Mohave Valley vs Kingman (Bullhead City: for sale, rentals, houses)

[ksales31]

So my husband has a job opportunity at a mine near Oatman, AZ. We have been looking at rentals in both Kingman and Mohave Valley. I am more partial to Kingman it seems like there is more there and a better opportunity for me to find a job. My Husband however is partial to Mohave Valley cause it is about 10 miles closer to the mine and he doesnt have to drive the windy road and its closer to the river. So any pros and cons for both cities would be greatly appreciated. Crime? Utilities? Recreation? Houses? Thanks!

[rambrush]

If I am not mistaken the only working mine is in the switchbacks and on the Kingman side of Oatman.
There was a place for sale in Eds Camp at one time. Yes coming in from Mohave Valley is all paved but you could find a place around the Bullhead Parkway and Silvercreek own a vehicle which can handle a dirt road and have a pretty straight shot towards the mine I am thinking of.

[kdog]

What about Bullhead? If you take the paved route, it's the same distance as Kingman -- 45 minutes. But, you don't have to traverse the windy mountain which is not a casual drive. There's also Silver Creek Rd, which is a much more direct dirt route between Oatman and Bullhead, but I haven't been on the whole length of it. So I can't say whether it would be faster since you're probably forced to take the dirt slower. But Bullhead would afford you more job, recreation, shopping and eating opportunities than Mohave Valley, or Fort Mohave. Kingman's a great little town otherwise. It's usually 10 degrees cooler than Bullhead which is very welcome in the summer. For example, weather.com shows the high for Kingman tomorrow as 103F, while Bullhead will hit 114F. Kinda of a big difference.

Edit: Sounds like Rambrush had the same idea about Bullhead.

[ksales31]

We went down there earlier this week. My husband has some family down there and most of the houses we looked at were in Bullhead City. But from what we were told there are a lot of undesireable areas in bullhead city ad it seemed like all the rentals in our price range we looked at were right in those "bad" areas. As far as utility bills go is there a big difference between the kingman side of the mountains and the mohave valley side?

[kdog]

Dunno about utilities, but can't imagine they'd be any different. They're basically neighboring towns. Sounds like you have some difficult choices.

[azdr0710]

where do the other employees at the mine live??....do they have any comment?

[George from Kingman Az]

The big difference between Mohave Valley and Kingman is the temperature. Bullhead winters are great - like summer. But the summers are wicked. Kingman is a nice community with a few good restaurants like Lombardo's. It has the beginnings of a nice renovated downtown. The Hualapai Mountain Park (2200-acre county park) is a wonderful get away and has a restaurant where you can watch the elk feeding while you dine. Jobs are hard to come by - much can be contributed to the recession. Mohave Valley has really grown in the past decade. It has a nice outdoor shopping mall (although about half full). Again, not a lot of jobs in Mohave Valley either. The river (if you like water sports) and Laughlin - for casino shows and gambling are draws for the Mohave Valley. And although the casinos have had tons of layoffs they always need new applicants. Both the Kingman area and Mohave Valley area are humming along with medical facilities - if you're a nurse or have skills in the medical field, you should be able to find something quickly. Which ever community you choose, good luck and welcome to the area.