Flagstaff,AZ

[applesmom]

Flagstaff is beautiful in the summer but can be extremely cold in the winter. It's no longer a small town and is currently struggling through some major growing pains.

This would not be a good time to move to Flagstaff. The last few years have brought a huge influx of Californians hoping to escape the high cost of living, crime, drugs etc. Instead of escaping their problems, they've brought them with them.

As an example; Flagstaff recently built and opened a new state of the art jail facility. The new jail is already overcrowded and criminals are being turned back out on the streets just as they are in the majority of major American cities.

Because of the growing frustration and unrest due to the huge problem with illegal immigrants, you'd be smart to avoid the Southwest entirely!

[Uabassoon]

I've lived in Tucson for 7 years and I love it here. I have a few friends that live in Flagstaff and have visited a few times so I'll try to give some input. Flagstaff is BEAUTIFUL, the mountain view is just amazing. Winters are cold and the spring and summer are pretty mild. If you love the outdoors then Flagstaff is a wonderful place, there are lots of great hiking spots. Sedona is also less than an hour away, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

Flagstaff is a college town, the city isn't that big and the school is the 3rd largest in Arizona. Rent is a little high considering the size of the city (their prices are higher than Tucson). Flagstaff has an unusually high concentration of hippies and new age people. Sedona is believed to be some kind of Vortex (I'm not even kidding!), so it attracts lots of new age type and many live in Flagstaff since it's cheaper to live than Sedona.