No. 9 Flagstaff, Arizona
By Jessica L. Anderson, Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, July 2009
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Population: 126,087
Income Growth: 9.8%
Cost of Living Index: 116
Median Household Income: $48,171
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 29%
Unlike the trains that regularly come through town, singing out reminders of Flagstaff's heritage, this city is far from predictable. You can feel its Old West charm through and through, but Flagstaff is infused with new energy -- both from its residents and college students at Northern Arizona University. The university adds jobs to the city's economy, plus arts and entertainment to its cultural scene.
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The government is big business in Flagstaff, which is the Coconino County seat. The second-biggest industry is tourism, a result of the city's proximity to the Grand Canyon and Indian ruins at Wupatki and Walnut Canyon.
Because the city is nestled at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, the last thing you'd expect to find is a manufacturing sector. But Nestlé Purina and SCA Tissue have facilities here, and Southwest Windpower calls Flagstaff home.
Reader Comments (10)
Posted by: Jo at 05/27/2009 09:36:18 PM
OK,it's a pretty place to live, I'll give it that. It's fairly clean, has 4 seasons, and the summers are terrific. But high paying work and affordable housing? No way. If you don't mind living in a tent or trailer, you may have a shot at a camping or parking place. Rents are astronomical. We are the second HIGHEST PRICED city in AZ after Scottsdale. Unless you know someone or already HAVE a job here, I would advise people looking for work to start in Phoenix. This really isn't the place unless you don't mind working at a fast food restaurant flipping burgers, or on a highway construction job.
Posted by: anonymous at 05/27/2009 09:42:28 PM
Thanks for recognizing Flagstaff as one of the top 10 places to live in these tough times. I was amazed to see that you omitted W.L. Gore and Associates, a Fortune Magazine Top 100 Company to. work for, from your list of companies that call Flagstaff home. With nearly 3000 employees in the medical device industry, Gore is not only an innovative company, but a great place to work and a cornerstone of the Flagstaff economy.
Posted by: mark at 05/28/2009 05:25:05 PM
Flagstaff as one of the best places to live AND work? The city has consistently held anti-business practices, except for a chosen few companies, the only sizeable one being W.L. Gore, not even mentioned in your article. The cost of living is the highest in the state by far, wages running much lower than you would find in the same jobs on the East Coast, property crime rates are sky-high (worse than Phoenix), panhandlers abound, and the people are in general not very friendly here. Take it from someone who lives in Flagstaff and can't wait to get out.
Posted by: Simon at 05/28/2009 08:36:03 PM
It is indeed a very beautiful place to live which I have done for 29 years. But when I was laid off from the university some years ago I had to move into a house with 4 other people just to be able to afford having a roof over my head. This is because I was working two jobs that only paid the typical depressed wages you find in Flagstaff. The median household income figure is suspect in my book. Why stay? My friends are here!
Posted by: Logan at 05/29/2009 02:03:25 PM
This is great! I love Flagstaff and love living here. What people dont bother to realize is that they are in fact living in a resort community - and with ANY resort community, it is definitely more expensive than living in the slums of, say... Phoenix. I moved here from Southern California and everything is cheaper. If you don't like the fresh air, hardly any traffic, outdoor activities, wildlife, small town USA feeling - leave! Its a great place to live and it is great that it made #9 (ps it made national geographic's top places to live - #1)
Posted by: Richard at 06/08/2009 04:55:40 PM
Flagstaff is by far the most beautiful place in AZ to live. But I would never move here unless you were retired with a big pension. Flagstaff is the most expensive place to live in AZ. Also small town feel is being consistently destroyed with huge expansion projects by Walmart, fast food chains, Home Depot, and housing development. It seems as though the Flagstaff government is trying to make Flagstaff more appealing to consumers, a frequently cited problem by Phoenicians who expect large shopping malls and wide selections of fast food. The noise pollution of the city is high and Southwest Solar is expecting to move their operations down to Phoenix like everyone else. Some of the only pluses to living here are the mico-breweries and the accessibility to hiking and biking (Cycle/Mountain).
Posted by: TOOHEY at 06/11/2009 04:22:52 PM
I have lived in Flagstaff for over 17yrs. now, and see the issues that face any community in the U.S.; low wages, homelessness, students of NAU that are on drugs and drinking. Crime at our university is higher than the whole city. Racial profiling, mainly our Native Americans, and poverty bountiful. What makes Flagstaff different, is the fact that we do not get to hear about all of these maladies, due to us being a college and resort town. Our Bed and Breakfast tax is almost as high as San Francisco...So how do you like me now??????
Posted by: steve at 06/23/2009 04:02:02 PM
Who wants to live in Phoenix? No wonder it's so much cheaper there. Everywhere desirable has a higher cost of living and "typically depressed wages". I have no problem making a good living as a carpet installer here, and even if I do make a little less than I might somewhere else (although definitely more than I would in the Valley) it's part of the tradeoff for living somewhere most people would like to move to. I moved from Seattle and would never go back to any big city, the nightlife is actually more fun...and the mountain biking absolutely rules. Psyched to see it on this list! P.S. what are u talking about "we don't here about our problems because we're a resort town"?... Makes no sense
Posted by: Yvette at 06/24/2009 09:00:51 AM
I am a native of Arizona, and have lived in Flagstaff close to 40 yrs, and find it odd, that the statement on the statistics show us having 126,087 people in our town, is far from the truth. In 2009 - the population of Flagstaff is: 59,746, so this report is off by 66,341 people. Secondly, in this economy - the pay is not $48,171, unless you are a University Degree person, or own a business. Otherwise, the most one can make in this town is in the range of $20,000 to $40,000 without a degree. One forgets that this state is a "right to work state" so unions are few and far between. It is expensive to live here - everything higher in price than any other part of the state. Reason I live here, I was raised and married here, and I know someday because the elevation gets to most at a certain age, I will leave, taking the pictures of a family ranch of memories, and a life I had.
Posted by: poorboy at 11/23/2009 04:25:09 PM
Flagstaff used to be very affordable, with lots of opportunity. Unfortunately no longer.....it is very expensive and the job market is very slim. Most jobs are minimum wage service jobs. You can make a decent salary IF you can get on with the University or maybe W.L. Gore, but it is extremely difficult to do so...