberal, vegetarian, and Buddhist Oregon is a better overall place for you than AZ too. Portland OR (not of course Bend but 2.5 hrs away) has the highest number of Vegetarians & Vegans per capita in the U.S. I believe. So I imagine there is great access to tasty Veg cuisine in Bend restaurants. You can also access the OR coast in summers in a 3 hr drive.
Flagstaff does have a sunnier overall climate (especially late fall to late spring). I think Bend is a little colder too. But Bend has better summers IMO, Flagstaff is a little too hot for my taste in July and Aug.
Good luck in your decision, I think you would like Oregon a lot!
Hi, based on what you are asking I would say Flagstaff would be your best bet. As far as cost of living, do not be misled. Flagstaff is really not that expensive. When people refer to rent is not necessarily expensive but rather is that you get a lot less. ie in Flagstaff you may find something for $600 that is more less the size of a closet. You take that same money out to neighboring cities and can land a two bedroom house.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Originally Posted by ctr88
I would take Bend over Flagstaff in a heartbeat. I like the access to the Cascades and much better skiing in Bend. The Cascades IMO are prettier (greener, more lakes, thicker prettier forests) than the desert terrain around Flag. I also like downtown Bend and the overall vibe & feel of the town of Bend much better than Flagstaff, less riff raff than Flagstaff. Bend has a higher end feel, the people are more high quality IMO, I like the outdoorsy Oregon vibe, much nicer walkable downtown in Bend. Bend has a REALLY great little downtown. I think since your liberal, vegetarian, and Buddhist Oregon is a better overall place for you than AZ too. Portland OR (not of course Bend but 2.5 hrs away) has the highest number of Vegetarians & Vegans per capita in the U.S. I believe. So I imagine there is great access to tasty Veg cuisine in Bend restaurants. You can also access the OR coast in summers in a 3 hr drive.
Flagstaff does have a sunnier overall climate (especially late fall to late spring). I think Bend is a little colder too. But Bend has better summers IMO, Flagstaff is a little too hot for my taste in July and Aug.
Good luck in your decision, I think you would like Oregon a lot!
Flagstaff is not in the desert. Flagstaff is in the middle of mountain forest due to being at 7,000ft and getting 26 inches of precip/yr with about half being snow. The closest deserts to Flagstaff are over 50 miles away and about 2,000ft lower in elevation
Flagstaff is not in the desert. Flagstaff is in the middle of mountain forest due to being at 7,000ft and getting 26 inches of precip/yr with about half being snow. The closest deserts to Flagstaff are over 50 miles away and about 2,000ft lower in elevation
It also appears that the summers in Flag and Bend are identical in terms of Temperatures. If I were a 26 year old, I'd pick the college town every time.
I would take Bend over Flagstaff in a heartbeat. I like the access to the Cascades and much better skiing in Bend. The Cascades IMO are prettier (greener, more lakes, thicker prettier forests) than the desert terrain around Flag. I also like downtown Bend and the overall vibe & feel of the town of Bend much better than Flagstaff, less riff raff than Flagstaff. Bend has a higher end feel, the people are more high quality IMO, I like the outdoorsy Oregon vibe, much nicer walkable downtown in Bend. Bend has a REALLY great little downtown. I think since your liberal, vegetarian, and Buddhist Oregon is a better overall place for you than AZ too. Portland OR (not of course Bend but 2.5 hrs away) has the highest number of Vegetarians & Vegans per capita in the U.S. I believe. So I imagine there is great access to tasty Veg cuisine in Bend restaurants. You can also access the OR coast in summers in a 3 hr drive.
Flagstaff does have a sunnier overall climate (especially late fall to late spring). I think Bend is a little colder too. But Bend has better summers IMO, Flagstaff is a little too hot for my taste in July and Aug.
Good luck in your decision, I think you would like Oregon a lot!
This sounds like a person who knows very little about Flagstaff. Bend, OR actually has a warmer average high temperature in August then Flagstaff and Flag is a whopping 1 degree warmer in July.
I am a 26 year old single guy looking to move sometime this summer. Work is not an issue, as I will be telecommuting. Right now I am leaning towards either Flagstaff or Bend. I understand that Flag has more cities close by and is more of a college town with a higher crime rate. I am liberal minded, don't drink or eat meat (anymore), & practice Buddhism. I am wondering which of the two has better mountain biking trails and which has better hiking/camping. I'd also prefer hiking trails that are less crowded. I have been looking on craigslist and it seems more difficult to find affordable apartments in Flag. I realize that the cost of living in both towns is somewhat high. From what I've read online it seems as though Flag has better weather, is this true? Overall, which city would be a better place to live as a single young man such as myself? Better quality of life? Thanks!
Since you mentioned mountain biking, which is my daily routine, I have to point you towards Flag. Not only do you have epics in your back yard all of Mt. Elden but you're literally on the Arizona Trail which runs from Utah to Mexico, singletrack delight. In the winter months a short trip 26 mile trip to Sedona and you're in business. Not to mention other huge riding centers in Prescott, Phoenix and Tucson. Bend does have some great trails but I would pick Flag as my home-base any day.
As for camping, canyoneering, hiking, road-riding (if that's your thing) you're literally surrounded by epic landscape in Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon including Havasupai falls, white water rafting, and insane views is just up the road from you. Down the road you'll find Sedona and Prescott which are epic in and of themselves and a host of awesome road trip destinations all over the state.
NAU plays a part in the population there but the school itself is only 7,000 students total so it's not that big of a deal, it's not like Tucson for an example which I think is a quintessential college town. .
The NAU website claims there are around 22,000 students on the Flagstaff campus. So other than not having the high profile sports teams I'd say Flag may be more of a college town than Tucson when you consider the population of the school vs. the population of the community.
Tucson is a college town in it's core but by the time you get past downtown, River Road, Kolb and I-10 it really doesn't feel like it anymore.
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