Does anyone miss the trees? (Flagstaff, Kingman: house, tax, places to live)

[Allieloopy]

I am planning on moving to a warmer climate and have narrowed it down to (due to husbands work) to Valdosta, GA area or Kingman, AZ area.
I am coming from Ypsilanti, MI which is between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
We have two kids, 9 and 12.

My nephew who visits my sister in Kingman says he missed the grass and trees we have here. I know I will have lots of that in GA but I don't like the humidity. I can handle heat. I can't handle any more snow.

We want a small town feel with some city amenities and good health care.
I like a nice library system too but it's not a deal breaker.

I read some very nice things about Valdosta, Ga but am just starting to look at Kingman, AZ.

Does anyone have any advice?

[wuds]

i've only driven through kingman on i-40 a couple of times on the way to vegas so i can't give you anything other than my impressions from that.
it was hot, it was brown, and i was glad to know i didn't live there. it is close to vegas and laughlin though. there are some nice lakes nearby also. plus the grand canyon and flagstaff are fairly nearby, so i would say there are worse places to live, but kingman didn't look like the place i'd want to spend my days.
you say you have a sister in kingman though, i'd choose family over green grass and trees anyday.

[Ritchie_az]

Kingman seems like a nice town. I don't live there, but I enjoy "passing through".
As far as trees, there are tons and tons of trees just a day-trip away.

[curly5759]

The desert has a beauty all its own. You have to get past the idea that only grass and trees are nice to look at. A desert in bloom is breathtaking.

I grew up in NYC, and I lived right next to the East river (Long Island sound) I played in the marshes every day, exploring and just being a kid. It took me many years to see the desert as anything other than hot and brown.

My parents lived in Kingman for many years, it is a little greener than where I am , and you can be in the Hualipai mtns in about 20 minutes, and there are pinetrees there. A little more time puts you in the forests around Ashfork, Williams and Flagstaff.

Curly

[kdog]

Anybody who says Kingman lacks trees needs to get out of the house more.

The Hualapai mountain range is heavily forested. The Hualapais are all BLM and Park lands, completely accessible to the public, and typically run 10 to 15 degrees cooler than in town. So it's a fantastic place to escape the heat, and just 15 minutes up into the mountains straight out of town.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by curly5759

The desert has a beauty all its own. You have to get past the idea that only grass and trees are nice to look at. A desert in bloom is breathtaking.

I grew up in NYC, and I lived right next to the East river (Long Island sound) I played in the marshes every day, exploring and just being a kid. It took me many years to see the desert as anything other than hot and brown.

My parents lived in Kingman for many years, it is a little greener than where I am , and you can be in the Hualipai mtns in about 20 minutes, and there are pinetrees there. A little more time puts you in the forests around Ashfork, Williams and Flagstaff.

Curly

Right on, Curly. Don't forget that the Hualapais also have big groves of Aspen trees that turn bright yellow in the fall, along with other deciduous trees as well. (I have pictures, somewhere....)

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by kdog

Anybody who says Kingman lacks trees needs to get out of the house more.

The Hualapai mountain range is heavily forested. The Hualapais are all BLM and Park lands, completely accessible to the public, and typically run 10 to 15 degrees cooler than in town. So it's a fantastic place to escape the heat, and just 15 minutes up into the mountains straight out of town.

beautiful picture!

[Allieloopy]

The trees look so different but that is kindof what I am looking for, a change! The pictures were beautiful. I plan on visiting next Feb. (if I get a nice tax refund). I am ready for less winter and some cold weather sounds like a nice change. Although it probably won't feel too cold to us after a Michigan winter.

[kdog]

Next to a Michigan winter it should seem downright tropical here. Though it does get down to freezing here at night some times, and with the wind can really be pretty darn chilly. Most of the winter a light jacket will do though.

[~PaperMoon~]

I don't miss the trees at all. I love the palm trees and cactuses. They have a beauty all of their own. Nature doesn't have to be green to look pretty. I love these pretty purple cactuses.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/SkyeLeigh/Purplecactus.jpg (broken link)