Flagstaff, AZ?

[bulgron]

Anyone who knows me also knows that I've been dying to get out of California for a couple of decades. Sadly, one thing after another has kept me locked into Silicon Valley.

However, over the last few years the situation in my life has been gradually shifting more in favor of moving than not. The big hold-out has been my wife, who I always thought was cemented-never-to-be-moved from this area. Still, I've made a game out of throwing locations at her over the years, just to see if there are any places that MIGHT interest her. Since her family is in Tucson, and mine is in Minneapolis, I've focused on areas in the southwest and the midwest, with occasional suggestions on the pacific northwest. Almost always what I got was a screech of horror out of her for even suggesting those places.

Well, last week I mentioned Flagstaff. And she didn't screech. Apparently she thinks Flagstaff is liberal enough to pass her political filters. Or something like that.

It helps that my kids are as fed up with California as I am. Basically, my wife has a minor rebellion on her hands. Last night at dinner I was talking about moving to Flagstaff and my daughter asked my wife if she was coming with us. She just shrugged and said, "Well, if you're moving, then I guess I have to come with you." But at least she didn't look sickened by the idea.

Dragging her kicking and screaming out of California, that's what we're doing. :thumbup:

So here's the deal: both my wife and I have very portable jobs. I've been telecommuting full time for five years now. My wife COULD be telecommuting full time, but has chosen not to. In addition, the equity in our house in California, combined with how fast homes are still selling in this immediate area, means that I could buy a pretty decent place in Flagstaff and not have a mortgage. Plus, with the way things are going in California's public budgets, I'm increasingly of the opinion that I should bail now before the state goes completely, utterly, flat broke. I expect that to happen within a couple of years. It all depends on what Jerry Brown does now that he's governor again, and what the state legislature does now that Republicans have been completely dialed out of the budget process. But suffice to say, I don't expect fiscal responsibility to come out of that crowd.

The upshot is, from a sort of 10,000 foot view (as examined via the internet), Flagstaff seems like a decent destination. The schools look okay, and the local population seems reasonably sane. Of course, the local job market looks not great from what I can tell, but honestly I intend to always cast my net nationally, if not internationally, for work, so I don't know if I really care about that.

The question I have for the illustrious members of the Blade Forum's community, what are your thoughts about Flagstaff. Especially if you live there, tell me why I should/should not move there. I mean, besides not wanting a guy like me in your neck of the woods.

From comments I've seen on the internet, it appears that people in that town really don't like outsiders. On the other hand, they have an stupidly large number of properties there in foreclosure. Surely they can't still be anti-outsiders, can they?

Thanks for any insights you might have.

 

[555]

From comments I've seen on the internet, it appears that people in that town really don't like outsiders. On the other hand, they have an stupidly large number of properties there in foreclosure. Surely they can't still be anti-outsiders, can they?

Welcome to Flagstaff Mountaintop Resort
High Atop Flagstaff Mountain in Jim Thorpe, PA

And stay out, Oh you're talking about the other Flagstaff.

 

[somber]

Flagstaff is great once you get out of the college area. There are a ton of idiots (surprisingly) around the college campus, but it'll be a nice change from the local idiots in California, I suspect. I really, really enjoyed it there, it has that small town atmosphere even though there are thousands of college kids right up the street. The job market isn't great there, but it sounds like this won't really be an issue for you.

I wouldn't say they're anti-outsider, just jaded by the influx of college kids.

Cheers.

 

[bulgron]

Flagstaff is great once you get out of the college area. There are a ton of idiots (surprisingly) around the college campus, but it'll be a nice change from the local idiots in California, I suspect. I really, really enjoyed it there, it has that small town atmosphere even though there are thousands of college kids right up the street. The job market isn't great there, but it sounds like this won't really be an issue for you.

I wouldn't say they're anti-outsider, just jaded by the influx of college kids.

Cheers.

Thanks, Somber.

 

[UffDa]

If you like snow, you'll like Flagstaff. Keep in mind that it's average elevation is 6900 feet. It get pretty chilly in the winter. On the plus side, it doesn't get very hot. Also, the folks there tend to lean to the left politically. Of course, being from the PRK, that should not be a problem. besides all that, now is a good time to be buying a house if you have the money.

PS: I had a similar problem with my wife. She grew up in LA and our kids still live in the PRK. We lived in Goleta for 28 years and our son is still there. When my job moved to AZ, I commuted every other month when work for piled up. I looked at houses in the area and found a really nice one for about 1/3 of what we could get for our 40 year old house in Goleta. In December 2003, my wife came out with me and we bought that house. She misses her friends in Goleta, but she made a pile of new ones here. She admits that if we stayed in Goleta, we would be in a pile of do-do financially.