Colorado to Flagstaff? Good move? (Tucson, Gilbert: rentals, houses, employment)

[scoutmama]

My husband grew up in Flag (late 80s/early 90s) and we're thinking of moving back. So I have a few questions, preferably from folks that have lived in the area for a while. We live just North of Denver and lead a fairly low key life. We also have a 9 yr old son, so education will be a consideration.

- I am a customer service/office manager - salary approx $50k. Will I be able to find employment without a huge commute?

- Is it difficult to find quality housing? We would be looking around $1900/month

- Has Flag changed considerably since the early 90s?

- How is the public school system?

I guess we are just trying decide if it is a good move to leave our jobs, sell our house and uproot our lives to move to Flagstaff in the next 6-12 months ....

Thank you all in advance!

[CodyW]

Wow. I find it hard to believe there aren't more people with knowledge of Flagstaff on here! Was expecting someone to reply to this by now!

Flagstaff isn't a huge place. If you find employment, you won't have a bad commute at all. Traffic can be bad going across town, but it's not like you have to cover a huge distance. The hard part will be finding employment. Jobs can be hard to come by in Flagstaff, depending on the sector.

That said, $1900 a month is probably a good price point for a rental in Flagstaff. You could probably live just about anywhere in town for that price. Move quickly though when you find something, rentals tend to go very quickly in Flagstaff.

Flagstaff hasn't changed a whole lot - the only major thing is that downtown is alive and well, again. The city has put a lot of effort into making it a place that people want to be, and they've done a very good job of it. There's always something going on downtown, and there's always an interesting and lively atmosphere. There were a lot of years where Flagstaff's downtown was in pretty bad shape. The university is expanding pretty rapidly, too - it's the source of most of the growth in Flagstaff, these days.

Can't help you much with the school system. I do know they closed a high school due to dropping enrollment numbers.

[GSXRScott]

Originally Posted by scoutmama

I am a customer service/office manager - salary approx $50k. Will I be able to find employment without a huge commute?

Commute to where? There's nothing else around. Sedona maybe and it's about 20 minutes southwest.

Originally Posted by scoutmama

Is it difficult to find quality housing? We would be looking around $1900/month

That'll get you a really nice place. Maybe even one of those sweet little houses downtown. I'm officially jealous.

Originally Posted by scoutmama

Has Flag changed considerably since the early 90s?

Not much. Some more residential development on the east side of the peaks.

Weather will be almost identical to the front range region. There's always something going on either in town, on the mountain or in Sedona. I just went the Oktoberfest up there this past weekend and had a blast. Jobs may be scarce though. I'm a civil engineer and lack of work is the only reason I dont already live in Flag.

[ohazco]

Originally Posted by GSXRScott

Commute to where? There's nothing else around. Sedona maybe and it's about 20 minutes southwest.

Obviously Flagstaff doesn't have as much intercity commuting as most, but it does happen. I worked with several folks that commuted daily to our office in Sedona from Flagstaff. It may be a pretty drive for tourists... but its a terrible 20-30 minute commute when you just want to get home every night. I knew a small number of folks who worked in Williams and Belmont. In the winter both roads are often closed. Odds are the OP will find work right there in Flag and won't have much of a commute milage wise, however downtown to Ponderosa Trails or University Heights can easily take 30 minutes if you leave around 5:00.

Originally Posted by GSXRScott

I'm a civil engineer and lack of work is the only reason I dont already live in Flag.

Pre-recession companies in Flag had a hard time getting civils, that all changed in 2008 though. Perhaps it will pick up again someday so you can make it happen.

[GSXRScott]

Originally Posted by ohazco

but its a terrible 20-30 minute commute when you just want to get home every night.

B-O-O H-O-O

I commuted 50min to an hour from North central phoenix to Gilbert every day for over a year. That was with no accidents or Diamondback games on tap, then the trip home could be over an hour.

Wife lived in the bay area for 8 years and commuted from Concord to downtown San Fransisco each day. Was told it was typically 1:15 by the time she got to the Bart Station, caught the train, got off and then walked to her office.

Sorry but people in Flag, or Sedona or Prescott for that matter, aren't going to get much sympathy from those of us that have a real commute.

[katie45]

Originally Posted by GSXRScott

B-O-O H-O-O

I commuted 50min to an hour from North central phoenix to Gilbert every day for over a year. That was with no accidents or Diamondback games on tap, then the trip home could be over an hour.

Wife lived in the bay area for 8 years and commuted from Concord to downtown San Fransisco each day. Was told it was typically 1:15 by the time she got to the Bart Station, caught the train, got off and then walked to her office.

Sorry but people in Flag, or Sedona or Prescott for that matter, aren't going to get much sympathy from those of us that have a real commute.

It's not about the amount of time it takes to commute; it's the driving conditions...from Flag to Sedona one has to drive down/up the mountain, and during the winter season there are times the road is shut down due to heavy snowfall.

I can appreciate your wife's commute in the Bay area; however that area does not have to deal with winter snow/ice on the roadways (same with the Phx area).

[ohazco]

Originally Posted by GSXRScott

B-O-O H-O-O

I commuted 50min to an hour from North central phoenix to Gilbert every day for over a year. That was with no accidents or Diamondback games on tap, then the trip home could be over an hour.

Wife lived in the bay area for 8 years and commuted from Concord to downtown San Fransisco each day. Was told it was typically 1:15 by the time she got to the Bart Station, caught the train, got off and then walked to her office.

Sorry but people in Flag, or Sedona or Prescott for that matter, aren't going to get much sympathy from those of us that have a real commute.

Um... ok I don't recall asking for sympathy for or from anyone, I was just trying to fully address the OP's question about commuting. Besides, the fact that someone else has a longer commute, doesn't make yours more enjoyable when you want to get home to see your kids and you are going 15 mph behind a tourist from Wisconsin. Thats like when its 15 degrees out and you say "man its cold" and someone says "its -40 in Alaska". So?! that doesn't make me not cold!

[sparksals]

You say you lead a pretty low key lifestyle, so this may not matter to you, but it is a very closed community and very difficult to make friends. If your husband still has family or school friends there, it may be different. I was miserable there, then we moved to Tucson for dh's job and I made friends in no time.

Even though I have a wide range of job experience, I had difficulty finding a job. There are only a few major employers in Flag - Purina, the University, the hospital and the ... what is the name of that company that makes the coats?

Many of those jobs are filled by friends of friends, nepotism and not necessarily to a newbie to town.