Looking for current information about Kingman (Phoenix, Prescott: for sale, power lines, homes) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

AmarilloSky · 06-30-2009, 03:36 PM

My husband and I are looking relocate. We currently live in Michigan and plan on moving in the fall when our youngest leaves for college.

I've read many of the threads about Kingman, but *edited because I found the search function*. And, the con posts seem to be in the majority. We have spent the last 6 months looking at as many low-humidity places as we can find, and Kingman seems to fit our needs. (As close as you can tell from internet searches anyway.)

We don't mind isolation, lack of "culture" doesn't concern us, and shopping is not a major consideration for either of us. I realize it's hot (although having lived in Michigan all my life I probably can not even imagine what "hot" is in the desert xD), the real questions I have concern jobs, cost of living, and what it's really like.

We do plan on coming out there to visit before we make a concrete decision, but unfortunately -- our situation restricts us to only one trip to visit to any location before making our decision.

What I'm looking for is someone who lives there and has a few moments to discuss these and any other pertinent issues with me. Including things like why do some realty listings have electric and water being available as a plus/bonus? Don't all homes have electric and running water?

Like I said, I've lived in Michigan all my life, water has never been a problem here

kdog · 06-30-2009, 09:28 PM

Hint: Look up the address of the properties for sale that do or don't have electricity and/or water, and use a map to see where they're located with respect to the city of Kingman. All properties in the city limits do have those utilities. That should tell all.

ArizonaBear · 07-01-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdog

Hint: Look up the address of the properties for sale that do or don't have electricity and/or water, and use a map to see where they're located with respect to the city of Kingman. All properties in the city limits do have those utilities. That should tell all.

As you stated.

Needless to say: things are quite a bit different within the city limits of Kingman.

OurNextAdventure · 07-01-2009, 09:04 PM

Boy there sure are alot of folk from Michigan moving or has moved to Arizona. I know of 10 different people in Buckeye alone.

omegaprix · 07-01-2009, 10:25 PM

Hey AmarilloSky. I moved to Kingman 3 years ago from upstate NY so maybe I can help.
If you do not have kids in K-12, then the biggest problem with Kingman is not an issue. We pulled our son after a year and now homeschool him. NATIVES CALM DOWN - the reality is that AZ schools just don't compare - that's a fact easily researched and confirmed anywhere. Actually, we love homeschooling - its the best decision we ever made.
The job market is pretty tight right now. The major employers are the county, the cities and the school systems which are all dealing with huge state budget problems. If you're in healthcare, with experience, you'd most likely be snatched up by one of the hospitals or other facilities. In your in mental health profession, even better. If you don't mind a commute, there's retail and service industry opportunities in Bullhead or Havasu. A strong work ethic, experience and post-secondary education will be a big bonus.
Cost of living. Well, housing is pretty affordable right now. Gas, food, and utilities are a little higher than a more populated area where there is competition and large supplies but it's not tragic. Property taxes are NONEXISTANT - but remember, you get what you pay for.
That's a funny question about the water and electricty. A lot of folks on the outskirts of town choose to be "off the grid" because, well, the power lines just don't go too far off the main roads here. Also, you can't just plop a well down where ever you'd like - its the desert. So some people choose to "water-haul" - which means they pick up water in a specialized trailer or they have it delivered by a water company to a storage tank. Again, these are areas outside of Kingman proper. You may also come across the phrase "on paved road". Again, if you are looking outside of the city limits, these things would be important. And the only thing I have to contribute about the weather I heard from a master gardener I took a class with and it seems to hold true - Kingman has two seasons -Summer and Winter. It's either hot (not Phoenix, Havasu or Bullhead hot) or it's cold (not Michigan cold) but there is little in between. What's most important to remember is that the sun shines almost every single day of the year, rain will never ruin your plans, the air is clean, the stars are bright and the sunsets are most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

ArizonaBear · 07-02-2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omegaprix

Hey AmarilloSky. I moved to Kingman 3 years ago from upstate NY so maybe I can help.
If you do not have kids in K-12, then the biggest problem with Kingman is not an issue. We pulled our son after a year and now homeschool him. NATIVES CALM DOWN - the reality is that AZ schools just don't compare - that's a fact easily researched and confirmed anywhere. Actually, we love homeschooling - its the best decision we ever made.
The job market is pretty tight right now. The major employers are the county, the cities and the school systems which are all dealing with huge state budget problems. If you're in healthcare, with experience, you'd most likely be snatched up by one of the hospitals or other facilities. In your in mental health profession, even better. If you don't mind a commute, there's retail and service industry opportunities in Bullhead or Havasu. A strong work ethic, experience and post-secondary education will be a big bonus.
Cost of living. Well, housing is pretty affordable right now. Gas, food, and utilities are a little higher than a more populated area where there is competition and large supplies but it's not tragic. Property taxes are NONEXISTANT - but remember, you get what you pay for.
That's a funny question about the water and electricty. A lot of folks on the outskirts of town choose to be "off the grid" because, well, the power lines just don't go too far off the main roads here. Also, you can't just plop a well down where ever you'd like - its the desert. So some people choose to "water-haul" - which means they pick up water in a specialized trailer or they have it delivered by a water company to a storage tank. Again, these are areas outside of Kingman proper. You may also come across the phrase "on paved road". Again, if you are looking outside of the city limits, these things would be important. And the only thing I have to contribute about the weather I heard from a master gardener I took a class with and it seems to hold true - Kingman has two seasons -Summer and Winter. It's either hot (not Phoenix, Havasu or Bullhead hot) or it's cold (not Michigan cold) but there is little in between. What's most important to remember is that the sun shines almost every single day of the year, rain will never ruin your plans, the air is clean, the stars are bright and the sunsets are most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

And; Kingman winters, even with the wind are nothing like Wash DC winters. For that matter; K's summers are not bad if one is in the shade.

Trust me: I would know----------I have lived in both places. And, I have also lived in both BHC as well as LHC---------burn baby burn.

omegaprix · 07-02-2009, 08:31 AM

Oh, and as cliche as it is, it IS a dry heat and no matter how hot it is, it's better than than having sweat pour off you any day. The last time we visited NY in the summer, my husband was showering 3 times a day. YUCK! Oh, and there are alot less flying, biting bugs here. Wait - that's Minnesota with giant mosquitos not Michigan

kdog · 07-02-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omegaprix

Hey AmarilloSky. I moved to Kingman 3 years ago from upstate NY so maybe I can help.
If you do not have kids in K-12, then the biggest problem with Kingman is not an issue. We pulled our son after a year and now homeschool him. NATIVES CALM DOWN - the reality is that AZ schools just don't compare - that's a fact easily researched and confirmed anywhere. Actually, we love homeschooling - its the best decision we ever made.

Calm down yourself. The current high school situation is lousy, that's true. But I disagree with your contention that the whole K-12 is a problem. There are six or seven elementary schools in town, at least two of which are quite good. Assuming you pick the right school district, and you stay involved, your elementary school-aged kids can get a good education here.

There is presently only one high school in town and it's way over-crowded. That leads to numerous problems. However, that should improve greatly starting next year when the new high school which is currently under construction opens. I have heard good things about the AZ on-line school program. If our kids were high-school aged, we'd probably use it as well today. Although, hopefully that won't be necessary when the new school opens.

BTW, we moved here three years ago ourselves from Rockland County, NY. Before that, we lived in Silicon Valley for 20 years. So it's not like we're country bumpkins. We know a thing or two about education ourselves.

unit731 · 07-03-2009, 01:57 PM

If you have the time, just drive around all of Arizona. There are some real good and not so good communities. Try Wickenburg. Eager. Springerville. Prescott. The list is endless.

Don't all homes have water and electricity? As stated above, no. If you want to live off the grid, then many parts of Arizona will fit your bill.

jamclash · 07-05-2009, 08:10 AM

My wife and I are also considering relocating to Kingman. We both spent many years living in and around the desert cities of southern california, now live in north texas. the humidity here is brutal to our dry-air-acclimated bodies. We don't know much about Kingman though so I thought by reading some of these posts we'd learn a little more. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's opinion, especially the locals who seem to really like their town. We're considering opening up a barbeque restaraunt as well as a recycling business. We're both eco-conscious and love the outdoors. (I know, eco-conscious and bbq...oh well we have ideas to balance the two). Our daughter is college-bound but hasn't made her mind up where to go.
Any relocation tips, statistics, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.