FIRST!!!

Flagstaff is a closed community. They hire their own, as is true of many other small towns in Arizona and New Mexico. It's very hard to get a job or make friends, due to the transient nature of the population. Few solid relationships are formed. The City is VERY socially conservative, NOT friendly to the GLBT population, and wishes to keep out all newcomers with three urban growth boundaries. If you are from the West or East Coast, avoid Arizona & try more moderate places on the list, such as Durango, Boulder, Ashland, & Bend.

Flagstaff is a closed community.Like many Arizona towns, they hire their own.It's very hard to get a job or make friends, due to the transient nature of the population. Few solid relationships are formed.It's VERY socially conservative,NOT friendly to the GLBT population. They want to keep out all newcomers with three urban growth boundaries. If you are from the West or East Coast, avoid Arizona & try more moderate places on the list, such as Durango, Boulder, & Ashland

Also, housing is not cheap in Flagstaff, neither are rents. The City has high impact fees and three urban growth boundaries. They also had a big box ban in place that prevented normal economic development. As a result, there are not enough grocery stores and all the bread at Wallmart is gone by 5pm each day (that was in 2009 before they built a scaled down Superwallmart, because of limitations placed on big box stores). And, the City took away the Economic Development agency out of the Chamber of Commerce since the good ol' boys run the City behind the scenes. They don't want us outdoors oriented environmental types moving in. "Avoid Arizona." and Try Durango.

Also, housing and rents are through the roof.The City has high impact fees and three urban growth boundaries, & a big box ban(now cancelled)that prevented normal economic development. As a result, there are not enough grocery stores and all the bread at Wallmart is gone by 5pm (that was in 2009 before they built a scaled down Superwallmart, because of limitations placed on the size of big box stores). And, the City took away the Economic Development agency out of the Chamber of Commerce since the good ol' boys run the City behind closed doors.They don't want us outdoors oriented environmental types moving in. "Avoid Arizona." and Try Durango where we're wanted.

Housing / rents are through the roof.The City has high impact fees and three urban growth boundaries, & a big box ban(now cancelled)that prevented normal economic development. As a result, there are not enough grocery stores and all the bread at Wallmart is gone by 5pm (that was in 2009 before they built a scaled down Superwallmart, because of limitations placed on the size of big box stores). They don't want us outdoors oriented environmental types moving in. "Avoid Arizona." and Try Durango where we're wanted.

I am sorry for the double posts. The form would not accept my posts the first time so I saved the text and entered them again. Moderator please delete duplicates. Again I am sorry.

TOM9 you are so completely wrong it isn't even funny. Flagstaff is one of the greatest towns for outdoors and the community doesn't "keep out all newcomers", they thrive on them for their economy. It is one of the friendliest towns you can find and I have made many great lasting friendships with locals. Quit bashing of Flag for no reason and let people travel there and create their own opinion. Oh and how dare the city create a no big box store law so that the local business can still survive.

Sorry Tom9, I flagged your comment by mistake. I thought I would get a chance to reply to your comment, which I find very up front and tells how most of us feel about our home town. As the jobs up north closed down and moved to the south the people came with them. My home town has I-40 to the north, I-85 runs thru it, I-77 is to the west, I-95 to to the east. I don't even know this town anymore. All these high dollar people move in now we have an Art Counsel, A Theater Group and 2 Country Clubs. Gone is the best pork Bar-B-Q and small town ways that we all loved. I know what you mean Tom9, wish I could find a new home town myself.

Tom9, Not sure where you're from, but Flag's had a reputation for leaning left/green/granola for longer than I've been alive. There's a vibrant counterculture, and it's always been a haven for the GLBT community (in the midst of an otherwise backwards state). Also, the comment that Flag doesn't cater to outdoors-types is plain nonsense - Flag's been on the cutting edge of hiking/biking/skiing/climbing, etc. since the 70's. You criticize Flag's housing costs and then say "move to Durango?" Are you serious?!? Flag regularly makes these lists because it offers the CO lifestyle at half the cost. When I got to your comments about stores "running out of bread," I finally realized you're just a nutjob troll. I lived in Flag for 4 years and still go there 5-6 times a year. It's friendly, fun and beautiful (and I never once saw a breadline). I'm guessing Flag isn't the problem, pal.

I'm not sure what you're talking about tom9. I lived there for four years while attending Northern Arizona University and loved it to death. I managed to ski AT LEAST 50 days a season and was out playing frisbee golf or biking the rest of the time. The best part about living there is when you go to 10k races anywhere else you smoke the competition because you've been breathing the cool 7500ft air for so long.. Anyway, I never saw a bread line haha.. that's just crazy. The nightlife and restaurants are all great. Housing is expensive compared to PHX but cheap if you're looking at Colorado. Great town overall

Tom9 does make a few valid points, but several are inaccurate. Yes, Flagstaff attracts many people who may experience difficulty finding a job that offers a "living wage," and therefore cannot afford to stay in town long or very comfortably. The cost of housing is high, and the city could be doing more to address this. Given some of the stated problems, Flagstaff is certainly NOT socially conservative. It was (in the not too distant past) a sleepy, hippie college town that has awoken and become a vibrant outdoor-oriented progressive community that happens to attract people who wish to have a second or third home there. It is certainly much more GLBTQQ "friendly" than many other places, and definitely within AZ.

I can recall when Flagstaff was a sleepy mountain college town. The downtown is now alive with breweries and interesting restaurants. Flagstaff has been "left-leaning" if not downright progressive (given Arizona's standards) for decades. It is not what I would call socially conservative.

Sounds like TOM9 has trouble making friends. Did somebody take your haky sack away or break up your one person drum circle when it went past midnight. My guess is he has trouble with the practical nature of the people of Arizona, who support nature by buying hunting and fishing licenses(I have bought them every year and don't hunt) rather than by marrying trees and posting the photos to their earth blog. As for the Walmart comment, I thought he was going to miss that liberal talking point but no he managed to cover that too. Kudos Tommyboy

Flagstaff is not a friendly town. There is nothing for kids to do. If you don't hike or ski you are out. People don't say hi or how you doing when you go into one of their "local places." they are now closing alot of the forest. So the people who like to ride the atv can't do that anymore.