Flagstaff is a community rich with cultural diversity, beauty, and history as well as amazing educational, recreational and scientific opportunities. Our city government is devoted to enhancing the quality of life of our citizens, as well as the many visitors that grace Northern Arizona.

Flagstaff, Arizona is located at the intersection of Interstate 17 and Interstate 40, and is the largest city in Northern Arizona. The city is also the regional center and county seat for Coconino County, the second largest county in the 48 contiguous states. The City of Flagstaff, becoming a town in 1894, incorporated as a city in 1928, and currently comprising of just over 64 square miles, is nestled at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and surrounded by one of the largest pine forests on earth. Flagstaff drew its name from a very tall pine tree made into a flagpole in 1876 to celebrate our nations centennial. At nearly 7,000 feet, Flagstaff is also one of the highest elevation cities in the United States. The city is a year-round mecca for visitors and many Arizonans maintain second homes here.

In 1855 Lieutenant Beale, in surveying a road from the Rio Grande in New Mexico to Fort Tejon in California, passed over the spot where Flagstaff now stands. While camping at the Eastern extremity of the present town, the lieutenant had his men cut the limbs from a straight pine tree in order to fly the United States flag.

The town’s first recognized permanent settler, Thomas F. McMillan, arrived in 1876 and built a cabin at the base of Mars Hill. During the 1880’s Flagstaff began to grow, opening its first post office and welcoming the booming railroad industry. The town had timber, sheep and cattle and by 1886 Flagstaff was the biggest city on the main line between Albuquerque and the West Coast.

In 1894, Dr. Percival Lowell chose Flagstaff, due to its great visibility, as the site for the now famous Lowell Observatory. Thirty-six years later, Pluto was discovered through the observatory’s telescopes. The Arizona Teacher’s College began in 1899, later becoming Northern Arizona University (1966). During the 1920’s, Route 66 was built and passed right through town making Flagstaff a popular tourist stop. Flagstaff was incorporated as a city in 1928.

Today, Flagstaff is a community rich with cultural diversity, beauty and history, as well as amazing educational, recreational and scientific opportunities.