Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 52,894. It is the county seat of Coconino County , 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, Massachusetts 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 around 7,000 ft (2,000 m). Flagstaff is located just south of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in Arizona. Humphreys Peak, an ancient volcano and the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 ft (3,850 m), is located about 10 mi (16 km) north of Flagstaff in the San Francisco Peaks. Old Route 66 runs through downtown Flagstaff between Barstow, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Flagstaff is the notheren terminus of Interstate 17 which runs 145 mi (232 km) south to the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66".

Besides winter snow skiing at the Arizona Snow Bowl west of Humphreys Peak, nearby tourist attractions include Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Oak Creek Canyon, Barringer Crater (meteor crater), The Arboretum at Flagstaff, and the Museum of Northern Arizona. Grand Canyon National Park is 75 mi (120 km) north of Flagstaff along U.S. Route 180 while Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell are both about 135 mi (216 km) north along U.S. Route 89

History

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, Percival Lowell chose Flagstaff as the site for the now famous Lowell Observatory, primarily due to its high altitude and great visibility. Thirty-six years later, Pluto was discovered through the observatory’s telescopes. The Arizona Teacher’s College began in 1899, which 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 .

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 severe winters. Summer temperatures are moderate and high temperatures average around 80°F (about 20°F less than Phoenix). Afternoon rain showers in July and August are common. The average annual snowfall is 108.8 inches, and the average annual rainfall is 22.80 inches.

Demographics

As of the census 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.

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 Northland Preparatory Academy (NPA), Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy (FALA) and the Montessori Schools of Flagstaff.

Media

Television

Flagstaff is served by two local television stations and several repeaters:

KNAZ-2 (NBC 2, NBC)
KTVW-6 (KTVW-CA Univision 33 Phoenix, Univision)
KFPH-13 (TeleFutura)
KAET-14 (K14KK Channel 8 Tempe/Phoenix, PBS)
KUTP-28 (K28CW UPN 45 Phoenix, UPN)
KAZT-30 (K30DT AZTV 7 Prescott, Independent)
KPAZ-35 (K35FH TBN 21 Phoenix, TBN
KSAZ-48 (K48GI FOX 10 Phoenix, FOX)
KPHO-50 (K50HU CBS 5 Phoenix, CBS)
KNXV-52 (K52CM ABC 15 Phoenix, ABC)
KTVK-54 (K54GI News Channel 3 Phoenix, Independent)

Trivia

Flagstaff in the early 20th century was considered as a site for an early film by Jesse Lasky and Cecil B. DeMille. But that idea was abandoned in favor of Hollywood. Some recent movies have been filmed in Flagstaff.
In Midnight Run Charles Grodin gives Robert De Niro the slip in Flagstaff.
In Forrest Gump the main character is seen jogging in downtown Flagstaff when he gives inspiration to a bumper sticker designer.
In "Raise Your Voice"Hilary Duff's Character is originally from Flagstaff and moves to Los Angeles for music school.
Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang depicts an encounter with a Flagstaff policeman.
Frank Poole discusses his childhood growing up in Flagstaff in Arthur C. Clarke's novel The Final Odyssey.
Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff is named for the city and 6582 Flagsymphony is named for the Flagstaff Symphony.
The author Richard Bausch has written a short story called, All the Way in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Sister cities

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

External links

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