pondering job offer in Flagstaff (apartments, renting, home)

[wanderer430]

Hi there! I'm an eastcoast urbanite, considering a job offer in Flagstaff, and I'd love to hear what people think about the city.

What are the living conditions like? I hear that the cost of living is surprisingly high in Arizona. The starting salary would be $40 000 plus benefits...would I be able to live fairly comfortably on that? I'm just starting out, so I have no savings to speak of. I also don't have friends or family in the area, so I'd have to be entirely self dependant.

I don't own a car, since I prefer walking or taking public transport, but I'm assuming that it would be highly impractical, if not impossible, to live in Flagstaff without a car. And I'm guessing a car would be essential for visiting attractions and/or outdoor recreational activities on weekends. But I'd love to be told that I'm wrong.

What's the culture of the city like? Is there much diversity? Are people generally tolerant? Is there a vibrant arts scene? Are there good public facilities (libraries, community centres, etc.)? What are the best things about living in Flagstaff? What are the worst?

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion. It would be really helpful to me in making this decision.

[mistyriver]

I used to live in Flagstaff and we came from living in downtown Boston. It's been a few years so I'm really not qualified to speak about the financial side of things but as to the others:
We loved Flagstaff. It does have a good and vibrant arts scene, it's library is terrific (and beautiful). We found it to be very diverse and tolerant especially since it's a university town. Good restaurants and bookstores, though I've heard that McGaughs is gone.
I would say you would definitely need a car to get around...even just to get groceries.
Only bad side that I can think of is that it does have a higher cost of living and tends to have lower wages. But if you already have a job lined up and you can live on your income easily, you shouldn't have a problem.

I hope you go for it. It was a wonderful experience for us when we moved there from the east and I'll always think of Flagstaff fondly.

[wanderer430]

Thank you very much for your response! What you say about Flagstaff is very encouraging. I wish I had time to visit the city before I make a final decision, but unfortunately, that's just not possible.
Thanks again for your input!

[Gretchen B]

I don't live up in Flagstaff, but we get their local news channel. I was under the impression that they've really improved public transportation in the past few years. Of course, for weekend travel you would need a car (or friends that you can hitch a ride with ).

We visit Flagstaff pretty frequently and really enjoy it - always seems to be some event of some sort or another going on. As far as the cost of living, I've heard that it is high, with typical apartments renting for about $1,300+ and home prices starting around $300k-$400k.

That would be tough to make a decision about moving across the country without getting a chance to check things out first. If you don't have a lot of ties, though, it could be an adventure as long as you can move on if things don't work out or if you don't like it.

All the best to you!

[mrkool]

30 years ago Flag was a wonderful place and somewhere I was thinking about either settling or going to college after my stint in the military. Never happened, as I liked what I was doing and ended up staying in the service for several more years than originally planned.
Subsequently, Flag has been "discovered." Lots of southern Californians and yuppies moved in, it grew at a rather fast clip. Housing is very expensive there, which guarantees I can never live there now. Another thing to keep in mind is the weather; it gets about 90 inches of snow a year, and has over 200 days a years where the temp gets below freezing (due to the high altitude). That climate isn't for everyone.
If one can afford the housing and deal with the cold and snow, Flag is still a kool place.

[carecare7]

wanderer430,

Might I ask who the employer is? E-mail me at carecare7@msn.com with the answer. I know a lot of employers here and I can let you know a lot about living in Flagstaff. This is an Obama town, mostly liberal, and educated. E-mail me for the info because it is too long to post here.