EMDR Therapy in Flagstaff, AZ

With around 76,000 residents, Flagstaff sits about 150 miles north of Phoenix and 80 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Located in the world's largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest, Flagstaff is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. It's near the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is home to Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona.

Positioned at the intersection of Interstate 17 and I-40, Flagstaff is a convenient getaway for day trips and longer stays. Tourism is a large part of the city's economy. The area welcomes more than 5 million visitors yearly, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism.

Flagstaff got its name from a flag pole made of a tall pine that was used in a flag-raising ceremony on July 4, 1876, according to Discover Flagstaff. "Boston travelers chose a tall pine, trimmed its branches from the bottom up and attached a flag to the top in observance of the nation’s centennial," according to the Discover Flagstaff website.

Here are some things to know about Arizona's best-known mountain town before you visit.

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Weather

Due to its position in the mountains, Flagstaff has a much different climate than much of the rest of Arizona.

While residents in Phoenix and Tucson battle extreme heat during the summers, Flagstaff averages high temperatures in the mid-80s, which is why many homes in the city don't have central air conditioning. During the winter, the city averages around 100 inches of snow, which brings with it plenty of travelers looking to escape the desert and get a taste of the winter weather.

Schools

Flagstaff Unified School District serves approximately 11,500 students across 16 schools. For higher education, Flagstaff-area options include Coconino Community College, Indian Bible College and Northern Arizona University, which enrolled just over 28,000 students in 2022.

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Government

Flagstaff is the county seat for Coconino County, the second largest county in the mainland U.S. at nearly 12 million acres. It operates on a council-manager form of government. An elected City Council, including the mayor, develops policy positions and then directs the city manager to carry out their decisions. Importantly, the mayor has a single vote that carries the same weight as the rest of the council.

Flagstaff's mayor, Becky Daggett, was elected in 2022 to a four-year term.

Attractions

Flagstaff and its surrounding area offer an abundance of activities, including the Flagstaff Brewery Trail, the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered. Arizona Snowbowl, a skiing destination in the winter, offers activities for visitors in the summer, including a scenic gondola ride where on especially clear days riders can see all the way to the Grand Canyon's south rim.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

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FLAGSTAFF, AZ — A Flagstaff shooting range has gained the support of a conservative think tank in its challenge to advertise at the city's airport.

The Goldwater Institute issued a letter to the city of Flagstaff this week questioning its rejection of advertising from Timberline Firearms and Training, the Arizona Daily Sun reported Thursday.

Rob Wilson, the owner of the shooting range and gun shop, said he has had a 10-second ad playing on TV monitors at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport since 2019. But the city declined to allow it this year. Officials claimed it violated its advertising policy by showing depictions of violence or anti-social behavior.

The ad Wilson submitted shows his business' logo, four people standing while holding guns and then a clip of an instructor and a student at the indoor firing range. The student fires on a paper target with an assault-style weapon.

Attorneys for Goldwater said the city's rejection violates Wilson's freedom of speech rights. They also accused Flagstaff of “abusing its power to push an anti-gun agenda.”

Joe Setyon, a spokesperson for Goldwater, said the group will consider filing a lawsuit if the matter is not resolved.

The Flagstaff City Council has been in discussions to revise the policy on advertisements.

Sarah Langley, a city spokesperson, said an updated version will be the subject of a Nov. 14 city council meeting.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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FLAGSTAFF — Voters will decide on the rezoning of land near Fort Tuthill, where Northern Arizona Healthcare wants to build a new hospital, as Proposition 480 will remain on the November ballot, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled on Monday.

The hospital system originally challenged the ballot referendum in late July claiming that the information presented to voters was misleading, specifically the mention of retail establishments that are not included in this phase of the proposed development plan.

"In light of the decision, NAH is prepared to inform Flagstaff city voters that the referendum listed on the ballot as Proposition 480 is about building a hospital, not about building retail and commercial development," NAH said in a statement following the court's ruling.

Flagstaff Community First, the coalition that submitted the referendum, has argued that their specific reference to Northern Arizona Healthcare's "Health Village Phase 1 Specific Plan" was enough information for voters in relation to the new hospital and that they simply provided examples of what the change to highway-commercial zoning legally allows, which includes retail businesses.

“Now that both Coconino Superior Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals have ruled the referendum petition complied fully with the law, we urge NAH to stop misleading the public by trying to kick Prop 480 off the ballot," Dr. Doug Mapel, chair of Flagstaff Community First, said in a statement after the ruling. "The courts couldn’t be more clear."

The NAH challenge was previously struck down by Coconino County Superior Court Judge Brent Harris on Aug. 4 who in his decision said, “by failing to include every possible example of permitted uses the committee (Flagstaff Community First) did not act in a fraudulent or misleading manner or promote falsehood upon the voting public that may choose to weigh in on the referendum.”

In May, the Flagstaff City Council voted to rezone a large swath of undeveloped land near Fort Tuthill County Park for the first phase of the new hospital project which includes a new 700,000-square-foot hospital. If approved, construction is expected to cost $800 million and be completed in 2027.

It is the new project's second phase that is expected to include housing, a hotel and healthcare-centered retail and restaurants to round out the health and wellness village.

Soon after the City Council decision, various community groups formed the Flagstaff Community First coalition, which eventually collected thousands of community signatures leading to the approval of Proposition 480 to appear on the ballot.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Water is a natural resource that’s become scarce for many Arizonans as state and local governments work on water conservation efforts.

According to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the average person in Arizona uses 146 gallons of water daily. But a city in the high country paints a different picture. People in Flagstaff use about half of that, around 84 gallons of water a day. The city recently received an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its water conservation efforts.

However, it hasn’t always been that way. People were using about 186 gallons of water daily 35 years ago. “In Flagstaff, about 70% of our water that we use annually is from groundwater, which is obviously a lot less renewable than water that’s used on the surface,” Water Conservation Manager Tamara Lawless said. “So it replenishes more slowly, and that’s why we want to be cautious about our use.”

The reduced usage is no accident. The city’s water conservation team works actively on new and better ways to reduce water waste. “We have our programs, so we’re encouraging people to upgrade to those more efficient fixtures, offering those rebates,” Lawless said. “We actually have teams that patrol around the town and make sure people are not watering in the middle of the day.”

She said their work is far from over. “So we have around or half gallon reduction per year is what we’re hoping for the next 20 years,” Lawless said.

They offer home inspections for water conservation and rebates for more water-conscious fixtures. You can learn more about how the city can help you be more water-conscious here.

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Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - The city of Flagstaff, like many across the country, is facing an affordable housing crisis. The average home price has gone up $200,000 since 2020, according to Redfin.

Last year, the city approved a 10-year plan to add homes in an effort to bring down prices. Now Habitat for Humanity Northern Arizona is trying something new to help people break into the market: tiny houses.

Eric Wolverton is the executive director of the nonprofit. After seeing home prices skyrocket in his community, he devised an idea to help people find affordable homes. “The ultimate goal of starter homes is to allow people to have a hand up into the middle class,” Wolverton said.

To own a home, people have to put $1,000 down and pay a little less than $1,000 a month for the mortgage. Residents must live in the home for at least three years and can stay as long as ten years before having to sell it back to Habitat for Humanity.

Here’s where Wolverton said the solution is: about $800 from the monthly payment goes into a savings account that residents cash out once they move out.

So residents would have anywhere between $30,000 to $100,000 to put towards another home, and another family in need can move into the tiny home. “Even dual-income won’t buy you a home, and we have so many families that just have single-family lifestyles,” Wolverton said. “So we want to ensure that they and their children have the means to stay here in Flagstaff where they want to be.”

Families making less than $60,000 qualify for the starter home. Their first resident moved in back in January after being homeless. Now, he has more time with his daughter and a plan for the future. “Because what we want is for Tucker to be able to sell his home, cash out his equity, and again move from poverty, into middle class, have the finances he needs for whatever dreams he has,” Wolverton said.

They are now finishing this second home, which will be completed in the next few months. The goal is to make 10 of these homes each year for the next four years, for a total of 40 homes. You can find more information about how to support the program and how to apply at their website here.

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