Wayne McCormick
Broker/Owner
Realty Executives of Northern Arizona
Tempe has Arizona State University, Mill Avenue and a man-made lake. Tucson has funky Fourth Avenue and a huge grassy mall on the University of Arizona campus.
But Flagstaff has them both beat, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, which ranks the northern Arizona town as one of the nation’s five best college towns.
“Flagstaff’s ambience is cozy and cultural, with a symphony orchestra, museums and art galleries,” the magazine’s May issue says.
Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College wield a strong influence on the town, but college students aren’t they only ones attracted to Flagstaff. Baby boomers are also lured there because the campuses “generate so much energy that it’s infectious,” said Jack Welch, who retired to Flagstaff from St. Louis eight years ago.
Delaware native Ray Lynch, who fell in love with Flagstaff while passing through on a road trip, moved there, told the magazine that “very few people wish they were someplace else.”
