All photos copyright by Thomas W. Paradis (unless otherwise noted).
All rights reserved.

About the Book:

• Theme Town Home Page
• Browse or purchase Theme Town on the publisher's web site. Also available at local Flagstaff retailers that sell books about the Southwest, including Hastings, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com. Support your favorite retailer as you choose!
• Table of Contents
• Map of Flagstaff's America Tour

Educational Materials

• Key Terms and Concepts (alphabetical)
• Instructions and Tips for completing Flagstaff's America Tour on foot.
• Review Questions from the text.
• Field Questions: Fun and educational landscape interpretation questions for Flagstaff's America Tour.
• Recommended Reading: Geography of American Landscapes bibliography

Photo Gallery

• Color photos of Book Figures. Photos in the book are black and white. Here are enlarged, color versions from Flagstaff's America Tour!
• Architectural Styles of America Produced by the author, this comprehensive web site will teach you much more about American architecture, beyond the scope of Theme Town.
• North Downtown! Additional color photos of Flagstaff's America Tour! Here are some images of the walking tour that were not included in the book.
• South Side! Additional color photos of Flagstaff's America Tour! Here are some images of the walking tour that were not included in the book.
• Class field trip photos, from various courses taught or co-taught by the author.

Other Related Links

• City of Flagstaff home page
• Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce home page
• Downtown Flagstaff Walking Tour, by Richard and Sherry Mangum
• Local artist Gary McAllister's home page (source of book cover painting)
• BNSF Railway home page.
• Flagstaff Model Railroad Club
• Northern Arizona University
• Department of Geography and Public Planning

My Courses that use Theme Town

• PL 303 Design and Preservation 
• GGR 240 World Geography West
• GGR 380 GeographicThought and Methods

NOTE: All royalties from Theme Town sold to students in the above courses (or any other NAU course that might use the book) are used to assist geography and planning majors with expenses for various field-based experiences.

Book Cover:

DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT (THE GEOGRAPHY OF) FLAGSTAFF? HOW ABOUT AMERICA?

Overview of the Book:

This book changes the way we view our everyday human landscapes by taking us on a 22-stop adventure through the heart of Flagstaff, Arizona. In Flagstaff's America Tour, the reader encounters four distinct though interacting landscape scenes: a themed historic business district, a pre-War multi-ethnic neighborhood, an expanding university campus, and a dynamic automobile commercial strip. Prior to the tour, Part 1 introduces us to the fascinating study of geography and the interpretation of human landscapes. In Part 2 Paradis discusses the expansion of the AT&SF (now BNSF) Railway and its role in Flagstaff's own historical development. He further analyzes the implications of this global cargo corridor on Flagstaff's local community and themed landscapes. The entire book integrates a variety of cultural, economic, political, global, and environmental perspectives to understand the complexities of our everyday world. Whether enjoyed from the bustling streets of downtown Flagstaff or from the comfort of our own homes, Theme Town will encourage us to see our own local places with fresh and inquisitive eyes.

About the Author:

Tom Paradis is Associate Professor of Geography at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. He was named the 2001-02 Teacher of the Year in NAU's College of Ecosystem Science and Management. Raised in Connecticut, he moved to Flagstaff in 1997 and investigates small town growth and change, downtown redevelopment, and cultural landscapes.

For more info, see Tom's home page.

Credit for top photo: Photo by Bruce Petrarca, copyright 2002 by Bruce Petrarca, all rights reserved. Photo of downtown Flagstaff along the BNSF Railway. Old depot on left, newly painted BNSF locomotive on right, snow-capped San Francisco Peaks at center.

Credit for bottom photo: Photo by Arnold Blumenthal, copyright 2002, all rights reserved. Photo of Tom, waiting to board a Metrolink train to downtown Los Angeles in December, 2002. (And, yes, people do ride trains in L.A.!)