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Flagstaff is small city located in north central Arizona, situated at the base of San Francisco Peaks. It is the county seat of Coconino County, the second largest county in the United States. It is located at the intersection of the US Interstate 40 and the US Interstate 17, making it a hub for transport in the Northern Arizona belt. The Arizona Snow Bowl, the Meteor Crater, the Painted Desert, the Oak Creek Canyon and its winter skiing resorts make it an attractive tourist destination. From here one has easy access to many nearby national parks and monuments like the Sunset Crater National Monument, the Walnut Canyon National Monument, the Wupatki National Monument, the Grand Canyon National Park, and the Petrified Forest National Park. It also houses the renowned US Naval Observatories and the Lowell Observatory. The Grand Canyon is located approximately 120 miles North of Flagstaff while the Meteor Crater, the world's largest intact meteor impact crater is located about 35 miles East of Flagstaff.
A tourist visiting the area must also visit the Museum of Northern Arizona, one of the best archeological museums on the Prehistoric Southwest. The city’s main industries include forestry, transportation, manufacturing and tourism. While planning a tour to Flagstaff, one must be prepared for abrupt weather changes in almost any season. Spring season is usually a pleasant time but snowfall may occur.
Enveloped by dense forests at a height of 7,000 feet, the region has been a significant center dealing in the business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to saw-mills (logging). The city also derived its name, Flagstaff, from the works of its Lumberjacks, who in July 1876, nailed the USA flag to the top of a tall Ponderosa Pine tree, thus giving the city its name.
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