Is Bullhead City a Dying Town and how do we save it? (Phoenix: RV park, 2013)

[Hawk J]

A few more Bike Runs per year would probably help the local towns business...

https://www.laughlinriverrun.com/

[smilinpretty]

About 12 years ago, when I still lived in Lake Havasu City, the City Counsel (always liked spending taxpayers money) hired a company to do a economic study on Havasu. They gave the town 15 to 20 years to survive unless they changed their business attitude. What Havasu has done is to recreate a fun place for the young people. They have the balloon festival, they always had the fire works show but made it bigger, they close McCulloch street down town every Friday night and it is like one big party. I hear they are going to build a college or extension of Northern Arizona University but still lack of jobs.

Last time I was in Bullhead City, last Sept. it looked really depressed to me, I hardly recognized it. I now live near Prescott, AZ and it is quite the opposite. There are four colleges here, Ruger, some other big businesses. It draws in the retirees from all over the world. Downtown Prescott in the summer on weekends is always busy. It is called the Christmas town of Arizona and 30 events going on during the month of December. I think the weather and scenery draw in the retirees. It has the Elk's theatre, a playhouse. Yavapai College offers events every weekend. So much happening. Plus, it attracts people who have money. Still there are lack of jobs unless you are in the medical field. It continues to grow and it scares me because of lack of water. Many people from Phoenix retire in Prescott. There are so many Box Stores in Prescott and Prescott Valley. Three Super Walmarts, Trader Joes, Two Home Depots, Lowes, Two movie theatres, Costco, Sam's Club, Kohl's, Indoor Mall and there are still talk about more stores moving here. The shopping areas are full.

[Packard fan]

1 thing I'm noticing is Fort Mohave doesn't seem to be near as bad of shape as Bullhead. Too; the kinds of stores that might attract the "offbeat" crowd seem to LEAVING BH for FM. There was a Birkenstock store near Silver Creek, it's gone now. OTOH: FM has Ripleys which kinda has "edgy" stuff and there's a music store across 95 from the Red Dragon. I'd NEVER thought that FM would get those kinds of stores with its older people who have more money.

[Chaindrive]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

A few more Bike Runs per year would probably help the local towns business...

https://www.laughlinriverrun.com/

Probably no one knows this unless they've worked at a casino, but the river run people DO NOT GAMBLE to speak of. Which means that the slot machines which pay all the casino bills don't get any action at all and the locals that fill the machines go away at that time because of the overkill police presence here.

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by Chaindrive

Probably no one knows this unless they've worked at a casino, but the river run people DO NOT GAMBLE to speak of. Which means that the slot machines which pay all the casino bills don't get any action at all and the locals that fill the machines go away at that time because of the overkill police presence here.

Betcha some of the bikers came down from Vegas or are heading there after to get their gambling fix (if they gamble). In that case, they're more likely to bypass gambling much in Laughlin.

[mattywo85]

Would you all say that Bullhead City is in a worse spot then Kingman?

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by mattywo85

Would you all say that Bullhead City is in a worse spot then Kingman?

Personal preference I'd say. When I was last there, a BHC resident told me Kingman tends to have more serious crime whereas Bullhead's is more petty in nature. I'd venture to say neither are unsafe if you live in decent areas and don't mingle with the wrong crowd.

I'm partial to the Colorado River setting, so I'd probably consider Bullhead before Kingman. Not a gambler, but having Laughlin as a close resource for random events/ out-of-town guests to stay cheap etc. is a plus for me. I find the river setting aesthetically pleasing and unique. It is just nice to look at. I have not tried any of the water sports that are popular, but if you get into that then that's a fun/healthy outdoor activity at your doorstep.

Both have adequate amenities. Kingman has better weather in the summer; not as hot. I've read the hiking around Kingman is good for those into it. They both have positives and negatives and it's really about which town feels more comfortable to you.

A resident could probably elaborate better than I, my opinion is that of a short visitor and passerby to the area. As such I can only give my initial impression without the details of a current Kingman or Bullhead resident.

[jamies]

I think Bullhead has different issues and incomes than Kingman.

Kingman is facing severe water issues and basically exists to serve government jobs, the freeway traveler, railroad and prison. A big mine just closed losing 300 jobs. But Kingman has a more stable and diversified income base.

Bullhead mainly survives off tourism and retirement services. There is no industry, and apparently not much chance of attracting any.

However many places survive well from tourism. We have all kinds of things to do, from top name entertainment, theaters, bowling, river and lake activities - jet skiing, fishing, water skiing, etc., there's even a scuba diving shop! We could do better I think on off roading activities, but there's a couple of off road events. There's car shows, bbq and chili cook offs. We have two huge events, the River Run and River Regatta (rafting) that bring 30,000 visitors. It's not like there isn't stuff to do. But I think we need more diversity in business and I think the appearance of some areas, particularly the older business and residential areas turns visitors off.

I think some paint, a whole lot of decorative gravel, junking the dead cars on the dead dirt lawns, and pulling the weeds would transform this town and make it a place people want to visit.

[jamies]

Regarding crime. Bullhead has generally minimal crime. Most arrests seem to be domestic violence between low income or druggie folks. Shoplifting, drugs, minor warrants, no driver license, petty crime. There have been some burgularly issues but there were some arrests and I think maybe it was related.

Violent crime is almost exclusively between people who know each other. Usually drug or alcohol involved. I can't recall any attacks locally in the past few years that weren't.

Random crime is rare - that said, there are more whacked out people here than I've ever encountered anywhere outside of an inner city. Maybe once a year someone tries to rob a store. Overall I'd say our visible crime is minimal.

Of course then I remember way back, Timmothy McVeigh, the OK City bomber once had a mailbox here. Go figure.

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by jamies

Regarding crime. Bullhead has generally minimal crime. Most arrests seem to be domestic violence between low income or druggie folks. Shoplifting, drugs, minor warrants, no driver license, petty crime. There have been some burgularly issues but there were some arrests and I think maybe it was related.

Violent crime is almost exclusively between people who know each other. Usually drug or alcohol involved. I can't recall any attacks locally in the past few years that weren't.

Random crime is rare - that said, there are more whacked out people here than I've ever encountered anywhere outside of an inner city. Several years ago, maybe 4, a lady had her purse stolen in the isolated KMart parking lot and a couple was held up at an ATM. Maybe once a year someone tries to rob a liquor store.

Overall I'd say our visible crime is minimal.

Of course then I remember way back, Timmothy McVeigh, the OK City bomber once had a mailbox here. Go figure.

Good info, this is the kinda crime I would expect. I don't see these issues as a dealbreaker for prospective residents, just something to be mindful of. Be more careful protecting your belongings from theft etc. Places with a scarce job market tend to have these petty crime problems... just how it goes when people have too much idle time and limited opportunity.