Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, that was named after a stick of wood. In 1855, a Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale surveyed a road from the Rio Grande River in New Mexico to Fort Tejon in California, and camped near the current location of what is now Flagstaff. The lieutenant had his men cut the limbs from a straight Ponderosa Pine tree in order to fly the United States flag, and named the settlement for that hewn log.
Flagstaff lies near the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau and is located just south of the scenic San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona. The first permanent settlement was in 1876. During the 1880s, Flagstaff began to grow, opening its first post office and attracting the railroad. By 1886, Flagstaff was the largest city on the railroad line between Albuquerque and the west coast of the United States. The trains still run through Flagstaff but the city has taken on a new importance as the automotive crossroads from west to east United States, and north to south Arizona. It sets at the junction of Interstate 40, which follows the old Route 66 right of way, and provides access South to Phoenix on I-17 and more pleasureably, northern access to Grand Canyon via State Highway 89.
The historic Route 66 was completed in 1926 and ran through Flagstaff. Flagstaff was incorporated as a city in 1928,and in 1929, the city’s first motel was built at the intersection of Beaver Street and Phoenix Avenue. The Daily Sun described the motel as “a hotel with garages for the better class of motorists.” Flagstaff went on to become a popular tourist stop along Route 66, particularly due to its proximity to the Grand canyon. Today there is no shortage of roadside motels and major hotel chains; and the city boasts more than 150 restaurants.
The city is home to the third most important division of the Arizona higher education system. Northern Arizona Normal School was established in 1899, and renamed Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 1966. In 2010 the university graduated 4000 Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctoral students including Cindy Ann Tolle and Michelle Ann Hall, daughter and granddaughter respectively, of this author. Flagstaff’s cultural history received an earlier significant boost on April 11, 1899, the inception year of the school, when the Flagstaff Symphony made its concert debut at Flagstaff’s Babbitt’s Opera House. The orchestra continues today as the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, with its primary venue at the Ardrey Auditorium on the campus of Northern Arizona University.
Flagstaff has a semi-arid climatea with four distinct seasons. The combination of high altitude and low humidity provide mild weather conditions throughout most of the year, and the predominantly clear air radiates daytime heating effectively. Temperatures often fall deeply after sunset throughout the year, and winter nights can be very cold. Despite being less than 150 miles from desert Phoenix, the average temperatures are approximately 25 °F (14 °C) cooler, due to its higher elevation.
Winter weather patterns in Flagstaff are cyclonic and frontal in nature, originating in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These deliver periodic, widespread snowfall followed by extended periods of fair weather. The area’s generally stable weather pattern is broken by brief, but often intense, afternoon downpours and dramatic thunderstorms common during the so-called monsoon of July and August.
For the statisticians, Flagstaff’s average annual days of sunshine are 288; average annual precipitation: 22.96 inches (58.32 cm); and average annual snowfall: 108.80 inches (276.4 cm)
That annual snowfall places Flagstaff among the snowiest incorporated cities in the United States. Although snow often covers the ground for weeks after major winter storms, Flagstaff’s relatively low latitude and plentiful winter sunshine quickly melt much of what falls, and persistent deep snowpack is unusual. One notable exception occurred during the severe winter of 1915-1916, when successive Pacific storms buried the city under nearly seven feet of snow, and some residents were snowbound in their homes for several days. Today, winter sports fans flock to Flagstaff just hoping to play in that much snow again with their ski poles and sticks of flat wood, higher tech though the material might be, than the historic old pine flagpole that first identified the settlement.
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