Redolent with the charm of both the nineteenth-century Wild West and the twentieth-century heyday of Route 66 , the small college town of FLAGSTAFF ranks among the most atmospheric and attractive places to stay in the entire Southwest. It's split in two by the twin eastwest routes of the main drag, Santa Fe Avenue, which was once Route 66, and before that the pioneer trail west, and the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad whose mournfully whistling trains still reverberate through the desert night. Immediately north lies the characterful downtown area, while the lively blocks to the south are predominantly the preserve of the town's student population.

Flagstaff's first Anglo settlers arrived in 1876, lured from Boston by widely publicized accounts of mineral wealth and fertile land, but they soon moved on, disappointed, towards Prescott. However, they stayed long enough to celebrate the centenary of American independence by flying the Stars and Stripes from a towering pine tree. This flagpole became a familiar landmark on the route west, and as the community grew it inevitably became known as Flagstaff. Right from the start, it was a cosmopolitan town, with a diverse ethnic population working in the (originally Mormon-owned) lumber mills and in the cattle industry, and with Navajo and Hopi Indians heading in from their nearby reservations to trade. Today, Flagstaff makes an ideal base for travelers, with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops aplenty within easy strolling range of the center (and a number of food and lodging chains a couple of miles away beside the interstate). The countryside in every direction is very much worth exploring.