Mt. Elden and the Coconino National Forest

In October 1993, our car broke down while vacationing in Northern Arizona. We ended up spending more time in Flagstaff than anticipated. (We had planned only to have breakfast in Flagstaff on our way from Sedona to Canyon de Chelly for a day-hike and tour.) While killing time, I picked up a newspaper, saw an ad for land for sale, and we decided to stop by to take a look.

Here’s what I saw: (1) a red cliff reminiscent of the Sedona Red Rocks, which I’d been hiking in all week, (2) a green forest with more hiking trails than I could hope to cover in a lifetime, (3) a piece of land that I could afford and maybe retire to someday. Of course, I later decided not to wait too many more years and, instead of retiring, I changed careers and created a life in Flagstaff.

This region of Flagstaff is known to Realtors^® as the Northeast Rural Region. It is north and east of the city limits of Flagstaff. Homes are on larger parcels of land than is typical inside the city, but do not have city services like sewer and water. The lack of city services is imperceptible for most homes because the area is well-served by private and county services.

Water is provided by the Doney Park Water Company. The company has deep wells that reach the same aquifer as those of the City of Flagstaff. Doney Park Water Company serves over 3000 homes and businesses and is regulated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Corporation Commission.

A variety of high-speed broadband internet services are available. Homes have standard septic systems in lieu of sewer connections. Trash and curbside recycling pickup is available. Cellular phone service and landline phone service is readily available as well as cable or satellite TV. Most roads are paved and are maintained by Coconino County.

The area has emergency and fire protection via the Summit Fire Department, which has three stations. The newest station is at the corner of Cosnino and Townsend/Winona Road. The original station is on Highway 89 near the Timberline and Fernwood neighborhoods. The third station is on Koch Field Road in the middle of the Doney Park neighborhood. Each station has a community meeting room available for neighborhood events.

Because of all of these advantages, the Northeast Rural Region has developed rapidly in the last decade. There are few vacant parcels of land for sale and most of the open space to be seen in the area is National Forest. There is a County Park near the Cromer Elementary School on Silver Saddle Road – Peaks View County Park.

While the housing prices in the area nearly matched the price per square foot of homes in the city during the peak of our market in 2005, homes now tend to be less expensive in the Northeast Rural Region compared to similar homes on smaller lots in town.

I have three listed for sale right now, in varying price ranges.  Here are links to the listings:

Mountain Escape Home: Straight line to the best views in Flagstaff!

Perfectly set with mountain views!

Eco-Featured Home in Northeast Rural Flagstaff

All have lots over two acres and fabulous views like these: 

Guests and potential members are always welcome. Come to the meeting at from noon to 1 p.m. on the west side of Flagstaff at the Radisson Woodlands Hotel on west Route 66.

This week, a representative of the Arizona Community Foundation will describe the foundation's activities in the Flagstaff area through its local affiliate the Flagstaff Community Foundation.

Join us for lunch and learn more about Flagstaff, AZ!

No discussion of Flagstaff communities would be complete without mention of Northern Arizona University. This week we on the Westside of town were certainly aware that students were back for the Fall. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic skyrocketed, with backups at intersections on Milton Road as students crossed from the west side residential apartments to campus and on Butler as they went to and fro from downtown jobs or shops (or bars?).

According to the Arizona Daily Sun, enrollment is up and there are 200 more freshmen this year – a total of 3000. There is also a record-breaking number of new faculty members – 96. NAU brings vibrancy to Flagstaff that is rivaled only by our amazing natural features.

A new bookstore opened this week, with much fanfare, following over $1 million in renovations and privatization of the operations under the auspices of Follett Higher Education Group. The new managers have expanded the inventory and hope to make the store a campus “meeting place” as well as a supply outlet.

The College of Engineering is in the news this month. It ranked 38th in a field of 100 colleges and universities that offer both undergraduate and masters degrees in engineering, according to the annual U.S. News and World Report survey. NAU has nearly 900 engineering students who major in six specialties, including civil, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering, computer science and construction management.

Speaking of construction, NAU is leading the charge for green buildings in the U.S. The new College of Business Administration earned the Silver rating from the Leadership for Energy and Environment. Now, the newer Applied Research and Development Building is going for the LEED® Platinum rating. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Here is a picture of the new NAU Applied Research and Development Building, and a link to details of its design and construction.

Welcome back Northern Arizona University students and faculty! We’ll get used to your traffic – you bring Flagstaff too many good things for us not to.

Flagstaff consists of many smaller communities of people who come together around common locations (neighborhoods) or around common interests. One of the communities of common interests is the Flagstaff Exchange Club. I’m a member of the club because of the opportunity to socialize with people I otherwise may not know, to exchange information about our businesses with other members, to learn more about Flagstaff (though our weekly speakers), and to provide public service with the help of a great group of people. The Club is celebrating it's 30th year in Flagstaff this year and we still have one founding member actively involved!  (Other founders attend some of our events.)

The Flagstaff Exchange Club’s primary mission is the prevention of child abuse. We also promote civic education for children and youth. Each year, we throw a big fund-raising party that raises lots of money for the local Flagstaff Exchange Foundation – all in one swoop. No other fund-raisers all year! And, the party is lots of fun. We give funds to local organizations that are working to prevent child abuse, such as Parenting Arizona. We also provide funds to local shelters and for children’s recreation development. We have a commitment to the capital campaign for the Flagstaff YMCA.  

On the civic education side, we also have fun by leading off the 4^th of July Parade each year while we pass out flags for kids to wave as the rest of the parade comes by. Annually, we have a speaker/essay contest for graduating seniors of local high schools and provide scholarships to the winners. (Many of our Flagstaff winners have gone on to win Southwest District competitions in recent years.) We also provide a scholarship to a Flagstaff graduating senior who has overcome great adversity to complete high school and go on to higher education. 

Throughout the year, the Flagstaff Exchange Club does a few smaller service projects. This month we participated in Governor Napolitano’s initiative to provide backpacks filled with school supplies to needy Flagstaff kids. We purchased the supplies from club funds and some members got together to pack the backpacks and distribute them to local schools.  

The Flagstaff Exchange Club meets every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Woodlands Radisson Hotel. Guests who want to explore being potential new members, or who are members of out of town clubs, are always welcome to join us. This week's speaker is from the Flagstaff Fire Department. Join us!

Drive east on I-40 from the junction of I-17 in Flagstaff and you will come to the Country Club Drive exit -- it's just about a five minute drive. The area south of I-17, within the Flagstaff city limits, contains two 18-hole golf courses (one open to the public, one open to members only), homes on large lots, pools, tennis courts, playing fields, and ready access to National Forest Service Trails.

The region is generally known as "Country Club," but it contains many smaller subdivisions, including the newer Amberwood, the high-end Lakeside, and farthest to the west, Foxglenn and Elk Run. There are many townhome groups in all of these neighborhoods. There are two small lakes. The area is served by Sinagua High School and Knoles Elementary, though all of Flagstaff schools are open to residents.

There is a homeowners' association, Continental HOA, that is responsible for maintenance of tennis courts, the golf course that is open to the public, and other recreation facilities. Annual dues range from $200-$300 per lot although there is a move afoot to increase that a small amount over the next few years.

Many of the homes in the area are year-round homes. The area is popular for its large lots, trees, and amenities. It is also a short drive to Northern Arizona University, straight down Butler, and it's just a bit farther to Flagstaff Medical Center, the commute to which has been made easier by the opening of the 4th Street bridge in the last few months.

Here are some pictures of a classic Continental Country Club home located on Fox Hill Drive in Flagstaff.

Welcome to the Focus on Flagstaff Communities channel of our Flagstaff Real Estate and Community News Blog.  This channel is intended to focus on communities of all kinds in the Flagstaff area.

Space is available for community organizations and homeowners’ associations to get the word out about themselves and to post information about their activities and events. If you have an event or meeting coming up, send us an e-mail and we’ll consider it for inclusion here. Click here to e-mail us.

We’ll also be posting information ourselves about Flagstaff neighborhoods, community organizations, attractions, and activities. We want to give a flavor for the great diversity that is involved in living in Flagstaff. To get an idea of what I have in mind, you can see some of my past writing on Flagstaff at these sites:

Thorpe Park Pictures

Flagstaff Aquaplex

Beginning of the Monsoon

How Do We Know It's Summer in Flagstaff?

Pictures of the Historic Flagstaff Townsite Neighborhood

Flagstaff's Country Club Neighborhood

Foxglenn Park in Southeast Flagstaff