Kingman AZ? Is it really that horrible? (Prescott: apartments, job)

[tulegirl]

My step-kids and the grand-babies all live there.

They feel trapped. The boys have gotten good jobs as mechanics but it took a long time to get them. I think they would move if the chance ever came up. They don't like the schools - they went to them. Now that they have kids, they are becoming concerned about that.

I personally, like the history of the place and have stayed at the haunted Brunswick Hotel (had a fabulous dinner there, too). I really felt at home in that old place. The owners are great.

Easy drive to Laughlln/Bullhead.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by MindyW

I came upon you question today.....my three girls attend dance a Dance Factory and LOVE it! It is a different program than Allstarz, which my children attended for many years before I decided to try something new. We have been at the Dance Factory for 4 years and the growth of my children has been incredible.

If you are looking for a structured dance program that is pretty rigid than Dance Factory is a good choice. AllStarz has a good program but they do things differently. Both have competivie and non competive programs. AllStarz of course has a big gymnastics program.

You may just want to swing in and check it out. They have been at the Wellness Center for the past few years and their lease ran out so they are relocating to a BIGGER studio with more offering of classes. We are excited!

Thanks

Mindy, thanks for the positive review of the Dance Factory. That sounds really good. Our neighbor is planning on enrolling her kid there. We'll definitely check it out.

[chantellaz]

hi my name is chantell im 18
Kingman is where i was born. And in my 2 cents ''ktown'' , well its what you make it. and really it all depends on your Age, what race, and where in kingman youll choice to live!... If you chose to live in butler, even though that that in the neiborhood in which i was raised in all my life, youre almost promised to be asking for trouble. that is a very bad neighboor hood crime and drugs everywhere, and with it being everywhere is hard not the devolp and drug problem, i recently just moved from there about a month ago cause my drug problem wasnt getting better staying in kingman. meth is everywhere believe me ive seen things you wouldnt believe in k town being in the drug world. But yes drugs are everywhere in kingman but if you dont do drugs and arent looking, of corse its not gonna be a problem, on the other hand being that ''tweakers'' are everywhere and they "are most of the crimanals" there you have to becareful that you vauables are safe cause the wrong person might see and the snow ball effect. As far as schools go, the school, yes theres only one high school and thats where i think the biggest problem is the school is over crowded and now kingman is getting more races, and im sorry to say it and im not racist, but kingman is a kkk town pretty much and the colors it gets the more problems it causes. Kingmans population is becoming a problem its becoming to big for its self. nothing to do for the kids, not enough jobs for as many ppl ther are there and so on and so on. but if your a welthy white family and you chose to live on the more upped side of town away from the ''ktown crud'' you SHOULD be alright but id keep my gurrad up kingman is getting worse everyday and its goona be worse before it gets better

[chantellaz]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

C'mon now, everybody's got a price. If somebody pays me enough to travel half of the time, I'm moving to Kingman!

lol kingman sucks i was born there and lived there 18 years. and i got out (i was one of the lucy ones) and i never wanna go back its really messed up my life

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by chantellaz

hi my name is chantell im 18
Kingman is where i was born. And in my 2 cents ''ktown'' , well its what you make it. and really it all depends on your Age, what race, and where in kingman youll choice to live!... If you chose to live in butler, even though that that in the neiborhood in which i was raised in all my life, youre almost promised to be asking for trouble. that is a very bad neighboor hood crime and drugs everywhere, and with it being everywhere is hard not the devolp and drug problem, i recently just moved from there about a month ago cause my drug problem wasnt getting better staying in kingman. meth is everywhere believe me ive seen things you wouldnt believe in k town being in the drug world. But yes drugs are everywhere in kingman but if you dont do drugs and arent looking, of corse its not gonna be a problem, on the other hand being that ''tweakers'' are everywhere and they "are most of the crimanals" there you have to becareful that you vauables are safe cause the wrong person might see and the snow ball effect. As far as schools go, the school, yes theres only one high school and thats where i think the biggest problem is the school is over crowded and now kingman is getting more races, and im sorry to say it and im not racist, but kingman is a kkk town pretty much and the colors it gets the more problems it causes. Kingmans population is becoming a problem its becoming to big for its self. nothing to do for the kids, not enough jobs for as many ppl ther are there and so on and so on. but if your a welthy white family and you chose to live on the more upped side of town away from the ''ktown crud'' you SHOULD be alright but id keep my gurrad up kingman is getting worse everyday and its goona be worse before it gets better

Having been in the Kingman area for several years; it seems to me that the 'City of Kingman' is tolerable whereas the unincorporated county enclaves such as Butler can be pretty bad.

[nyny]

ok look this is how it is i live in kingman arizona have been here for about 6months and i am from california it is like any where els it has its crime and bull**** the world has all kinds of drugs and crime the world is like it is and every where you go you will always see the same **** so no kingman aint that different from anywhere it depends on who you hang with and what you surround your self with and what you choice to do here

Originally Posted by SummersEve

I am trying to find out info on Kingman and it sounds pretty bad from the posts. Is the crime horrible? Meth drugs all over? Is it ugly? People unfriendly?What types of stores? Where does everyone go to shop?

I had heard from a friend it is an up and coming city for those who don't want to live in Las Vegas, but the posts sound pretty bad.

Thanks!

[HonestMom]

After reading all that's been said here, I wanted to present some facts, covering the variety of topics mentioned.

I've lived in Kingman for about 3 years, and I have three children, all teenagers. That right there was a problem, as I could not find a 4 bedroom house to rent. Most homes here are two bedroom, as the area was geared towards retirees. That is changing, as Rhodes has bought up a ton of land to develop homes on- which means the cost of homes has shot up considerably (double minimum, in some areas more than double).

I love to talk to people, and talk to strangers everywhere I go, in every section of town, rich to poor and back again, and here's what I've found:

Rich people LOVE Kingman. They live in the rich area of town, where there's a lot of police patrols, and they don't see any of the drugs, crime, etc. They feel the housing is cheap, mainly since they typically moved here from California, and they can buy a house twice the size of their old home for less than half the price. They don't have to look for work, or try to live on the wages here, so they see no economic downside.

I, however, moved here from Dallas- and the homes are 3-5 times what they cost in Texas. I can't afford a used car here, because the used car prices are 5-10 times more than they cost in Texas. My gas bill in the winter runs almost $200 a month, and the electric is almost $300 in the summer months. Plus, I made more money in Texas than I could hope to make here. My rent here is twice what I paid for my home in Texas, and this house is smaller, and not in as nice a neighborhood. Having lived in Dallas, I've seen my share of crime- Kingman has an unusually dense amount for it's population.

If you don't have a medical degree or a real estate license, it will be VERY hard to find a job here- and if you do get a job, don't expect to make more than $10/hour, if you're lucky. And right now, no one is hiring. Call the Unemployment office 928-753-6644 and ask them how many job postings they have, and of them, how many pay more than $8 an hour. Ask them how many people they have coming in week after week that can't find a job. It's tough.

Someone referenced the Daily Miner- I have never seen a paper that prints so little actual news. They don't write any stories about drug busts, rapes, or murders, because they want to encourage people to move here. Since I've lived here, there has been: a prison break, a bomb threat at an elementary school (White Cliffs), a bomb threat at the grocery store (Bashas), two huge busts involving around 20+ law enforcement officers, and countless assaults and murders- none of which was even mentioned in the Miner. There was more, I am sure, these are just the crimes which I personally witnessed, or heard from police while chatting. "The Standard" prints the crime stories, but they only print once a week.

Crime- there is so much meth in this area the Federal Goverment has a meth task force that trains in Mohave County. It is everywhere- there are posters all over town showing "The Ugly Side of Meth" with before and after pictures, put out by the Kingman Police Department. They are on all the bus stops, laundromats, in the schools, and in the windows of businesses. There has not been a single day I have been out running errands in Kingman when I have not seen a tweaker (meth user). Meth labs are busted all the time, and home robberies are high due to junkies stealing to get money for their fix.

Homeless people are everywhere- in the alleys, in parking lots, in parks, standing at the corners with signs asking for money. I personally don't care, but whoever said they aren't aware of a homeless problem is not paying attention. I see them every day.

Racism- rampant. Lots of people with swasticas, "White power", "KKK", and other tattoos and/or T-shirts.

Sex offenders- 47 in Kingman currently (registered ones, anyway), and 42 of them live in the area known as "Birdland", so called because the streets are all named Eagle, Swan, etc. Birdland is also the worst area for drugs.

Again, those who posted saying they've seen none of this live in the areas of town that are heavily patroled (rich), or else they just wear blinders. If you want the truth, call the police station on a weekday and ask for a call back from an officer when they're not busy, and ask them about these subjects.

Schools- Speaking for White Cliffs Middle School and Kingman High School, I can honestly say horrific. There was a bomb threat at the Middle School that caused the school to "lock down" for the day- they also locked down for the prison break, as the prison is about two blocks from the school, and the break happened right around 3:00pm. There is a lot of bullying and hazing at White Cliffs, and the principal does NOTHING. There are a lot of drugs and pregnancy in the high school- I don't know the full extent, because my kids stopped telling me how bad it was after seeing my reactions the first few months we came here. The schools get horrible test scores, the teachers are lethargic- I email and/or call the teacher to keep tabs on my children's grades periodically so they don't fall behind, and at least half of them never contact me. I know my children are falling behind academically just by being here.

Oh, and we lived in Golden Valley for about six months before moving into Kingman, and the bus that ran for Black Mountain Elementary had an incident with two children playing with a loaded gun on the bus.

Yes, I have also heard good things about the Hualapai schools and good things about the Academy- but like someone else said, hard to get into, and being connected and/or rich is pretty much a necessity.

Medical Care- the doctors all cater to the rich and elderly. If you don't fall into one of those two categories, expect to wait for up to six months for an appointment, then take a thick book with you because you will be bumped repeatedly in the waiting room as they take those patients ahead of you. The hospital here is not good at all, I have lost count of the horror stories I have heard about Kingman Regional. Those who can afford it, go the doctors in Vegas. Afford it because not all medical plans will cover Vegas because it's in another state and will refer you to Phoenix, even though Vegas is 90 miles away and Phoenix is 200 miles away.

Weather- right now, nights are running in the 20's, that's without the wind chill. It's a desert, and it gets chilly at night, if the wind's not blowing. When there's a cold wind, it can easily drop the temp by 20 degrees. Last winter we had a sudden cold snap, and about half the pipes in Kingman burst, including those in the schools, flooding the library and computer lab in the High School. Summers run 120 degrees or higher- you will burn very badly very quickly. The city is dead after 9 am in the summer, because it is too hot to be out; businesses open early in the summer months so people can run their errands in the morning while it's "cool" in the upper 90's at 6:00 AM. Dehydration is a serious concern, not just from the temperature but from the wind. I have been in Chicago- Kingman is at least as windy, if not windier. It sucks the moisture out of you, and leaves you exhausted from a very short walk (like to your car in the Wal-Mart parking lot). It is windy every day, and the wind blows a lot of allergens in, as well as blowing a lot of trash and tumbleweeds around.

Goatheads- there is a vicious little plant here that spreads like herpes, and one plant can produce hundreds of these PAINFUL burrs about the size of a pea. If you step on one, hope you can pull it out, as otherwise it will snap the spine off under your skin. Easily tracked indoors, I don't know of anyone in Kingman not familiar with these.

Stuff to do- nothing. The ONE movie theater we had (four screens) closed three weeks ago. The nearest theater is in Laughlin, an 80 mile round-trip. There's a bowling alley, a library, and two movie rental stores. That's about it. To give a perspective: when the "Super" Wal-Mart opened here, it made the front page of the paper (Miner) FIVE TIMES. The only exception being if you are into cars and/or bikes, as there are Street Drags, Classic Car runs, and several motorcycle runs. Downside to those is the noise, traffic, and street closures. Worst of those being the River Run at the end of April, when THOUSANDS of Harleys descend, and all you hear for three days is Harley engines revving and roaring. Whoever mentioned "The largest mall in Kingman" made me ROFLMAO, as THERE IS NO MALL IN KINGMAN.

Someone posted some stats: Kingman/27,000/$38K/$144K/3.7x. Yes, well, those are averages- so when you take the mega-rich and mix it with the mega-poor that live here, that's what you get. Those stats don't represent reality, just a mathematical mean.

Yes, it is stunningly beautiful here. The sunrises and sunsets are beautiful, and the stargazing is unsurpassed- I can usually see the Milky Way in my backyard most nights. I've been thinking for three years, and that's the only positive I've got.

I can't wait to get out of here- there seems to be some weird Vortex around Kingman; once you get in, it's hard to get out. Had I known these truths about Kingman- instead of the rosy picture painted by real estate agents- before I moved here, I would have NEVER come.

[rambrush]

(My gas bill in the winter runs almost $200 a month, and the electric is almost $300 in the summer months).

You either have a huge house or a gas leak..just received my gas bill and its the highest we have seen all year. Its only $83.00 for a 1200 sq ft house. The electric was 81.00 or so. So don’t go trying to run people off with only 1 figure making it sound terrible to live here.


(Someone referenced the Daily Miner- I have never seen a paper that prints so little actual news. They don't write any stories about drug busts, rapes, or murders, because they want to encourage people to move here.)

I will agree with you here, the daily miner is best used as fish wrap plus we just lost access to the Az republic.

(Homeless people are everywhere- in the alleys, in parking lots, in parks, standing at the corners with signs asking for money. I personally don't care, but whoever said they aren't aware of a homeless problem is not paying attention. I see them every day.)

This is not really a problem at all go look at other cities and you will see a much bigger problem.

(Medical Care- the doctors all cater to the rich and elderly. If you don't fall into one of those two categories, expect to wait for up to six months for an appointment, then take a thick book with you because you will be bumped repeatedly in the waiting room as they take those patients ahead of you. The hospital here is not good at all, I have lost count of the horror stories I have heard about Kingman Regional. Those who can afford it, go the doctors in Vegas. Afford it because not all medical plans will cover Vegas because it's in another state and will refer you to Phoenix, even though Vegas is 90 miles away and Phoenix is 200 miles away.)

Please present facts not a fiction story if you only knew how many agencies are in and out of KRMC to ensure they maintain federal and state standards you know this is not true at all. Sure a few things occur but it happens every where in the country and is not a isolated KRMC thing.


(Weather- right now, nights are running in the 20's, that's without the wind chill. It's a desert, and it gets chilly at night, if the wind's not blowing. When there's a cold wind, it can easily drop the temp by 20 degrees. Last winter we had a sudden cold snap, and about half the pipes in Kingman burst, including those in the schools, flooding the library and computer lab in the High School. Summers run 120 degrees or higher- you will burn very badly very quickly. The city is dead after 9 am in the summer, because it is too hot to be out; businesses open early in the summer months so people can run their errands in the morning while it's "cool" in the upper 90's at 6:00 AM. Dehydration is a serious concern, not just from the temperature but from the wind. I have been in Chicago- Kingman is at least as windy, if not windier. It sucks the moisture out of you, and leaves you exhausted from a very short walk (like to your car in the Wal-Mart parking lot). It is windy every day, and the wind blows a lot of allergens in, as well as blowing a lot of trash and tumbleweeds around.)

Just back from a trip to Washington the state to visit and if you want windy and cold try the tri-cities it was very windy and cold. Sure 6 months of the year the wind blows out of the north the other it comes out of the Southwest. But the weather is part of life adapt or move on if you don’t like it.

(Goatheads- there is a vicious little plant here that spreads like herpes, and one plant can produce hundreds of these PAINFUL burrs about the size of a pea. If you step on one, hope you can pull it out, as otherwise it will snap the spine off under your skin. Easily tracked indoors, I don’t know of anyone in Kingman not familiar with these).

A very small thing to cope with, the bigger items is the cacti that gets in the dogs feet

(Stuff to do- nothing. The ONE movie theater we had (four screens) closed three weeks ago. The nearest theater is in Laughlin, an 80 mile round-trip. There's a bowling alley, a library, and two movie rental stores. That's about it. To give a perspective: when the "Super" Wal-Mart opened here, it made the front page of the paper (Miner) FIVE TIMES. The only exception being if you are into cars and/or bikes, as there are Street Drags, Classic Car runs, and several motorcycle runs. Downside to those is the noise, traffic, and street closures. Worst of those being the River Run at the end of April, when THOUSANDS of Harleys descend, and all you hear for three days is Harley engines revving and roaring. Whoever mentioned "The largest mall in Kingman" made me ROFLMAO, as THERE IS NO MALL IN KINGMAN.)

Have you ever got out of your house and explored the things to do and see around Kingman? Take a trip down Alamo lake road to Alamo lake and picnic the north shore. Drive to the Hualapis and hike the trails sit at the restaurant and enjoy the wildlife out of the window. Explore the wagon trail track trail? Beale springs hike? Evidently you don’t do outdoor activities. Drive to Ashfork and explore the Chinese built railroad tunnel. So much to do outside makes the head spin. Sure Henderson is 2 hours North but a day trip and no big deal.

(I can't wait to get out of here- there seems to be some weird Vortex around Kingman; once you get in, it's hard to get out. Had I known these truths about Kingman- instead of the rosy picture painted by real estate agents- before I moved here, I would have NEVER come.)

Its been nice chatting let me know and I will come help you pack up and get you moved out of here.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by HonestMom

After reading all that's been said here, I wanted to present some facts, covering the variety of topics mentioned.

No, you apparently registered on this site just to post a very hate-filled compendium of misinformation about Kingman. If you expected to be taken seriously, you've done yourself a major injustice with your ridiculous and inane claims that you call "facts". Let's examine a few of them.

That right there was a problem, as I could not find a 4 bedroom house to rent. Most homes here are two bedroom, as the area was geared towards retirees. That is changing, as Rhodes has bought up a ton of land to develop homes on- which means the cost of homes has shot up considerably (double minimum, in some areas more than double).

Today's Kingman Daily Miner has 35 three bedroom homes for rent at the moment. They also have a few 2 bedroom, and yes, 4 bedroom homes as well. Please see for yourself. My neighbors just rented out their 4BR home as well.

I, however, moved here from Dallas- and the homes are 3-5 times what they cost in Texas.

Not true. City Data shows the average home price in Kingman to be $144K. The average home price for Dallas shows as $121K. That's pretty much the same as Kingman. Where are you getting 3-5 times?? That's ridiculous.

I can't afford a used car here, because the used car prices are 5-10 times more than they cost in Texas.

That is completely absurd. Cars cost the same everywhere in this country. Otherwise, people would simply buy their cars in the next state over. If what you are saying is true, why don't you start a business importing cars from Texas? You could charge just 2x or 3x what you buy them for and undersell everybody else in town by a factor of two or three! You would become rich beyond your dreams. Nice bit of fantasy, isn't it?

My gas bill in the winter runs almost $200 a month, and the electric is almost $300 in the summer months.

That is wildly out of the norm for this area. Either you're not truthful, or you seriously need to conserve energy. Energy costs in Kingman are the same or cheaper than any other places in this country. We pay half of what you claim.

Plus, I made more money in Texas than I could hope to make here. My rent here is twice what I paid for my home in Texas, and this house is smaller, and not in as nice a neighborhood.

So what in heaven's name caused you to move here!? Really, please tell, I really want to know.

[bunch of unsubstantiated claims about crime deleted here]

Meth labs are busted all the time,

Prove it. You're making this up, and I'm calling your bluff. Show me any news reports about meth labs being busted in Kingman within any recent years. Shouldn't be that hard with them being "busted all the time", right? Can you find even one? And yes, there's a major anti-meth campaign in the County. That's a GOOD thing. There is meth use everywhere in this country -- especially in your beloved Texas. At least Mohave County is doing something about it!

and home robberies are high due to junkies stealing to get money for their fix.

That's actually true. However, druggies exist EVERYWHERE in this country. I have no data to say that the problem in Kingman is better or worse than anywhere else. Neither do you.

Homeless people are everywhere- in the alleys, in parking lots, in parks, standing at the corners with signs asking for money. I personally don't care, but whoever said they aren't aware of a homeless problem is not paying attention. I see them every day.

Where do you see them? I'd like to go have a look, because I've yet to see a homeless person in Kingman, and I do pay attention. So where exactly are they? They're not in front of Walmart asking for money, nor Home Depot, nor KMart, etc, etc. So where exactly does one have to go to get panhandled around here?

I used to work in Palo Alto, CA, arguably the most affluent town in the US. There are panhandlers readily visible on the main street through downtown Palo Alto! So if there are panhandlers here, then we're in good company.

Racism- rampant. Lots of people with swasticas, "White power", "KKK", and other tattoos and/or T-shirts.

Bull. I've never seen a skinhead, KK, or other racist gang in town. I am EXTREMELY sensitive to this issue. Kingman has FAR less of these human scum than do most other places in this country (that includes CA and NY, both places that I'm very familiar with).

I know my children are falling behind academically just by being here.

You need to be involved with your child's education no matter where they go to school. If they are falling behind, it's up to YOU to correct that problem using whatever measures are necessary including home schooling, private schools, tutoring, moving, etc. You can't just drop your kids off at school and think you've done your part as a parent.

Plenty of kids in this town go on to college, even though the rate here is far below the national average. If your's can't cut it here, then that's your failing as a parent.

Medical Care- the doctors all cater to the rich and elderly.

Rambrush already debunked this far better than I could have, so we'll leave it at that.

Weather- Last winter we had a sudden cold snap, and about half the pipes in Kingman burst...

Yeah, right.

Summers run 120 degrees or higher-

Not even close. "The highest temperature ever recorded in Kingman was 110°F in 1972."
Source: Average Weather for Kingman, AZ - Temperature and Precipitation

Kingman weather is awesome in the summer time.

Stuff to do- nothing.

That really says a lot about you. Kingman is located in the center of everything in the universe it seems. We have an adventure every weekend. This weekend we rented a boat and motored up the Colorado River from Willow Beach to the Hoover Dam. Ever visit the hot springs there? Did you even know there were any? You can hike to them, if you know the way. Go camping. Rent a cabin at Mt Hualapai and go hiking. There are several museums in town. Drive up to Las Vegas, if you don't like the outdoors. What exactly are you looking for?

The ONE movie theater we had (four screens) closed three weeks ago.

Seems you forgot to mention the 10-plex that is being built in town and will be done this year. Meanwhile, your kids can use the break to get caught up on their school work.

I can't wait to get out of here- there seems to be some weird Vortex around Kingman; once you get in, it's hard to get out. Had I known these truths about Kingman- instead of the rosy picture painted by real estate agents- before I moved here, I would have NEVER come.

Buh, bye!!!

Seriously, I'm sorry you hate your life in Kingman. Life here isn't necessarily for everyone. However, that's no reason to trash a place with such a litany of gross exaggerations and outright falsehoods as you've done here. Some people can't find happiness no matter where they live. It sounds like you had a good thing going in Dallas, from the way you describe it. So whatever made you move out here? Clearly you were looking for something, and it's a shame you didn't find it here. I sincerely, hope you eventually find what you're looking for. But maybe it doesn't exist at all.

[ArizonaBear]

Suffice to say I have my gripes concerning Kingman as well: that stated; I tend to agree more with rambrush/kdog though.

I have actually lived in Mohave County for a good part of the 21st Century.

One thing that HonestMom needs to look at is that most of the problems that she described (the true ones) tend to occur in the unincorporated county enclaves-------Birdland in particular comes to mind.

Now: the city of Kingman ain't bad