Moving from Bend, OR to Kingman, AZ (Phoenix, Flagstaff: for sale, real estate)

[luvlabslvc]

Looking to get away from the snow and ice permanently! It's difficult to research other states and cities so I'm glad this is an easy outlet.

My ideal location would include: a)no snow or ice, b)low humidity, c)living wage jobs, d)living in the suburbs and e)55+ living communities but the later is optional.

From research so far, Flagstaff is too cold and Phoenix way too hot.

Does Kingman sound like my forever home?

Thanks to all.

[kdog]

From a person who's a big Kingman advocate and lived there for 5 years, I'm not sure this is your town. Here are my thoughts to your points.

(a) Temps frequently go down to the 20's at night during the winter months. You WILL get anywhere from a dusting of snow once or twice a year to possibly a single 4" dump once or rarely twice a year. Day time temps are usually in the 40's or 50's during the same months, but frequent windy days can make it seem colder.

(b) Low humidity, no problem there.

(c) Living Wage Jobs? No clue. Lots of people live well on their wages in Kingman, but whether you can depends on you. I can tell you that unskilled labor in town pays around $10 - $12 an hour. You're probably not going to buy a nice home on that wage. On the other hand, if you're selling a home in OR and pay cash for a home in Kingman, it may get you by, especially with two of you working.

(d) Living in the Suburbs? Not really. Suburb is generally defined as a residential area within commuting distance of a larger city. The nearest larger city is Las Vegas, 100 miles away. Maybe you can define your term a little better and we can further advise.

(e) 55+ Communities? Somewhat. There actually are a couple of 55+ communities I believe. There are also some neighborhoods with newish but smaller homes with a high percentage of retirees living in them.

In general there are a lot of retirees in Kingman. It's a popular place to retire because of its nice climate, low cost of living, laid-back lifestyle, ample outdoor activities and natural desert beauty. Medical care is pretty good for a town this size as well. Shopping and restaurant choices are somewhat challenged. And unless you have professional occupation in a high-demand field (think surgeon for example), it's probably not a place where you can expect to further your career.

[luvlabslvc]

Kdog,

Thanks so much for your time and the detailed info. As you mentioned, I'm hoping the sale of my house will cover buying a new residence in Kingman. Currently I have been working for a nonprofit organization that works with adults with developmental disabilities for 10 years so as you can imagine, career advancement and high pay have just not been there. I just need enough to cover my bills and save for retirement. Do you happen to know the unemployment rate in Kingman?

I can put up with 4" of snow per year becuase hopefully it won't need to be shoveled and will not donate away my heavy coats and sweaters! And by suburbs, I meant not living within a huge city like Portland or New York City!

From your final paragraph Kingman does sound like it could be a good match for me. Do you have any suggestions as to where I could review real estate (both single homes and the 55+ community) and employment?

I so appreciate your thoughtful answers to all my questions. Is there anything else I should know about?

[kdog]

Unemployment rate is 9.9% according to CityData statistics. Arizona average rate is 9.3%.

Real estate ads can easily be found on any website that has MLS listings, like realtor.com. Kingman Real Estate - Kingman, AZ Homes for Sale - Realtor.com®

For employment ads, check the Kingman Daily Miner. The website has some ads, but the actual printed newspaper generally has more for some reason. Local Employment - Kingman Daily Miner - Kingman, Arizona

You should come visit and see the town for yourself.

[luvlabslvc]

Kdog,

My thanks again for your help. In reviewing other threads I saw your name mentioned several times as the expert on Kingman and other areas of Arizona. Your help has been invaluable and I am intending on visiting Kingman probably during February 2012 and if all goes well moving no later than June - August 2012.

May I check back with you with further questions? I guess you no longer live in Kingman...ever thought about moving back?

If you're celebrating turkey day tomorrow my best to you and yours.

luvlabslvc

[kdog]

Thanks, luvslabslvc. We moved back to the Bay Area where we are originally from 3 months ago. We also lived in NY for a while. All of the moves were job-related. I'd love to move back to Kingman some day if it's in the cards. Feel free to ask more questions any time. You have a great Thanksgiving as well.

[rambrush]

I will also be around to answer questions but KDOG has more time to pop in to answer questions.
I am originally out of the tri-cities wa and find Kingman to work for me. Tried Phx but like you said its a scorcher

[luvlabslvc]

rambrush and kdog,

At the risk of being stupid I don't know if this message will reach both of you! This is my first time using city-data.com let alone ever being in a chat room with anyone!

Rambrush, from what you've read, does Kingman sound like a match for me? Kdog hasn't shared any information that would deter me and I am feeling very positive about visiting. How long have you lived in Kingman? You being from Washington and Kdog living at one point in New York is interesting. I'm a former Jersey girl and have lived in Bend for 10 years. It seems you both found good reasons to stay in Kingman and that says alot.

My best to both of you and I will certainly be back with questions especially after I check our the real estate situation and employment market.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

luvlabslvc

[rambrush]

Some people love it and some hate Kingman.

Bend is such a great central location to me. I have enjoyed the High Desert Museum there in Bend and would suggest that to most anyone. As a former Wildland Firefighter I have been up the road to Prineville and checked out the memorial to the crew that was lost several years ago in Colorado as well.

But enough already back to Kingman, it is high desert similar to the tri-cities without the humidity and fog of multiple rivers and bodies of water near by.
3500' elevation which you would think would develop a lot of snow but nope nothing like what develops on Mt Hood area.
With a recent closure of a Hospital that placed about 200 people on the streets, which most have medical background and should be getting hired here or elsewhere.
As I am a outdoors person Kingman suits me well but that may not suit others who need to go the shows and theaters often.
I am on the Northern Boundary of the city limits in a area called Camelback which is a mixed bag of a area of mobile homes and the rest are stick frame structures. We don't have city sewer, sidewalks or street lights never had kids on Halloween showing up wanting treats etc, So to us its peaceful. The other day we had a deer on our back porch eating mesquite pods. But everyday we have plenty of cottontail rabbits, Quail humming birds etc out the back porch snacking on grasses etc. So this makes our dogs very happy as they can watch there own nature show from the comfort of the house.

The wind is the one that gets people seems like 6 months year it blows from the SW then the other 6 months out of the NE which is Brr chilly.
You would need to adjust a tad maybe to the dust as it does seem to be a ongoing battle to keep things in side the house dust free.

There is employment here it just takes take dedication persistence to land something, If you are a food worker then there should be no problem as we are a crossroads to everywhere which brings several restaurants here. Just no big name ones which sucks but they are only a couple of hours away. Airports and flights we have a good choice with Vegas close and Phx so many choices to fly in and out from.

[George from Kingman Az]

Hello Bend, I've been in Kingman for over 30 years and am in my 4th year of retirement so I think I can shed some light on your inquiry. Snow - well we use to get 1 snow fall a year. It would snow between 1/2 and 3" - schools would close (kids would run out to build snowmen). However with climate change we are now getting 3 to 4 snows a year. The city closes down since we have no snow removal equipment. The kids rush out to build snowmen that usually melt by early afternoon. It is still rare that it lasts more than a day. Now if you decide to live in the foothills or the mountain those snows can be a foot or more. The views can be spectacular when the mountains that surround the city are covered in snow. Low humidity - that's all of Arizona. It's not unusual to have 15% humidity. The low humidity sure helps in the summer. c)living wage jobs - like everywhere jobs are scarce. Wages are low. But so is the cost of living. There really isn't suburbs here. There are "nice" areas of housing and some less than substandard housing. Housing costs took a real beating over the last 2 or 3 years. You can pick up a very nice house in a very nice area of town for less than $100k. e)55+ living communities but the later is optional - There is only one over 55 community that I am aware of. However this area has a very high retired population so "senior housing" can seem like everywhere. Hope this helps. Anything else? George