Flagstaff is along the western side of the Ponderosa Pine forest. The city is named after a Ponderosa Pine flagpole made by a party from Boston known as the "Flagstaff Tea Party”. In 2007, the estimate population for the city was 127,450.
Flagstaff has a strong tourism, due to its close location to the Grand Canyon National Park, Oak Creek Canyon, and historic Route 66. The city is also known as a magnet for outdoor recreations consisting of camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and mountain biking. Flagstaff is also well recognized for being a winter sport city. Winter sports include snowboarding, alpine and Nordic skiing.
Flagstaff has an active cultural scene, especially in the musical area. One of the main musical attractions is the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. There are several musical events throughout the year. During the summer months there are annual music festivals from classical music to bluegrass. Free concerts are also held during the summer in the Heritage Square for all ages.
Flagstaff also has an active theater scene, featuring several groups. Northern Arizona University Department of Theatre has a successful theatre program that produces quality productions for the community. The Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff has also had its debut on the big screen by hosting many film stars, including Jane Russell, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, and Bing Crosby. A scene from the movie Casablanca was filmed in one of the rooms of the hotel.
Flagstaff has 43 hotels listed in the iStayGreen directory of which 6 are listed as environmentally friendly lodging. Currently 6 hotels have completed the online Environmental Audit and earned the Green Eco-Leaf Rating.
In Flagstaff there are 37 properties where the environmentally friendliness is unknown and they have not yet verified their sustainability efforts with iStayGreen.org. In the state of Arizona there is a total of 798 lodging properties listed in the iStayGreen.org directory of which 77 are represented as eco-friendly. Currently there are 63 lodging properties that have earned the Green Eco-Leaf Rating. Included in the properties working toward a more sustainable travel future are Flagstaff hotels, Flagstaff resorts, Flagstaff bed & breakfasts, and Flagstaff extended stay accommodations.
When planning your Flagstaff vacation, or travel to Flagstaff we encourage you, before you book, to check rates and availability of "Green" rated hotels and lodging. In most cases we have found eco-friendly Flagstaff AZ accommodations to be price competitive with the unrated Flagstaff hotel room rates.You may even save money and at the same time be doing something good for our environment!