FLAGSTAFF, AZ — Escaping Valley heat for natural beauty is just a short two-hour drive north, but for those who call Flagstaff home, living in a mountain town can have its steep affordability challenges.
Sitting at around 7,000 feet in elevation, Flagstaff has long been a place where people come to explore.
That exploration can be found on a hiking trail, through the Lowell Observatory telescope, or just looking to explore higher education at Northern Arizona University.
This story is part of ABC15's Voice of the Voter series, where we're highlighting voter perspectives from communities all across Arizona. To see more Voice of the Voter coverage, click here.
Originally known as Antelope Springs, the city first got its name when in the 1870s, East Coast settlers stripped a pine tree and hoisted an American Flag on July 4 — thus the name Flagstaff.
Then in the 1880s, the once-remote western town was connected with the cosmopolitan influence of the east when rail paved its way as one of the last main stops between Albuquerque and the West Coast.
A decade later, the town attracted all kinds of Americans - from ranchers to those in the lumber industry and merchants.
After Arizona became a state in 1912, the famous Route 66 completed in the mid-1920s had Flagstaff thriving as an attraction for mining prospectors, tourists, and students looking to study at what is now Northern Arizona University.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Keith Harris, owner of Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters, said, ”We’re also a college mountain town, so that gives it a certain feel.”
The outdoor wear business smack dab in the middle of downtown Flagstaff has been there since the 1880s.
A common customer is one looking for more layers once they realize how much colder the Arizona city can be just two hours north of the Valley. At times, there can be a more than 30-degree difference from Phoenix.
Whether it’s a hiking map or ski jacket before hitting the Snowbowl slopes — when shopping, look closely. You’ll see some parts of the building are the same from the late 1880s like the ceiling.
”We’ve had to upgrade a lot like the old phone system was still in here, the old wiring, the old plumbing,” said Harris, showing off some of the old specks of the historic building.
The namesake for the store helped make Flagstaff what it is today.
The Babbitt family moved from Ohio in the late 1880s where their investments in businesses and the community, helped propel the city to grow and develop into a key destination in Arizona. They provided hardware, groceries, and even back then, clothing.
Board president for Babbitt Ranches, Bill Cordasco said, ”[The Babbitts] had a spirit about them that was, entrepreneurial would be the word we use today, but it was creative and imaginative.”
For those who found their permanent modern home under the stars of Flagstaff’s dark sky, they’re likely paying a steep price to live beneath the San Francisco peaks.
NAU Political Science Professor Dr. Paul Lenze said some have nicknamed Flagstaff’s modern affordability issues ”poverty with a view.”
He says the city’s attraction for tourism has led many to buy a second home, leaving little inventory for single-family home buyers.
Dr. Lenze says a new industry could bring down the cost of living, but that tends to conflict with the community's desire to protect the pines.
”Flagstaff voters here are huge on sustainability, they need to be good stewards of the land."
Issues Flagstaff residents are most concerned with ahead of the election:
Flagstaff political demographic breakdown:
