Flagstaff, AZ

Cameron and I have been in and out of Flagstaff a lot in the past few years. Mostly for weddings (the majority of my extended family lives in Flag), but I was also there for my grandmother's memorial service last December and we used Flag as our pitstop between New Mexico and California on our way to backpack the John Muir Trail. This visit, we finally took some time to assess Flag as a contender for the Goldilocks Project.

While there, we visited the Labor Day "Art in the Park" fair, walked and shopped around downtown, drove to Snowbowl, ate at Wildflower and Aspen Deli, meandered around a nature park that connects into the greater urban trail system, and, or course, spent time with my family. Past visits to Flagstaff have included a trip to Walnut Canyon (just me), a stopover on the way to the Grand Canyon (just Cameron), and more visits to various parks and restaurants. 

The Good

• Family. My Flagstaff family is great and really well connected. I've never lived close to extended family, and it's fascinating to see how interconnected they are and how Cameron and I would potentially fit into that. Having a Labor Day potluck and my aunt and uncle's house gave a peek into that window.  
• A big focus on the outdoors. It seems like everyone in Flag is sporty, which makes sense given it's proximity to so many interesting natural landscapes to explore. We saw that heavily reflected in the downtown shops. 
• A great urban trail system. Cameron would have an abundance of running trials. 
• The Arizona Snowbowl is really close to town. My aunt and uncle are only 20 minutes away and can see the 
• The university brings in a lot of entertainment and makes the town feel more lively. It's independent of the school, but it was nice to see that there was a fair going on in town on the holiday weekend (unlike some places we've visited). 
• Generally pleasant climate, with four true seasons. 

The Bad

• I know I ended the "good" list with a pleasant climate, but it was hot while we were there. My family assured me that it's unusual to have weeks in the 90s, but I'm thinking that's going to become less and less unusual as the years go on. 
• Similarly, I've heard the winter snows are inconsistent and skiing options can be spotty. Then, when the ski area is open, it's very crowded on the weekends since it's the only reasonably decent skiing in the state and it's relatively small, especially for the crowds. 
• It seems like Flag is the best spot in Arizona. From the top of the ski parking lot, you can see that the land surrounding town is pretty barren. Plus, I have some hesitations about moving to Arizona due to its politics. 
• While Northern Arizona University is overall a good thing, I've been to parts of town during parts of the year that feel completely overrun by college kids. I typically like the vibe of college downs, but NAU seems to take it to another level. 
• There is really bad traffic, especially during rush hour. It's very old road infrastructure, which hasn't been updated in decades, despite the consistent growth the town has seen. 
• I'm not sure if Flag would ever feel like our town. So much of my family has already laid claim there, and even family members who don't live there attended NAU (i.e., my dad and another uncle). 
• Housing prices are outrageous compared to some of the other places we've considered. To get anything close to my dreamhouse would near $1 million. 

The Verdict

Sure.  If we ended up in Flagstaff we'd be perfectly happy. That said, I don't think it's ultimately going to make it to the top of my Goldilocks' list. 

I really liked this labarinth, which was off of the urban trail system and part of an art and nature park.

I somehow managed to spend far too much money at this art fair for someone who lives in a van and does not have space for art. I really liked that Flagstaff seems to have a lot of community events that are well attended. A music festival was being advertised for the following weekend. 

Cameron spent way too much money at Babbit's, one of many outdoor stores. There were two other shops within a block of this place, and there were numerous others, including REI, scattered around town.

This mural is outside the local theater, which appears to be hosting different entertainers on a near-weekly basis. 

I didn't do a good job of taking pictures of downtown, but it is one of the most lively and varied downtowns we've visited thus far. This plaza is where they host the annual pre-Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which Cameron and I saw a few winters ago. 

One of the perks of Snowbowl is its proximity to town, and I've heard that when the snow is good, it's really good. But it's small and crowded and doesn't open consistently...and now I've been spoiled by a season at Snowbasin. 

The view from the top of Snowbowl shows how isolate Flagstaff is. I put that as a negative above, but in actuality that's exactly what I want. I guess I just want my surroundings to be lush mountains on the way to a quick jaunt to a large fun city. 

One of the great things about Flag is that there is still a lot I have not seen, including the Museum of Northern Arizona and the arboretum. 

The real best part of Flagstaff is the great family we have there.