Verde Valley/Cottonwood vs. Kingman Rainfall/Vegetation? (Phoenix, Flagstaff: college, living)

[Arizona Bound]

Hey Folks!

Say.. I have been doing research in trying to compare the over-all
yearly rainfall, snowfall of these two towns.. Kingman & Cottonwood.
According to the Western Regional Climate Center, both towns average
about the same, Kingman average rainfall 10.35, snow 3.7 and
Cottonwood's average being 10.55 snow 3.5
Both towns sit at about the same elevation. Both seem to average about
the same in dailey temps. Does anyone know, or agree on these figures?
I also have done research in what these area's can produce/grow ...
because when we finally settle for good/year-round, we love to grow our
own veggies and would like to also be able to have fruit/nut trees, and
all other kinds of vegetation. I have noticed Cottonwood area being able
to handle vegetable gardens, fruit trees and such. I REALLY would like
to know how well kingman can be for gardens, fruit trees, and any other
vegetation? Because of the different locations/regions between the two
towns... is there a big difference in type of soil/dirt/sand between the towns..
Does anyone know? Only from what I have read so far... Cottonwood seems
to have much more vegetation life than Kingman.. Can anyone give thier
opinion on this? We have not been to the Cottonwood area as of yet. We
have been to kingman a few times now and really like it. But we really
would like to be able to get a good over-all rundown between the 2 towns
when it comes to vegetation, quality of growing our own veggies, able to
have fruit/nut trees... any insight would be most appreciated, Thanks!

[ArizonaBear]

Remember too that Cottonwood also has the Verde River running through it which makes a significant difference.

Flip side: Kingman winters seem to be tad milder at night and too there is more wind in that city.

[Arizona Bound]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

Remember too that Cottonwood also has the Verde River running through it which makes a significant difference.

Flip side: Kingman winters seem to be tad milder at night and too there is more wind in that city.

Can you touch on any of the other questions I mentioned also?
I understand in Cottonwood, because of the Verde River they have
an area called the Greenbelt.. do you know IF they call it that because
it is a flood zone and that's why it is a greener landscape than other
area's of Cottonwood? I still would really like a comparison on what you
can grow/produce, and what works better for one town and not the other?
Do you know if there is more natural vegetation life around the Cottonwood
area VS. Kingman? Do you know why Kingman would be more windy than
Cottonwood? They both incure the same monsoon season.. correct?
Thanks Bear

[drb85650]

IMO.....Cottonwood is much "greener" in appearance than Kingman. Definitely less wind. There are vineyards outside Cottonwood, some small farming too. Just over the hill is Prescott Valley, once a thriving agricultural spot, now mostly urban sprall.
Cottonwood, again IMO, is prettier. Hilly, rises in elevation from east to west, surrounded by hills, some tree covered. And it's just a hop skip and a jump from Sedona.
Plus, you're a short drive from the north end of the Phoenix metro area.
Kingman has Vegas 2 hours away, Phoenix a good 3 hours away, on a drive that will seem like the longest day you ever spent in 3 hours... again, IMO.
You should be hearing from kdog shortly. He defends all thing Kingman and doesn't like me. Mom always liked me best....

[kdog]

Originally Posted by drb85650

You should be hearing from kdog shortly. He defends all thing Kingman and doesn't like me. Mom always liked me best....

Wrong on both accounts. I try to be impartial on Kingman, and just because I read you the riot act on being a left-lane hog, that doesn't mean I don't like you.

Cottonwood is a tiny little town compared to Kingman. I've ridden through there on my motorcycle a couple of times. Pretty area, but much less in the way of living amenities like shopping, restaurants, etc. It also feels really isolated out there. True Kingman is 2 hours from most of Vegas, but less than that to get to Boulder City or Henderson. Plus we're 30 mins from Bullhead and Laughlin, and 60 minutes from Havasu. I really like the location here, and couldn't care less about being 3 hours from Phoenix; the further the better as far as I'm concerned.

Things grow great here in Kingman. What most folks do is put in raised garden beds and fill them full of conditioned soil. Add in some drip irrigation, and you can have a garden as lush as you can imagine. Fruit trees do very well here, except for citrus which doesn't like to freeze.

[Arizona Bound]

Thanks Guys!

[drb85650]

I even forgot about the calechi(sp?), the soil in alot of Arizona is basically a dirt rock. The wife got stuff to grow in Kingman only after truckloads of top soil, fertilizer and more water than Al Gore would allow.
Yeah, Cottonwoods smaller than Kingman in some ways. That would be because it is off the Interstate about 5 miles instead of split in 2 by it like Kingman. Depends on what you want.
Kingman does have a In n Out Burger. I hate Kingman for that.
slowing down in the left lane.......

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by kdog

Cottonwood is a tiny little town compared to Kingman. I've ridden through there on my motorcycle a couple of times. Pretty area, but much less in the way of living amenities like shopping, restaurants, etc. It also feels really isolated out there. True Kingman is 2 hours from most of Vegas, but less than that to get to Boulder City or Henderson. Plus we're 30 mins from Bullhead and Laughlin, and 60 minutes from Havasu. I really like the location here, and couldn't care less about being 3 hours from Phoenix; the further the better as far as I'm concerned.

While I haven't spent a great deal of time in Kingman, I'd have to disagree with Kingman being more in the thick of things than Cottonwood. Don't get me wrong, Kingman seems to have a nice small town atmosphere, but seems pretty quiet to me, with just a handful of decent restaurants. If gambling is your big thing, though, then being 2 hrs from Vegas and 1/2 hr from Laughlin might be what you're looking for. For me, that 115-degree heat over there in BHC doesn't appeal much to me. There is boating, of course, over in Havasu.

By comparison, Cottonwood has some pretty decent shopping, and its location is great - about 15 minutes from Sedona, about an hour to Flagstaff (which is a college town with lots of restaurants, shopping, and fun stuff to do), about 30-45 minutes from Prescott/Prescott Valley with lots of shopping, too, and about 1-1/2 hrs to Phoenix for real shopping.

And while the weather in Cottonwood and Kingman is similar, you can get out of the heat a lot quicker in Cottonwood (about 10-15 minutes to higher elevations). Also, I definitely agree that Cottonwood is an area that's much more conducive to growing things. The Apache Indians used to farm all along the Verde River, and there is some nice rich soil if you stay relatively close to the river. There are lots of orchards and vineyards and mini-farms in the area (also along Oak Creek around Page Springs and Cornville).

[kdog]

A lot of what you say is true, Gretchen, even though some of that like shopping is a subjective call.

However, this part I will disagree with.

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

And while the weather in Cottonwood and Kingman is similar, you can get out of the heat a lot quicker in Cottonwood (about 10-15 minutes to higher elevations).

You can be up into the Hualapai Mountains 10 minutes up Mt. Hualapai Road. Elevation ranges between 6500 and 8400' in those mountains, and usually runs 15 to 20 degrees cooler than down in town. So Cottonwood doesn't win there.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by kdog

A lot of what you say is true, Gretchen, even though some of that like shopping is a subjective call.

However, this part I will disagree with.



You can be up into the Hualapai Mountains 10 minutes up Mt. Hualapai Road. Elevation ranges between 6500 and 8400' in those mountains, and usually runs 15 to 20 degrees cooler than down in town. So Cottonwood doesn't win there.

Sounds "cool" I'll have to check those out next time I'm over your direction. I've seen some of your great photos - I didn't realize they were so close to Kingman.