A mountain escape within a vast ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona was named one of the best Christmas towns in the U.S.
HGTV released its list of the 50 best Christmas towns to visit in the U.S., selecting one from each state. The editors’ choice for Arizona was Flagstaff, about 140 miles north of metro Phoenix.
Each city selected on HGTV’s unranked list was picked for offering local holiday traditions and a feeling of Christmas that made them worth a trip with the family.
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Flagstaff is one of four cities competing in the USA TODAY Network’s The Arizona Republic’s best Christmas towns reader poll.
Why HGTV loves Flagstaff for Christmas
In its summary of Flagstaff as one of the best Christmas towns in the U.S., HGTV describes Flagstaff as “a picture-perfect pit stop for winter travelers” headed for the Grand Canyon.
HGTV highlighted Flagstaff’s historic downtown’s Christmas light displays and holiday events like the Holiday Parade of Lights (In 2025, the event is Dec. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m., according to Discover Flagstaff), describing the downtown as a “winter wonderland lined by saloons, breweries and a blanket of stars best viewed at nearby Lowell Observatory.”
Arizona Snowbowl also received praise from HGTV for turning the San Francisco Peaks into “a wonderland of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and skating.” Flagstaff is a popular winter recreation spot as Arizona’s snowiest city, receiving about 90 inches of snow in an average year based on National Weather Service data.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona city named one of America’s best Christmas towns by HGTV