flagstaff or phoenix? which is better to live?

Question

I lived in phoenix once, it sucked because there wasnt much to do.. is flagstaff better or the same or what? I've never even been to flagstaff...

also..
whats minimum wage in AZ?

Answer 1

Nothing to do in Phoenix?!?!??!!! What were you doing? Go to Tempe some night and just walk the bar scene. Go hiking in the Superstition Mountains. They have all the major sports in that town. There is the Renaissance Festival near Mesa. Yes the summer is hot but nothing to do, come on. Get up and go look around. Phoenix is a fabulous town

Answer 2

I say Flagstaff. It is a college town so there are plenty of bars and night life. It is smaller than the Phoenix area, but I prefer a small town feel. I also like the 4 season. Phoenix has 2 seasons-summer and not summer. I don't know where you live now, but if you can deal with the winter, I'd say move to Flagstaff.

As far as the minimum wage, I believe AZ goes by the federal guide lines (at least it did when I lived there 3 years ago).

Answer 3

I grew up in Flagstaff (lived there for over 15 years) and have lived in Phoenix for the last 15 years (although I still go up to Flag frequently to visit friends), so I have pretty good insiders view of both places.

As others have mentioned, they are very different towns and it somewhat depends on what your own priorities and interests are. Flagstaff is a small mountain college and tourist town while Phoenix is a big sprawling desert industrial city.

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and one of the fastest growing cities in the US. However, unrestricted sprawl has resulted in traffic problems, pollution and cookie-cutter housing and business developments that all look the same and don't really have any strong sense of identity or uniqueness. Phoenix is the city-equivelent of a McDonald's restuarant: fast moving, cheap and new, but also unoriginal and uninspired. While it does have museums, zoos, and art galleries, they are mostly not of the size, quality or number of other cities this size.

On the plus side, Phoenix has some of the best job oppurtunties in the country, especially in the area of real estate, health care and high tech. While housing in established central neighborhoods has gotten expensive, it is still relatively cheap (< $150K) in the new wildcat subdivisions on the outskirts. And of course the weather means that you can be outside all year long with only June-Aug being a little uncomfortable on the hot side.

Flagstaff on the other hand has a more laid back feel. It has a strong sense of history and culture and has done a good job of maintaining its historic downtown buildings and local landmarks (Lowell Observatory, the train depot, Riordan Mansion). It is popular with artists and writers and this - combined with the university culture of NAU - means plenty of festivals, concerts and activities (not to mention a surprisingly good selection of cafes and bars). If you are into outdoor stuff, it is within a 2 hour drive of several national parks and monuments and has endless amounts of skiing, hiking, camping and mountain biking.

The biggest disatvantage of Flagstaff is that housing is a bit expensive and there are relatively few high paying jobs. The biggest middle class employer is NAU, followed by WL Gore and the USGS. Beyond that, it is mostly low paying service, retail or hospitality jobs. At 7,000 feet it is much cooler than Phx and does get snow and freezing temps in winter, but even winter storms are usually short-lived and it is not as bad as winter in the mid-west or northeast.

Basically, I would say that if you like big cities with lots of dining and dance club options, are looking for high paying professional corporate job oppurtunties or lean convservative politically then you will be happier in Phoenix. If you prefer small towns, like the outdoors, lean a bit more liberal politically, or must have 4 seasons during the year than choose Flag.

Personally, I think that Flag has the higher quality of life and a stronger sense of community, but I - like many others - live in Phoenix because that is where the jobs are.

Answer 4

There's a lot to do, but that isn't the problem by a long shot. There really isn't a minimum wage, cuz your wage, whatever it is, is going to be undercut by a mexican. For some reason people have been flocking here by the millions especially in the last 15 years. Is the rest of the country THAT bad that Phoenix looks good? Phoenix was a great place at one time but has been ruined like every other city. Cost of living is high, wages low, crime high, especially white collar crime that no one talks about. Where did all the criminals from back east move to in the last hundred years when they turned up the heat in NY & Chicago? Phoenix! Developers/Real Estate, Guardianship/Conservatorship, Banking, and of course - lawyers! The government/courts/legal system is the biggest of all the rackets here. There's huge pockets of immigrants - romanians, russians, asians, you name it, with their own rackets. Usually drug rackets. About half the city is mexican. When they do work, they take most of the jobs at a cut-rate wage. The older sections are run down and white people move out to the 'burbs or to Scottsdale - typical white flight syndrome -while the bums enjoy the infrastructure that folks built up years ago. City services are pitiful, costly, again run by rackets, and can't keep up with the growth. NOTHING can keep up with the growth...clogged streets and highways...extreme air pollution...thousands of snowbirds flocking in during the winter to strain things even more. The police only go after the petty stuff - I think we have the highest incarceration rate in the world! Most of em are in there over a petty drug rap or traffic violation. Immigration laws are not enforced so you have all the problems that go with that. There's a lot of rich retired people here, but again, all the money was made elsewhere. The ONLY positive thing is the winter weather, but again the air is extremely polluted from the bumper to bumper traffic. The summers are absolutely horrid and last for six months. After relating all of this, I can't really pick on Phoenix, I could be describing any city in America; the whole country is going down the tubes and quickly becoming a third world country for the common man. Flagpole might be a little farther away from major problems.

Answer 5

Depends on if you want to have snow or the desert. Phoenix stays around 65 during the day and 40-50 at night during the winter. Flagstaff you get snow.
Minimum wage is $7. 50 I do believe.

Answer 6

You must have lived in Phoenix a while ago, because it is now the fastest growing city in the United States, it is building up so fast.I would say if you are a cold weather person, yeah, go live in Flagstaff. (Flagstaff is a really beautiful city) But I think your best bet is Phoenix or the surrounding area.Mesa is growing by leaps and bounds also.Tempe also, Apache Junction is still kind of slow in the growth department.Good luck and I hope you make the right choice. (RE:Minimum wage, do no,sorry)

Answer 7

They're very different. Flagstaff is a small college town - very nice, and quite pretty, with lots of parks and bike trails and a nearby mountain. Phoenix is a fast growing city with a lot to do. It's not Chicago or New York, of course, but there is an expanding number of restaurants, sports teams, and downtown life. Minimum wage in Arizona is $6.75 an hour, I believe.

Answer 8

Both are beautiful cities and very different. Phoenix has an exploding popluation and a lot of job growth. There aren't a lot of jobs in Flagstaff. So, it may be easier to find a job in Phoenix and you need a job to pay the rent.

Answer 9

Downtown Phoenix isn't a house lofty type of position. they war to make it, besides the undeniable fact that the in reality time it truly is going on is even as there's a ball interest or stay frequent performance. there is an astounding type of structure happening there so it truly is quite congested fantastic now, really with the common rail gadget transferring into. If she's operating in Goodyear, it quite is a a methods rigidity. The plus is that she might want to properly be commuting the distinct way of website visitors. an astounding type of those who stay in Goodyear artwork downtown. Goodyear and Palm valley are quite outstanding factors why no longer stay there? If she likes the evening life, she might want to favor to guage Glendale and Peoria. there is a few places there, yet she will also bounce on the restricted-get get admission to to highway in the route of Tempe and Scottsdale and in no way be too a methods from artwork.

Answer 10

like $6.50
Yea go back to phoenix because its growth is doing great, plus my friend lives in flagstaff supposably for a better life and shes doing Baaaaaddd. Tempe is also amazing because theres way more to do, around ASU or tempe townlake its awsome!!