Flagstaff: Recreation

Sightseeing

Flagstaff, originally a railroad town, now houses its visitors center in the Tudor revival-style Santa Fe Station, where one can pick up maps for walking tours of the city. The Lowell Observatory, possibly the city's most famous structure, presents visitors with hands-on exhibits, historic displays, and a scenic campus located near downtown. Tours, sky shows, demonstrations, and lectures are offered throughout the year. The observatory's oldest telescope is housed in an historic wooden dome, and night sky viewing is offered in evening hours during most of the year.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff, with the highest elevation of a botanical research garden in the nation, displays a fascinating variety of plant life native to the region, and features a Threatened and Endangered Plant Conservation Program. Its 10 gardens include an Herb Garden of 250 specimens, a Constructed Wetland wherein native plants purify water, a butterfly garden, organic vegetable garden, and other gardens spread over 200 acres with scenic trails. Visitors to Coconino National Forest may spot American bald eagles and black bear in the world's largest ponderosa pine forest, which ranges in elevation from 2,600 to 12,633 feet. The Eldon Pueblo Archaeological Project at the National Forest informs visitors about archaeological concepts, values, laws, and practices through personal experience. Programs for children are also available.

Guides escort tourists through the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, a mansion with forty rooms and more than 13,000 square feet of living area. This 1904 duplex contains original artifacts, handcrafted furniture, and personal mementos of the Riordan family, who lived there early in the twentieth century. The park also offers a visitor center, a self-guided tour of the grounds, and picnic tables. Reservations are recommended for tours.

Three national monuments in the area draw visitors for their history and breathtaking beauty. The pristine, stream-cut gorge at Walnut Canyon National Monument offers walking trails that reveal the ancient cliff dwellings built into the steep canyon walls where the Sinagua people lived nearly a thousand years ago. The on-site museum displays artifacts that paint a picture of what life was like for these early inhabitants of the area. Located in the shadow of the San Francisco peaks, the Wupatki National Monument was once home to the farmers and traders of the Anasazi and Sinagua tribes at this monument can be seen four pueblos offering a glimpse into the past. (Wupatki is Hopi for "big house.")

Fifty thousand years ago an enormous iron-nickel meteorite, falling through space at about 30,000 to 40,000 miles per hour, struck a rocky plain of northern Arizona with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT. It left behind a crater, called the meteor Crater, which today is 550 feet deep and 2.4 miles in circumference. The adjacent Museum of Astrogeology offers exhibits, movies and lectures that vividly describe the impact and the awesome results.

The Grand Canyon is about 80 miles northwest of Flagstaff. There one can view one of the most spectacular examples of arid land erosion in the world. The park covers 1,904 square miles, including 277 miles of the Colorado River. South Rim facilities are open year-round, and North Rim facilities are open mid-May through mid-October. The Grand Canyon Railway lets one travel in grand style on a vintage train from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim, across 65 miles of beautiful Arizona countryside.

Arts and Culture

The Coconino Center for the Arts, a modern glass-front building, is the site of many cultural activities in Flagstaff, including symphonic, orchestral, and choral performances. It is also home to the 10-day Festival of Native American Arts in August. Visual arts and literary and educational programs edify both locals and visitors. The center's 4,000 square foot gallery presents the work of a variety of artists throughout the year. Annual exhibits of note held at the center include the Youth Art Exhibit held in March or April, which features the works of students throughout Coconino County; and the Trappings of the American West exhibit in May and June, which highlights contemporary cowboy arts and crafts by artists throughout the Southwest and Canada, and also offers cowboy poetry readings and musical performances.

The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (FSO) has been bringing enjoyment to local audiences since its founding in 1950. The FSO performs in the 1,500-seat Ardery Auditorium, giving eight concerts during its September through April season as well as Youth Concerts, a Lollipop concert in December for very young children, and pops series in nearby ShowLow and Sedona. The Museum of Northern Arizona also plays host to many entertainment events throughout the year. Theatrikos, a popular local theatre group, performs five mainstage productions per year; is involved in project P.E.A.C.E (Prevention, Education, and Creative Expression) which helps to prevent teen violence through theatre and peer interaction; and offers classes on acting, scene building, lighting design, voice, and the like. Theatrikos's home, the Flagstaff Playhouse, was renamed the Doris Harper-White Community Playhouse after one of its founders and longest member. It is an intimate black box theatre with 99 seats.

Flagstaff's premier museum is the Museum of Northern Arizona, which introduces museum-goers to the native peoples and natural sciences of the Colorado Plateau region. Permanent galleries and changing exhibits explore anthropology, biology, geology, and fine art. Native American art is for sale at the museum shop and there is a nature trail on the grounds.

The history of Flagstaff from the time of cowboys to the lumberjacks and railroaders to the astronomers is presented at the Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum. Exhibits include early medical equipment, saddles, household and livestock items, and a 1929 Baldwin locomotive.

Festivals and Holidays

Summer events in Flagstaff center around the rodeo and ethnic cuisine. Fans of the rodeo enjoy the Arizona High School Rodeo finals, which take place the first weekend of every June at the Coconino county Fair Grounds. High school students compete in such events as barrel racing, bareback riding, saddle bronco riding, bull riding, team roping, calf roping, and goat tying. The annual Chili Cook-off held during that same weekend features live music and contests for both adults and children. On the second Saturday in June, the Great Fiesta Del Barrio & Fajita Cook-off celebrates the customs and culture of the local Hispanic community. The third weekend in June brings the Pine Country Pro Rodeo, which draws contenders to the Coconino County Fairgrounds. The Arizona Highland Celtic Festival offers music, Irish dancing, and whiskey tastings. The Festival of Native American Arts, held during July and August, includes an exhibit, outdoor market, dances, workshops and demonstrations celebrating the arts, crafts, culture, and traditions of Native Americans throughout the Southwest. August's Flagstaff Summerfest Festival in the Pines tops off the summer season with the finest in arts and crafts, food, and entertainment.

Every Labor Day Weekend the Coconino County Fair takes places at the fairgrounds in Fort Tuthill Park. Highlights of the fair include exhibits, livestock, entertainment, a demolition derby, and carnival. The Flagstaff Festival of Science, a 10-day event held annually at the end of September, promotes science awareness through hands-on exhibits, interactive displays, field trips, and world-class scientist participants.

Flagstaff kicks off the winter season as children young and old delight in the Playthings of the Past exhibit, which runs from November through January and features dolls, trains, cars, and castles from the 1880s through the 1960s. During December, Riordan Mansion offers holiday tours of its festively decorated turn-of-the-century rooms. February's Flagstaff Winterfest features nearly 100 events: sled dog races, skiing competitions, and other snow events, llama play days, sleigh rides, concerts, cultural events, and historic walking tours are all on schedule. The Arizona Special Olympics is a competition for mentally and physically challenged athletes that is held during the last weekend in February.

Sports for the Spectator

The Arizona Cardinals of the National Football league and the Phoenix Suns, affiliates of the National Basketball Association, hold preseason training camps in Flagstaff. A variety of NCAA-sanctioned events are hosted at Northern Arizona University, including football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, track and swimming. NAU's Sky-dome, where many athletic events are held, is one of the largest wood-domed structures in the world; the university's Wall Aquatic Center is a high-altitude training site for U.S. and international Olympic swimmers and divers.

The Coconino County Horse Races—a tradition for more than 50 years—features thoroughbreds and quarter horses and is held annually over the Fourth of July weekend at Fort Tuthill Downs.

Sports for the Participant

Flagstaff has 29 parks with 2 swimming pools, 1 public 18-hole golf course and 5 private ones, an ice-skating rink, 16 tennis courts, 2 bowling alleys, a skeet-and-trap facility, and a ski resort. FUTS, the Flagstaff Urban Trails System, runs through the city and provides several multi-use trails varying in length from one to five miles. Northern Arizona University's Wall Aquatic Center has an Olympic size pool that is open to the public. The city's transportation network of interstate highways makes it easy to explore the national forests surrounding the city. Popular forest-based activities include hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Coconino National Forest offers more than 320 miles of hiking trails. In town, trailheads access Mount Elden from the east and west. The Arizona Snowbowl atop the San Francisco Peaks, with a base elevation of 9,000 feet, is higher in elevation than most resorts in Utah, Colorado, and California. It offers skiers a vertical drop of 2,300 feet, four chairlifts and more than 30 slopes, the longest of which stretches more than a mile. Its chairlift becomes a 6,450-foot-long "Scenic Skyride" during the summer. Flagstaff Nordic Center, 16 miles north of the city, offers 25 miles of groomed trails for every level of skier.

Shopping and Dining

Flagstaff is the primary commercial center in northern Arizona. The city boasts many fine art galleries, antique shops and specialty shops, as well as 13 major shopping centers. Flagstaff's proximity to a number of Indian reservations provides shoppers with a variety of Native American arts and crafts. The historic downtown shopping area has nearly 200 gift shops, boutiques, and clothing stores. Import stores downtown specialize in South American and Mexican goods. The Flagstaff Mall, an enclosed shopping center with more than 60 stores, recently went through a 500,000 square foot expansion project. The Gallery Shop at Coconino Center for the Arts specializes in hand-made arts and crafts by area artists.

Flagstaff's more than 200 restaurants range from casual southwestern to European-style with food served in the historic atmosphere of turn-of-the-century buildings. Ethnic cuisine ranges from Italian, Mexican, and Asian, to Middle Eastern and Bohemian. Music fans enjoy visiting the Museum Club, a Depression-era Route 66 road house and the Southwest's largest log cabin, which continues to present popular country musicians.

Visitor Information: The Flagstaff Visitor Center, (520)774-9541

Flagstaff: Economy

Major Industries and Commercial Activity

New scientific and high tech research and development industries have located to Flagstaff, broadening the economic base of tourism, government, education, and transportation, which replaced the lumber, railroad, and ranching eras.

Research activities are important to the city's economy. The most well-known facility, Lowell Observatory, is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto, and has done pioneering work in observations of near-Earth phenomena such as asteroids, comets, and belt systems; and in the field of interferometric studies, in which a distributed network of small telescopes together create images of celestial bodies with much higher resolutions than any other single telescope can produce.

Items and goods produced: dog and cat food; surgical/medical instruments and apparatus; wind generators; circuit boards; packaging products; recycled paper products for commercial use

Incentive Programs—New and Existing Companies

Most programs in Arizona are offered at the state level. The Greater Flagstaff Economic Council is a public/private agency that serves the city, county, Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses.

Local programs

The city offers an Infrastructure Assistance Incentive Fund with up to $100,000 available per economic development project.

State programs

Flagstaff businesses in recently expanded Enterprise Zone areas may receive direct state income tax credits based on the number of net new employees hired. Any qualified position is eligible if the position is a full-time permanent job, if the employer pays an hourly wage of above $7.55 an hour (raised from $5.77 in 1997); and if the employer provides health insurance and pays at least 50 percent of the insurance cost. If at least 35 percent of new employees live in any Enterprise Zone areas, then all new net employees qualify for eligibility. Any unused state income tax credits may be carried forward for up to five taxable years, providing the business remains in the Enterprise Zone. Other Enterprise Zone incentives include tax breaks for companies that make more than a $1 million investment and retain a new hire for more than three years. Other programs give tax credits on the cost of installing recycling equipment, exemptions for contractors and vendors of solar energy devices, for pollution control, purchase of construction materials, and research and development investment. State lottery proceeds provide fixed-asset loans to companies for expansion, relocation, and consolidation.

Job training programs

The Flagstaff Job Service Center gives aid to employers in advertising openings, evaluating applicants, and immigration certification. The state of Arizona offers matching funds of up to 75 percent to businesses for the training of workers for new jobs in the state. Through the new federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), formerly Job Training Partnership Act, employers may receive up to 50 percent of their wages back during initial training periods. Customized training programs are also available.

The Small Business Development Center is jointly funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Coconino County Community College. This one-stop center offers free one-on-one counseling, training, and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management.

Development Projects

Downtown Flagstaff completed a major $7 million project upgrading its commercial area surrounding the Visitors Center in the 1990's. Flagstaff 2020 Vision Project began then, when some citizens began to question whether increasing development was compatible with preservation of what made the area special. The plan laid out a five year plan to balance economic opportunity with growth limits, and was replaced in 2002 with the Regional Growth and Transportation Plan, which governs land use, transportation, open space, and trail systems. Another development project in the works is dependant upon pending federal legislation, which will authorize the procurement of 1,100 acres surrounding the airport for business park, light industrial, residential development, runway expansion, and municipal uses.

In 2003, the Lowell Observatory and Discovery Communications announced a cooperative effort on a $30 million telescope that will bring unprecedented wide range views and deep imaging surveys of the night skies. The Discovery Channel Telescope's unique design will allow it to switch from extremely wide-field focus to much more detailed spectroscopy, infrared imaging and other applications. In addition to significantly advancing capacity for research, the telescope will also be used for real-time worldwide broadcasting and for science education programs for the public. The expected completion date for the telescope is 2009.

Commercial Shipping

Air cargo carriers flying direct from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport are Federal Express and United Parcel Service. The city has ten motor freight carriers. The one-day truck radius extends to Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Albuquerque, El Paso, Los Angeles, and parts of Mexico. Flagstaff is served by Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railways.

Labor Force and Employment Outlook

Northern Arizona, which includes Flagstaff, Sedona, and Payson, has experienced a massive influx of tourists and retirees in recent years. After concerns were voiced by residents about the continued development and its impact on the environment, developers and environmentalists are working together to achieve a balance between economy and landscape preservation. Government is one of the largest employment sectors in Flagstaff. Tourism, and the service and construction industries in concert, create employment opportunities as well.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Coconino County labor force, 2004 annual averages:

Size of nonagricultural labor force: 60,000

Number of workers employed in . . .

construction and mining: 3,400

manufacturing: 3,100

trade, transportation, and utilities: 9,200

information: 400

financial activities: 1,600

professional and business services: 3,300

educational and health services: 6,700

leisure and hospitality: 11,800

other services: 1,800

government: 18,400

Average hourly earning of production workers employed in manufacturing: $16.56

Unemployment rate: 5.4% (January 2005)

Cost of Living

Housing costs in Flagstaff run somewhat higher than the national average. The typical rent for a two-bedroom apartment is about $850 per month. Food and health care also run a bit higher than the nation as a whole.

The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factor in the Flagstaff area.

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Average House price: $336,338

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Cost of Living Index: 111.5 (U.S. average = 100.0)

State income tax rate: Ranges from 2.87% to 5.04%

State sales tax rate: 5.60%

Local income tax rate: none

Local sales tax rate: 1.51% city; .80% county

Property tax rate: $9.89 per $100 of assessed value (2003)

Economic Information: Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, 101 W. Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-5598; telephone (520)774-4505. Greater Flagstaff Economic Council, S. Milton Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001; telephone (520)779-7658; toll-free (800)595-7658; fax (520)556-0940

Flagstaff: History

Local Springs and Railroad Draw Settlers

It is said that it is the springs that first drew people to the Flagstaff area of dry, northern Arizona. The Sinagua, Anasazi, and Cohonino tribes were the first to settle there. Ruins of the pueblos and cliff dwellings belonging to the Navaho nation and Hopi tribes can still be found in the forests and lands surrounding present-day Flagstaff. A mountain man named Antoine Leroux knew the location of a source of water at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, and in 1876 a group of New Englanders left from Boston in search of the excellent farm land that they had heard about in highly exaggerated stories. They started a settlement in present-day Leroux Springs later in the year. According to legend, it was this group who placed a flag on top of a denuded pine tree, celebrating the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence, and thus gave the city the name by which it has been known ever since.

In 1882, the arrival in Flagstaff of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad started a building boom. The site of what is today downtown Flagstaff was selected because the railroad wanted to build its new depot on flat land. The brick-fronted building that merchant P.J. Brennan erected for a new store still exists, now serving as a popular saloon and pool hall. Shortly after the arrival of the railroad, a sawmill began operations to accommodate the railroad's need for wooden ties. The new sawmill provided jobs for more than 250 people. Wood was easily attainable, as the city is near the world's largest forest of ponderosa pines.

For more than half a century, beginning in the 1880s, miles of spur rail line extended in all directions from the city. The men who engaged in the sawmill industry developed their own culture. Author Rose Houk describes "logger lingo" in which "coffee was referred to by its brand name, Arbuckle; pancakes were 'blankets;' [and] biscuits were 'doorknobs.' "

Sheep ranching got started in the mid-1880s and became big business in Flagstaff. Many of the sheep ranchers were of Basque or Spanish heritage. At the same time, cattle raising was begun by a group of Mormons at Leroux Spring.

City Becomes Observatory Site

In 1894, Andrew E. Douglass of Boston chose Flagstaff as the site for an astronomical observatory. Douglass placed the Lowell Observatory there in part because of the clear skies that good telescope viewing requires. During that same year a reform school was built, which was later to serve as the first building of what is now Northern Arizona University. In 1930 astronomer V.M. Slipher discovered the planet Pluto at the observatory. Lowell Observatory has stayed in the forefront of science, notably with its research in the area of bodies within the solar system such as satellites (moons), near-Earth asteroids, and comets.

Wildland-Urban Interface

In June and July 2002 the catastrophic Rodeo-Chediski fire grabbed national attention as the worst fire in Arizona history. Affecting Coconino County and its contiguous neighbors Navajo, Apache, and Gila Counties, the fire burned approximately 468,000 acres, the bulk of which was Ft. Apache Indian Reservation and national forest land; destroyed almost 500 homes; and cost $43 million to quell. More than $34 million in federal disaster aid was directed to the area. Flagstaff itself was not directly affected because of city leaders' and civic groups' proactive work in land use planning and response training.

In the past decade, some of Flagstaff's citizens became concerned about increasing development, mostly due to tourism, and preserving the very environment that makes the area special. Plans were developed to ensure a balance between economic opportunity and growth limits. Today, the city seems to have met and exceeded this goal. Mayor Joe Donaldson sums it up: "Flagstaff is a community raved about in many magazines as the place to invest, develop, vacation and just plain enjoy. Flagstaff prides itself in the miles of internal majestic scenic trails, multi modal transportation opportunities. . . . The community boasts of its efforts in achieving sustainable economic strength while preserving its pristine environment through community activism, emulated quality of life ordinances and resolutions driven through extensive community driven processes. Flagstaff is not just a place. It is a way of life where people become one with their environment."

Historical Information: The Historical Society, Northern Arizona University, Cline Library, PO Box 6022, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022; telephone (520)523-6802

Flagstaff: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The Flagstaff Unified School District is widely recognized as one of the finest in the Southwest. It offers a wide range of programs to meet the needs of students with diverse backgrounds, interests, and abilities. Through use of non-traditional approaches, Project New Start helps students on the verge of dropping out, and the Teen Parent Program assists young mothers to continue their education while pregnant and during the months following childbirth. Flagstaff was the first school system in the U.S. to implement drug-and-alcohol prevention programs in both its elementary and secondary schools. The district also participates in Communities in Schools, which provides families with access to a range of social services through the schools. Other programs include artists-in-residence, after-school classes for high school credit, Suzuki violin program, parenting programs, bilingual education, and magnet and alternative programs, among others.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Flagstaff Unified School District as of the 2003-2004 school year.

Total Enrollment: 11,433

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 9

middle schools: 2

high schools: 3

other: 2 alternative schools and 5 magnet schools

Student teacher ratio: elementary, 23:1; middle schools, 24:1; high schools, 32:1 (2005)

Teacher salaries (2003-2004)

minimum: $28,280

maximum: $54,000

Funding per pupil: $6,000 including capital

Colleges and Universities

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has more than 13,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students and offers small classes, respected and accessible faculty and advisers, comprehensive libraries, computer labs, research opportunities, career placement, cultural programs and events, recreational facilities, and intramural and NCAA athletics. NAU students can choose from 108 baccalaureate degrees and 55 graduate studies programs. Unique programs range from Colorado Plateau-based forestry to global-ranging bioterrorism. More pedestrian fields such as physical therapy and hotel/restaurant management are available. The university's Center for Excellence in Education promotes a competency based approach to teacher education.

Coconino County Community College, a two year college educating more than 3,000 students, offers programs for students to continue their higher education or to enter the business world.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library consists of a main library, a combined school-branch library in Flagstaff, and eight affiliate branches throughout the county. The main library, built in an attractive ski-lodge style, features four fireplaces and local Native American art. The library contains more than 170,000 volumes and an extensive collection of Arizona and Southwest publications.

Other special collections include a U.S. genealogy collection, the Economic Development Information Center, a large print collection, and the City of Flagstaff Archives.

For its small population, the city is home to a large number of research collections and special libraries, including Lowell Observatory, the Museum of Northern Arizona, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arboretum (Transition Zone Horticultural Institute), the Cross Cultural Dance Resources Institution, and Northern Arizona University's Cline Library Special Collections and Archives Division.

The many research centers and institutes at Northern Arizona University include the Colorado Plateau Research Station, the Center for Quaternary Studies, and the Institute for Native Americans. The university's Distance Learning Network provides 10 classes per day to non-campus students across the state and is used by many private corporations for special research needs. The U.S. Geological Survey Flagstaff Field Center supports such research as Space Mission support, water locating, earth geology, and image processing.

Public Library Information: Flagstaff City/Coconino County Public Library, 330 West Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001; telephone (520)779-7670; fax (520)774-9573

Flagstaff: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1990: 101,760

2000: 122,366

Percent change, 1990–2000: 20.2%

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: 237th

City Residents

1980: 34,743

1990: 45,857

2000: 52,894

2003 estimate: 61,030

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.3

U.S. rank in 1980: 676th

U.S. rank in 1990: 543rd (State rank: 10th)

U.S. rank in 2000: 673rd (State rank: 13th)

Density: 831.9 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 41,214

Black or African American: 927

American Indian and Alaska Native: 4,210

Asian: 660

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 65

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 8,500

Other: 3,201

Percent of residents born in state: 41.6% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 3,546

Population 5 to 9 years old: 3,410

Population 10 to 14 years old: 3,599

Population 15 to 19 years old: 4,762

Population 20 to 24 years old: 9,004

Population 25 to 34 years old: 8,654

Population 35 to 44 years old: 7,457

Population 45 to 54 years old: 6,433

Population 55 to 59 years old: 1,876

Population 60 to 64 years old: 1,327

Population 65 to 74 years old: 1,658

Population 75 to 84 years old: 909

Population 85 years and older: 259

Median age: 26.8 years

Births (2000)

Total number: 1,031

Deaths (2000)

Total number: 253

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $18,637

Median household income: $37,146

Total households: 19,355

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 2,035

$10,000 to $14,999: 1,335

$15,000 to $24,999: 2,866

$25,000 to $34,999: 2,789

$35,000 to $49,999: 3,258

$50,000 to $74,999: 3,360

$75,000 to $99,999: 1,793

$100,000 to $149,999: 1,279

$150,000 to $199,999: 343

$200,000 or more: 297

Percent of families below poverty level: 10.6% (49.0% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 5,597