After reading some of our articles and blog posts from class this past week, I thought about the “single story” vs. “multiple stories”. I thought it would be interesting to see the answer from this short poll… I asked the first word people thought of when they heard the word ‘Arizona’. The most common answer, even those that live here in the state, was hot, followed by desert, cactus, and sunny. I moved from Minnesota to Arizona in 2004, and while those words definitely do describe parts of Arizona, they don’t quite describe my “home”.
I am so glad I was able to explore and find another story about Arizona.
Flagstaff, Arizona is a beautiful mountain town located at 7000 ft. elevation. Situated at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, it is about two and a half hours from Phoenix, an hour from Sedona, and an hour from the Grand Canyon. Yes, it’s sunny. In fact, we average 266 sunny days a year. And yes, we are high desert, but we are mostly surrounded with ponderosa pine trees and aspen forests… not the typical saguaro cacti that covers the southern part of the state.
We are not like Phoenix. We don’t average 100+ degree temperatures for half the year. We have all four seasons, and many years we average about 100 inches of snowfall each winter. There is a ski resort, albeit a small one, at the top of the nearby mountains which draws skiers and snowboarders from all over the state. And while it can be expensive to live here, if you love the outdoors, there’s no better town!
Choosing Flagstaff for college seemed like a tough decision – that is, until I visited the city. I had been visiting and researching schools in the midwestern states, mostly Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Arizona was my outlier. I had a friend who went to school out here and she convinced me that I would love it. I wasn’t so sure. I pictured sand dunes, cacti, and scorching heat. I didn’t really know anything else about the southwest. Oh, and my college admissions advisor at my high school had never even heard of Northern Arizona University. So pretty much, I was on my own.
In 2003, my parents and I flew into Phoenix over the 4th of July weekend to visit NAU. I remember the date, because it was the only weekend I had off from the summer camp where I worked. We stepped out of the extremely air-conditioned airport to catch the shuttle to our rental car and immediately I was covered in sweat. Apparently, the fleece jacket I had been wearing since our early, early morning flight in Minneapolis was a bit overkill in the already-110-degree-heat-at-8am Phoenix weather. I wasn’t so sure about living in this state.
As we drove up I-17 in the rental car, the city of Phoenix faded into the rearview mirror. Soon, there weren’t many buildings along the side of the highway, and we were out in the middle of the cacti, sand, scrub brush, and sun. I remember a brief moment of panic when I saw the sign on the side of the road warning drivers to “Turn off air conditioning for next 5 miles to avoid overheating”. What a decision. Roast to death in a burning hot moving car, or roast to death on the side of the road after the car overheats… luckily, we braved the heat of the moving car with the windows down and survived to tell the tale.
I remember getting closer to Flagstaff and seeing the mountains rising up in the distance, with the pine trees quickly replacing the scrub brush of the desert. I thought it was very serendipitous that I-17 ended in the city of Flagstaff, turning into one of the main drags through town. It was like all roads led me to this place.
We pulled off at the first sign to Northern Arizona University and I told my parents, “This is where I want to go to school.” I hadn’t seen any of the buildings of the university, nor the downtown area that I now love, but it was one of those moments where you just KNOW.
Now, almost 11 years after my first visit, I’m still so happy with this city. Yes, it’s hard to find friends who will stay in town longer than a temporary stay. Yes, it can be expensive to live here. Yes, it can be a hassle to get to the Phoenix airport, or find places to buy clothes, or even to see popular bands in concert.
But I also love being able to walk two minutes from my house and take my dog on a hike through the pine trees and mountains. And I love going out to eat or for a drink and having a really hard time deciding where to go, because there are just so many great restaurants in the small town. And I love that I can still experience the four seasons, but can also drive easily to escape the winter if I need to.
I just really love the southwest, and Flagstaff is a perfect place to be in the heart of it all. Hopefully, you’ll believe my “second story” about Arizona and come for a visit!
Thankfully, I didn’t believe the “single story” about Arizona. We need to try and find “multiple stories” about a place, a culture, a situation, like what Chimamanda Adichie encourages in her TEDtalk.
David Spurr talks about idealization in his chapter from this week’s readings. I was excited to come to Flagstaff and start over, and perhaps I did idealize the situation a bit before coming to live here. There are definitely issues about living here, which I mention above. But isn’t it important to weigh the positives and negatives of any situation, culture, or location in your mind before making a decision? I am not forced to live here by any means. And of course, no matter where I visit or go, there will always be a positive and negative side to life in any particular place. Surely Laura Flynn, in her memory of her first trip to Haiti, might have idealized the stories and positions she would be placed in during her visit, but was faced with another reality when actually in the situation in Haiti. We all find ourselves wishing and hoping for that perfect situation, but it’s just an impossible dream… somewhere that can exist in our minds, but cannot quite be fulfilled in life.
Flagstaff statistics quoted from: http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/arizona/flagstaff
A bit more about the history of Flagstaff:
Click to access flagstaff_history.pdf
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-flagstaff.html
Some of my favorite places in/near Flagstaff:
Hiking trails: http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com/things-to-do/hiking_trails.php
National Monuments: http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm
Grand Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Restaurants:
Tinderbox and Annex – http://tinderboxkitchen.com/
Karma Sushi –
Cafe Ole
Diablo Burger – http://www.diabloburger.com/index.php
Alyssa Hearts Traveling 
What a great story to accompany the idea of needing multiple stories. I grew up in Lake Havasu and it averages a few degrees hotter than Phoenix.
I have experienced both sides of Arizona, but if asked I would probably have given crazy hot desert as an answer. I think it is because I was in Flagstaff for only four short years, but in Havasu for 20+ years.
Spurr’s ideas of idealization were a great addition to your first experiences with Flagstaff. Do you believe that his ideas of surveillance had any part in your first time visiting Flagstaff?
Flagstaff sounds wonderful! I didn’t realize it was at 7,000 feet, that’s pretty high. I have lived the majority of my life at sea level and humid climates, so Arizona would be quite a shock to my system. Is it as dry up there as it is in Pheonix?
That’s a great story about the drive up for your first visit. I especially like the sign asking you to turn the A/C off. I might not have complied.
Jamie
I have already determined that my husband and I need to take a trip down to Flagstaff. We visited the Grand Canyon long ago, but that was at a time when we were “on the road” trucking back to South Dakota. I have never spent the time I want to spend in Arizona, and Flagstaff sounds like a perfect central location to investigate the area.
Could you tell more about the history of Flagstaff in your blog just to establish some historical context? The photographs that you include are lovely and inviting; they show sweeping views of a mountainous area. If we were to come visit, what restaurants would you suggest we go for a relaxing dinner? Are there any really special state parks for overnight campers? Maybe you could create a link or two directing interested visitors.
I am captivated by Flagstaff.
Hi Alyssa,
Thank you for your introduction to Flagstaff. It’s hard to believe I’ve connected to it so many times yet not set foot there! I hope I do. It’s stunning. And Jamie is right, quite the elevation. Sheer natural power. The on campus students are so lucky. Great post.
Rhea