Durango or Flagstaff and ? on schools ... (Prescott, Prescott Valley: credit, houses, employment)

[coltoncity]

Hi,

Im looking to Flagstaff and possibly a small town outside of Durango. I have heard on posts before that Flag and Durango are very much alike. Is this true?

I also had looked at some charter schools in central and flag area and the schools age limit is 21.

A 21 yr old sitting next to my 10th grader? Does this seem as odd and scary to anyone else?

I appreciate any info you can give me and thank you in advance for your help.

[Ponderosa]

I think Durango is a lot nicer than Flagstaff. Flagstaff, in my opinion, is rather a dump. It is outrageously expensive considering there are few job opportunities and the houses that are being built now are in unattractive wind-swept prairies (called "parks") on the outskirts of town. The views are not really great - you have one mountain which dominates part of the skyline and then nothing else. Traffic is far worse than one would expect for the size city it is. Prescott is so much nicer and has better all around weather too. Problem with Prescott is that the word is out. It is rapidly turning into a over-crowded mess and it will get far worse because they don't have the tax base (and the retirees will oppose bonds) to make infrastructure improvements to keep up with growth. I think that in about 10 years Prescott will be the poster child for the negative impacts of (primarily) California emigration.

[brian_2]

"Flagstaff, in my opinion, is rather a dump"

I disagree with this opinion. There are problems, but a 'dump' - come on!

Flagstaff's location makes access to major roadways easier than most any other central/northern Arizona town.


"Prescott..is rapidly turning into a over-crowded mess and it will get far worse"

Absolutely. I agree with this opinion.

Driving on Iron Springs Road (main route) in Prescott (as example) you might as well be driving on a secondary road back in LA. Moving to Prescott? Keep in mind that to get to I-17 (the main north/south artery) for many Prescott residents, means you usually drive through Prescott Valley which often has stop/go/stop/go traffic which is worsening every year. Still, I think Prescott is a good community with many pluses if you're willing to put up with the downside(s).

Prescott has a lot of burning going on somewhere most of the time, it adds a lot of irritants into the surrounding air. I know it bothers some retirees and the aged as I hear about it when it comes up in discussion.

I like Durango, but it is heavily tourist based more than half the year & there are few decent employment opportunities. You probably will end up in the outlying areas working for low pay service employment/big box store job if you're not a nurse or another in-demand skilled professional. Durango is by no means close to affordable.

Pagosa/Pagaso Springs is a nicer town for retirement - not that far of a drive from Durango if you want to visit, light traffic, super clean air, rural character & you have most of what you need if you are finished working full-time for wages.

[Ponderosa]

OK, "dump" is too strong, but it is hardly the quaint little mountain village many might have in their minds. It was/is a railhead and a transportation crossroads. It would be another Winslow if not for NAU. And, frankly, on many of the outskirts where the growth is taking place, it looks pretty much the same as Winslow.

[coltoncity]

I looked at Winslow and I wasnt sure about it. It seems that a problem is there are not much expansion options which could be a huge problem in the future. Is there a huge differance in climate between the 2? I was not sure if those nice little towns would become a clump of Durango as the next 5 years went by. Schools are and issue in Durango and Telluride is expensive. Any thought on Rifle though ... its my last resort besides pagosa area but again I need a good smaller high school hopefully private for different learning styles for my daughter. So much to think about but your help has been wonderful and any info would be so helpful!

Thank you again for your kind help...

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by coltoncity

I looked at Winslow and I wasnt sure about it. It seems that a problem is there are not much expansion options which could be a huge problem in the future. Is there a huge differance in climate between the 2? I was not sure if those nice little towns would become a clump of Durango as the next 5 years went by. Schools are and issue in Durango and Telluride is expensive. Any thought on Rifle though ... its my last resort besides pagosa area but again I need a good smaller high school hopefully private for different learning styles for my daughter. So much to think about but your help has been wonderful and any info would be so helpful!

Thank you again for your kind help...

I didn't mean to imply that Winslow would be a place that you might want to live. Actually, it's the opposite. Winslow is a railroad/Route 66 town that didn't make it. Pretty run down and impoverished. It is located on a desolate hunk of land with hardly a tree in sight.

[Idaho]

Teaching in an AZ public high school, I can say from experience that few students stay in school until age 21. That is a "catch-all" for special needs students, mostly so the state social services dept. doesn't have to begin paying monthly disability to them/their families until they're 21 .... Many studetns are in school at age 18 and 19 for various reasons, short on credits, etc., but a 20 year old senior is not common. You said your daughter has specific education needs? I have no knowledge of Colorado's services, but I do know Arizona lacks terribly in general - depending on the detail of the specific need you're referring to. Best wishes to you in this very tough decision.

[BillR1]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I think Durango is a lot nicer than Flagstaff. Flagstaff, in my opinion, is rather a dump. It is outrageously expensive considering there are few job opportunities and the houses that are being built now are in unattractive wind-swept prairies (called "parks") on the outskirts of town. The views are not really great - you have one mountain which dominates part of the skyline and then nothing else. Traffic is far worse than one would expect for the size city it is. Prescott is so much nicer and has better all around weather too. Problem with Prescott is that the word is out. It is rapidly turning into a over-crowded mess and it will get far worse because they don't have the tax base (and the retirees will oppose bonds) to make infrastructure improvements to keep up with growth. I think that in about 10 years Prescott will be the poster child for the negative impacts of (primarily) California emigration.

Agreed 1000%

[nmm347]

I've lived in both and Durango is by far the best choice. There is so much more to do around Durango and the people are much nicer. The housing is expensive in both but there are options around Durango unlike Flag. I hope to move back to the Durango area someday.

[sablebaby]

I can't stand Flagstaff! WAY TOO MUCH TRAFFIC and I go when UofA is out on vacation! Customer service sucks, everything looks like any other small town, nothing special with Flagstaff. Too touristy. I would go to Durango in a minute. I think Colorado is a better state on a whole to live.