Bozeman vs. Flagstaff

After its shellacking of Burlington, Bozeman’s ready for another match. Next up: Flagstaff, Arizona, situated high in the San Francisco Peaks and home to the Big Sky Conference’s own Northern Arizona University. Close to miles of mountain trails, ski hills, and the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff relishes its reputation as one of the best places for fit 20-somethings who’ve read just enough Thoreau to turn them on to trees and trails. So grab some tofu, an energy drink of choice, and let the games begin!

College Nickname
Bozeman: Bobcats
Flagstaff: Lumberjacks
Lumberjacks eat pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Bobcats eat lumberjacks and their half-eaten pancakes and sausage for breakfast.
Edge: Bozeman

Tourist Attraction
Bozeman: Yellowstone
Flagstaff: Grand Canyon
Visit either one in the summer, and it’s Manhattan with a view. The Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but word has it that one look is all you need. We could debate this for days.
Edge: even

% of Residents Older Than 25 with a Bachelor’s Degree
Bozeman: 50
Flagstaff: 39
Those cretinous Arizona peons probably can’t even read this magazine. And so what if most Bozemanites lied in the survey?
Edge: Bozeman

Impending Volcanic Doom
Bozeman: Yellowstone
Flagstaff: Humphreys Peak
Crazy Flagstaff-ians! Who would build their city under the shadow of a 12,600-foot “dormant” volcano? Didn’t they watch Dante’s Peak before deciding to settle there? Wait a minute… isn’t Yellowstone…? Double farts.
Edge: Flagstaff

Major Ski Area
Bozeman: Big Sky
Flagstaff: Arizona Snowbowl
Another tale of the tape. Big Sky dominates in annual snowfall (by 140 inches), nearly doubles Snowbowl’s vertical drop, and more than quadruples its skiable acres.
Edge: Bozeman

Town Founder’s Exploits
Bozeman: John Bozeman
Flagstaff: Edward F. Beale
Bozeman: ordinary dude, blazed a trail and founded a town. Beale: carried out the army’s “U.S. Camel Corps” experiment. Camel Corps? Yeah, that worked out well. Flagstaff wins this on entertainment value.
Edge: Flagstaff

Famous Actor
Bozeman: Gary Cooper
Flagstaff: Ted Danson
Is the Flagstaff actor most famous for his role on Cheers or because George Costanza’s desired mode of transport is “The Ted Danson Plane” on Seinfeld?
Edge: Bozeman

City Trails
Bozeman: Main Street to the Mountains
Flagstaff: Flagstaff Urban Trail System
Adjacent to some of the best singletrack in the country, Flagstaff’s renowned urban network turns this running-and-biking mosque into a mecca. With all due respect to the GVLT, Bozeman’s system lags several years and six-figure donations behind.
Edge: Flagstaff

Average Rent (2000)
Bozeman: $494
Flagstaff: $607
The $113 difference should be measured in potential fun—seven-and-a-half one-year subscriptions to Outside Bozeman.
Edge: Bozeman

Astronomical Contribution
Bozeman: Brannon Braga
Flagstaff: Pluto
Astronomers spied the now-contested “planet” from Flagstaff’s famous Lowell Observatory in 1930. Braga? He co-created and produced Star Trek: Enterprise. All Flagstaff had to do was show up for this one.
Edge: Flagstaff

Alternative Healing
Bozeman: Whiskey
Flagstaff: Sedona Mystics
Sedona, 25 miles from Flagstaff, is supposedly home to cosmic vortices of the earth’s energy that flow around the town’s striking rock formations. At least no one debates the transformative power of Jack Daniel’s.
Edge: Bozeman

FINAL TALLY: BOZEMAN 6, FLAGSTAFF 4