Flagstaff, Arizona: Difference between revisions

"Flagstaff" redirects here. For other uses, see Flagstaff (disambiguation).

Flagstaff, Arizona
Seal
Nickname:  City of Seven Wonders
Location in Coconino County the state of Arizona
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Coconino County
Government
• Mayor	Joseph C. Donaldson
Population  (2005)
• Total	57,391
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
Website	http://www.flagstaff.az.us/

Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. It is the principal city of the Flagstaff, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 57,391. The total Metropolitan Statistical Area was 122,000. It is the county seat of Coconino County Template:GR, an important railroad town, and home to Lowell Observatory and Northern Arizona University.

The city's name commemorates a Ponderosa Pine tree that was made into a tall flagpole by members of a scouting party from Boston (known as the "Flagstaff Tea Party"), on July 4, 1876 to celebrate the United States Centennial.

Flagstaff lies near the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau and along the western side of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest on earth at an elevation of 6910 ft (2106 m). Flagstaff is located adjacent to 9,299 ft (2834 m) Mount Elden, just south of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks (known locally as simply "The Peaks") consist of several summits including Humphreys, Agassiz, Fremont, and Doyle Peaks. Humphreys Peak, also known as Mount Humphreys, is one corner of this ancient volcano and the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 ft (3,850 m). It is located about 10 mi (16 km) north of Flagstaff.

History

File:Flagstaff az.jpg

Flagstaff in ca. 1899; view of Post Office and other buildings on Terrace Street.

In 1855, then-Lieutenant Beale, surveyed a road from the Rio Grande in New Mexico to Fort Tejon in California. He passed over the spot where Flagstaff now stands, and camped out at the eastern extremity of the present town. The lieutenant had his men cut the limbs from a straight pine tree in order to fly the United States flag.

Flagstaff’s first recognized permanent settler was Thomas F. McMillan, who arrived in 1876 and built a cabin at the base of Mars Hill. During the 1880s, Flagstaff began to grow, opening its first post office and attracting the booming railroad industry. The town's economy largely consisted of timber, sheep and cattle, and by 1886, Flagstaff was the biggest city on the main line between Albuquerque and the West Coast.

In 1894, astronomer Percival Lowell chose Flagstaff as the site for the now famous Lowell Observatory, primarily due to its high altitude and good astronomical seeing conditions. Thirty-six years later, Pluto was discovered using one of the observatory’s telescopes. The Northern Arizona Normal School was established in 1899, an institution that later became Northern Arizona University in 1966. During the 1920s, Route 66 was built and passed through the city making Flagstaff a popular tourist stop. Flagstaff was incorporated as a city in 1928.

Today, Flagstaff is a community rich with cultural diversity, beauty and history, as well as amazing educational, recreational and scientific opportunities.

Geography

Flagstaff is located at 35°11′57″N 111°37′52″W.Template:GR

At 7,000 feet (2,121 m) elevation, located in the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine forest in the world, the area around Flagstaff is considered a high altitude desert. However, ecosystems spanning from pinon-juniper studded plateaus, high desert, green alpine forest and barren tundra can all be found within a short drive of Flagstaff.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 164.8 km² (63.6 mi²). 164.7 km² (63.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.06%) is water.

Climate

Flagstaff has four distinct seasons. The combination of high altitude, low humidity, and terrain provide mild weather conditions and clear air throughout most of the year, except winter. Weather in Flagstaff is very diverse with moderate summers but sometimes severe winters. Summer temperatures are moderate and high temperatures average around 80°F (about 20°F less than Phoenix). Brief, but often intense, afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms are common during the monsoon season of July and August. The average annual snowfall is 108.8 inches, and the average annual rainfall is 22.80 inches.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 52,894 people, 19,306 households, and 11,602 families residing in the city. The population density was 321.2/km² (831.9/mi²). There were 21,396 housing units at an average density of 129.9/km² (336.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.92% White, 1.75% Black or African American, 9.99% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 6.05% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. 16.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,306 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 21.7% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,146, and the median income for a family was $48,427. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $24,591 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,637. About 10.6% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Media

The major daily newspaper in Flagstaff is the Arizona Daily Sun. The Navajo Hopi Observer is a weekly newspaper that is commonly read by the Native American population.

There are two local broadcast television stations serving the city; KNAZ-2 (NBC) and KFPH-13 (TeleFutura). Several repeaters also provide access to all of the local television stations serving the Phoenix, Arizona market. The major cable television provider serving the city is NPG Cablevision.

Museums and other points of interest

Flagstaff's proximity to Grand Canyon National Park, about 75 mi (120 km) north of the city, has made the city a popular tourist destination. Route 66, originally running between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, greatly increased the accessibility to the area, and enhanced the tourist industry in the city. Today, Route 66 remains as a historic route and popular tourist attraction, passing through the city between Barstow, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Other nearby tourist attractions include Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Barringer Crater (meteor crater), The Arboretum at Flagstaff, and the Museum of Northern Arizona. The city of Sedona, Arizona, is also a short half hour drive from Flagstaff, traveling through scenic Oak Creek Canyon.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell are also both about 135 mi (216 km) north along U.S. Route 89.

Sports

There are no major league, professional sports in Flagstaff. The Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League have held their summer training camp at Northern Arizona University since the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, with the exception of the 2005 season due to an outbreak of a flu-like virus. The NAU training camp location has been cited as one of the top five training camps in the NFL by Sports Illustrated.

Northern Arizona University and the city of Flagstaff also are home to the Center for High Altitude Training, a facility where athletes can train in the unique environment the city has to offer at 7,000 feet elevation. The center has been designated by the United States Olympic Committee as an official U.S. Olympic Training Site.

Winter sports are also popular in the area, and the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort is located about 15 miles to the north of the city on San Francisco Mountain.

In popular culture

In the early 20th century, the city was considered as a site for a film by Jesse Lasky and Cecil B. DeMille, but was abandoned in favor of Hollywood. Several recent movies have been filmed, at least in part, in Flagstaff, including Midnight Run, where Charles Grodin gave Robert De Niro the slip. Several of the running scenes in Forrest Gump were filmed in and around the area, including a memorable scene where Forrest is seen jogging in downtown Flagstaff and gives inspiration to a bumper sticker designer.

The city was also mentioned in several novels, such as The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey, depicting an encounter with a Flagstaff policeman. Frank Poole discusses his childhood growing up in Flagstaff in Arthur C. Clarke's novel 3001: The Final Odyssey. Author Richard Bausch wrote a short story called, All the Way in Flagstaff, Arizona. The city also appeared in Stephen King's book, "Firestarter."

Perhaps most recognizable, the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66" by Bobby Troup.

Infrastructure

Education

Public schools in Flagstaff are operated by the Flagstaff Unified School District. In addition to the numerous public schools there are a number of charter schools operated in the Flagstaff area including Flagstaff Junior Academy, Northland Preparatory Academy (NPA), the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy (FALA) and the Montessori Schools of Flagstaff.

Flagstaff is also home to two institutions of higher education, Northern Arizona University (one of the three public universities in the Arizona), and Coconino Community College.

Transportation

Flagstaff is located at the northern terminus of Interstate 17, which travels 145 mi (232 km) south to Phoenix, Arizona. Interstate 40 runs east-west through the city, traveling to Los Angeles, California in the west and Albuquerque, New Mexico (and beyond) in the east. Historic Route 66 also runs east-west through the city, roughly parallel to I-40, and is a major thoroughfare for local traffic. Butler Avenue connects I-40 with downtown Flagstaff, and the major north-south thoroughfare through town is Milton Avenue. Arizona State Route 89A travels through the city (concurrently as parts of Milton Ave. and Route 66), going south through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, and north to the Grand Canyon.

Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak, connecting on east-west routes to Los Angeles and Albuquerque. Greyhound provides inter-city bus service, primarily connecting the railway lines in Flagstaff to Phoenix via I-17. Local bus service is provided throughout the city by the Mountain Line.

Air travel is available through Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (IATA: FLG, ICAO: KFLG, FAA LID: FLG), located just south of the city off of I-17. The airport is primarily a small, general aviation airport with a single 6,999 ft (2,133 m) runway. Service to connecting flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX, FAA LID: PHX) is provided by US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines.

Trivia

• Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff is named for the city and 6582 Flagsymphony is named for the Flagstaff Symphony.
• The first Ramada Inn hotel opened in 1954 at Flagstaff at the intersection of U.S. Routes 66, 89 and 89A adjacent to Arizona State College, now Northern Arizona University. That original Ramada hotel is still intact today as a Super 8 Motel.

Sister cities

Flagstaff has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

- Barnaul (Russia) - City of Blue Mountains (Australia) - Hsin Tien City (Taiwan) - Manzanillo (Mexico)

See also

• Famous people from Flagstaff, Arizona

External links

• Official City Government Website
• Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Flagstaff: Arizona's Winter Wonderland
• Live controllable webcam in Flagstaff, Arizona
• Flagstaff Area Radio Stations and Media