Flagstaff has changed...A LOT (Chandler, Tempe: appointed, fit in, new house)

[KurtAZ]

I have to say I am a bit disappointed with our recent visit to Flagstaff. Granted, we haven't been up there in a couple of years but...seriously, what happened to this once great town?

There was a HUGE upheaval when Barnes and Noble put in their bookstore and you lost sight of the Peaks for <gasp> half a second. Now there are 6 story "Student Housing" complexes going up? The traffic on the West Side has always been bad but...just..wow. California plates all over the place...understandably with NAU right there but it was like EVERY OTHER CAR. Granted the NAU student population has almost doubled since the 90s but...again...wow.

I guess those are the people buying the $400k boxes in Pinnacle in the Pines? Or rather their parents? Flagstaff has always been "Poverty with a View" and I understand the AZ Housing market is booming but how can a resident actually afford a home up there any more? Median household income in Flagstaff is ~$48k per year.

Where is the water coming from for all these new houses? Last I checked Flagstaff relied on the C-Aquifer (Red Gap Ranch)...has that aquifer shown significant improvement or is the city relying on runoff/surface water and reclamation?

Did they change the recipes at Beaver Street Brewery? Maybe we built up their pizzas too much in our heads...but they were decidedly lower quality than we remember. Mike & Rhonda's was still amazing though

Crazy crazy. On the plus side...we are able to scratch Flagstaff off of our list of possible places to live if we decide to leave Chandler.

[azmemories]

Sad to hear. One of these days I will have to re-visit Flagstaff myself. A 48K medium housing price combined with picturesque environs and close proximity to large cities in a state many are migrating to will result in a swelling population. Urban sprawl almost always has a bad side effect such as increased traffic and man-made structures replacing (or blocking) natural beauty. The City of the Pines is also near a major international tourist destination. Not sure if NAU’s growing student body is a result of the population expansion around it or if the institution is well managed and offers unique programs, probably a combination of both.

I still remember the hostel I stayed in for one night in Flagstaff. There motto was “no vicious dinosaurs”. Guest check-ins were screened very carefully to ensure they were not part of that demographic.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by azmemories

A 48K medium housing price combined with picturesque environs and close proximity to large cities in a state many are migrating to will result in a swelling population.

$48k is the median family income. The median price of homes currently listed in Flagstaff is $439,950.

[rational1]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Crazy crazy. On the plus side...we are able to scratch Flagstaff off of our list of possible places to live if we decide to leave Chandler.

You should move someplace you haven't been to before, because then it won't be different from what it was.

[infocyde]

I can't decide if I like Flagstaff or not. It is "town" for me, where I have to go to get supplies, so I'm there a lot but still can't quite decide if I like it.

The cali plate thing. It is everywhere in Northern AZ. The boomers are now retiring in droves. They will keep coming and for the next few decades with cash and tude No smaller town in AZ is safe.

The pizza thing: I've noticed a decline in almost all pizza places it seems. Even Spinatos in Tempe, which I loved, it looks the same, seems to taste roughly the same, but the post pizza meal buzz is almost completely absent now. Only thing I can think of is the suppliers of ingredients have consolidated and lessened their quality.

Flagstaff is still beautiful though. Most of the people are fairly nice. There are young families there (how they afford it I don't know but there are kids around). You can find housing in the low 300ks...too rich for many of us but for a Cali that is dirt cheap. Prices outside of housing aren't too bad and there are decent restaurants for a town of it's size. All pluses that I can't decide if they outweigh the negatives.

I don't know, parts of Flagstaff away from NAU I think would be OK if you could afford it. Munds park might worth considering. But over all the Cali flood of retirees, even though individually many of them are nice, IMHO is ruining most Northern AZ towns and it isn't going to change anytime soon. You either have to make peace with that demographic fact or like you said KurtAZ start looking elsewhere, which sucks if you love AZ like I'm sure we all do.

I've been passively looking at Grand Rapids Michigan or the South. Not thrilled about either but housing is affordable. But then, would I be some sort of horde descending on them and pissing the locals there off? Irony...

[curly5759]

I was up there yesterday to check out the Aspens along Hart Prairie. The sight of a 6 story building just North of Granny's closet made me sad. My wife is a Flag native and I spent 3 happy years at NAU and many years visiting my in-laws up there. It isn't the same town or U either. Wow, has Butler ave. changed!

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by rational1

You should move someplace you haven't been to before, because then it won't be different from what it was.

Heh...well it is just a "probable" list that gets considered EVERY summer down here. We have basically eliminated anywhere else in AZ. Pros and Cons, especially with teens and opportunity for youth programs, etc. Flagstaff's only positive would be cooler weather and 4 seasons. Everything else is a wash or a Con. And yes, we have visited everywhere or have lived everywhere on the list. Grass is never greener...just different I suppose.

[kapie9969]

Flag sure has terrible traffic and the cost of housing doesn't match local wages. I guess those folks who keep pouring in from CA. Can afford the overpriced housing. Too bad they bring the strange thinking that messed up their state with them. They should fit in with the lefty crowd in Flag.

[Slater]

I live in Flagstaff and work 12 miles away in Bellemont (been here since 2009). It's your average college town, so you deal with the traffic and the cost of living. There's a few decent local restaraunts, and Fratelli's is probably my favorite pizza joint. There's no way I would or could buy a house up here - just too pricey.

I get by because my military retirement supplements my income, otherwise it would be a challenge. I don't see how a lot of other folks make it without roommates/working spouses.

[Yellowrose3]

Okay, I will have to defend my california friends. First, we are NOT all liberals, most have moved to Austin Texas! I use the word 'most'. again, for most of us we do NOT have a attitude, but we are free thinkers, and speak our minds. So what's wrong with that? Secondly, if you live in the area of Flagstaff or not, but still concerned about the heights of buildings, you should be attending the City Council Meetings, and the Planning Committees or simply voice your opinion about how high building should be and why. In fact, if I were those in here still concerned, I'd still be voicing my concerns, because does anyone know if they plan on building more building in Flagstaff taller than 4 stories. I'd find out by calling the planning committee or the Major on Monday morning.
I do however, agree that they shouldn't be building tall building that block the views etc. nor the tops of mountains, I do not want to look up at a mountain and see a bunch of houses sitting there!
My suggestion, get to know the California folks and you'll find out fast why we're all leaving California, Can you say : Moonbeam!
Lastly, I moved to Texas but I'm thinking of moving to arizona, Texas is toooooo slow for me. unless you like 1960 era. But, I have Texas Plates....>smile<