Acceptance of diversity in Golden Valley, AZ? (Bullhead City, Kingman: low income, to rent)

[Culturalnorms]

Hi, My family and I have been thinking about moving to Golden Valley to get into a more rural lifestyle and be a little more self sustaining. My dad lives in Golden Valley also and has friends and a social network there. My main concern is that I have a multi-racial family and census data shows there are about 96% white people in GV and less than a percent black. My husband is black, I am white, our kids are mixed. We have visited Golden Valley and Kingman many times and we have gotten some long stares and even comments on our kids mixed race such as "oh my cousin has some kids LIKE THAT"...nothing has been overly rude or derogatory but our family does seem to be noticed as being different. Is this something serious? Are resident going to treat us badly because we are multi-racial...will our kids have a problem at school with name calling/bullying? I know some of the high school kids have jokingly called each other "white ******s" like it was funny...is the "N-word" common in this area still? We are both in the field of education..will my husband have a job getting a teaching position because he is black? Will the students/parents have a problem with it?

We have lived in San Diego our whole lives and muti-racial families are NORMAL here, not noticed at all and are very common. We have never faced open racism here. Color is simply not a thing we notice on a daily basis or deal with in our lives and we do not want it to become an issue if we re-locate... so we need some advice from people who have lived, visited or currently live in Golden Valley or Kingman.

Thank you so much!

[gemstone1]

I cannot address the real racial aspect of the Golden (Brown) Valley, but IMO, moving from SD, you would be going backwards. However, I am confused by "be a little more self sustaining". If by this you mean growing/raising some of your own food, I question why you would pick such a harsh, unforgiving, dry, barren environment ?
I can understand wanting to get closer to family, I can understand wanting to have room to move so to speak, but I can't fathom trying to grow things in that area.

Regards
Gemstone1

[kdog]

In a small desert town like this you will find the entire spectrum of humanity from professionals (doctors, lawyers), to rednecks, rich to poor. Being a small town like this you will be exposed to all of them every day. You will see them all in Walmart or Sam's club (depending on whether you go 10 miles east or west to shop). I think the ratio of uneducated people will be worse than what you're used to in San Diego. We put our kids through elementary school which wasn't bad. But we got them the heck out of dodge before middle-school. Too many drugs and teenage pregnancies in the desert.

I also echo what Gemstone had to say about self-sustaining. Things do grow great in the desert, but it takes lots of water to do it. Golden Valley is pretty hot (not as bad as Bullhead though.)

Property is cheap, but salaries are low. These small Arizona towns have very small school budgets. We used to talk to our kid's teachers to see what supplies they needed and drop off big care packages so their classrooms would have what they needed. I'd definitely look at the job market before you move there.

Not sure what your life priorities are like, but for us it's all about the kids. Accordingly, I would strongly recommend sticking it out in San Diego, then moving to the desert after the kids go to college.

[jamies]

kdog speaks well.

Golden Valley is not a place I'd choose to take children. But then a bad part of San Diego would fall into that too.

I can't speak to racism. Everyone in Mohave county is from somewhere else, mostly California or apparently, Minnesota. Most are quiet tolerant or at least keep any personal opinions private. Kids can be mean anywhere.

[azdr0710]

listen to kdog!!.....always practical and savvy advice!

[N804SY]

Golden Valley has many problems not even getting to race. It's high drug and depressed and not much going on. You would be better served in Kingman or BHC. Better chance at a decent job and less drugs.


I have lived in the area and never seen overt racism. If someone had an issue with your husband and or your mixed marriage they never say anything they just do their own thing. I have also noticed an increase in black population. Personally I don't think you will have any issue at all with acceptance with your family. Just avoid GV.

[Culturalnorms]

Originally Posted by kdog

In a small desert town like this you will find the entire spectrum of humanity from professionals (doctors, lawyers), to rednecks, rich to poor. Being a small town like this you will be exposed to all of them every day. You will see them all in Walmart or Sam's club (depending on whether you go 10 miles east or west to shop). I think the ratio of uneducated people will be worse than what you're used to in San Diego. We put our kids through elementary school which wasn't bad. But we got them the heck out of dodge before middle-school. Too many drugs and teenage pregnancies in the desert.

I also echo what Gemstone had to say about self-sustaining. Things do grow great in the desert, but it takes lots of water to do it. Golden Valley is pretty hot (not as bad as Bullhead though.)

Property is cheap, but salaries are low. These small Arizona towns have very small school budgets. We used to talk to our kid's teachers to see what supplies they needed and drop off big care packages so their classrooms would have what they needed. I'd definitely look at the job market before you move there.

Not sure what your life priorities are like, but for us it's all about the kids. Accordingly, I would strongly recommend sticking it out in San Diego, then moving to the desert after the kids go to college.

Thank you for the reply! Did you live IN Golden Valley? Or another small Arizona town?

A major reason we'd like to move is a to better our children's lives and to give them a more wholesome upbringing aligned with our faith and values. I plan to homeschool them and continue their extracurricular activities that they're in now. Boyscouts, sports, etc. We're choosing Mohave county because I'd like a rural area, I'm most interested in off grid living with solar panels, a well, and 5+acres of land. Golden valley isn't ideal but it's what we can afford and it's close to family.

My Dad is starting a Christian ministry in Kingman and I'd like to get involved with his church and also start looking into a family business for income. Right now I work in the public school special education department. I would rather run a family owned business and I know Kingman is growing and there is a lot of opportunity to be successful in business.

In San Diego we are considered low income and are living in a rent controlled mobile home Park with very strict rules and regulations, code enforcement is hassling a lot of the homeowners in our park. Homes are selling for over $100,000 and it's an opportunity that's hard to pass up. We can't afford to rent in san diego county ($2100 for small 3 bed, 1 bath home in our area) but if we sell but we can afford to buy a place in GV or Kingman.

[Culturalnorms]

Originally Posted by N804SY

Golden Valley has many problems not even getting to race. It's high drug and depressed and not much going on. You would be better served in Kingman or BHC. Better chance at a decent job and less drugs.


I have lived in the area and never seen overt racism. If someone had an issue with your husband and or your mixed marriage they never say anything they just do their own thing. I have also noticed an increase in black population. Personally I don't think you will have any issue at all with acceptance with your family. Just avoid GV.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I did notice the drug problem, i noticed it in both GV and Kingman. I notice it in Oceanside where I live now too, it's everywhere I suppose.I'm glad you never saw overt racism that's good to know.

I'm looking to buy a place in a more rural area where there are not so many close neighbors. I don't plan on associating with neighbors, we'd rather mind our own business and hopefully they'll all mind theirs.

So my husband would be able to commute fur work, even as far as Vegas if necessary. He's a teacher also has lots of administrative experience . People near me now commute 2 hours to LA everyday, it's crazy but possible. More than likely though we will start a small business within the first few years after the move.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by Culturalnorms

Thank you for the reply! Did you live IN Golden Valley? Or another small Arizona town?

Oh sorry, forgot to mention. We lived in Kingman for five years. Since you've explained more about your situation, likes and desires, I'm thinking Mohave County might be right up your alley after all. Fort Mohave which is a little south of Bullhead City might be another area worth investigating.

Maybe you had some bad experiences in San Diego, but we made some great friends in Kingman who we've stayed in touch after we left. Of course, neighbors tend to be the luck of the draw.

We've had several friends who home schooled their kids using Arizona Virtual Academy : Arizona Virtual Academy | Welcome to AZVA! | Arizona Virtual Academy

I'm not sure if you'll find much in the way of extra-curricular activities for the kids in GV. Sports would tend to be associated with the schools I'd imagine, so I'm not sure how that would work if you're home schooling. For other stuff, Kingman would be your best bet. We had our kids in gymnastics, music lessons and karate.

Good luck and keep in touch!

[DesertLass101]

The only person that seems concerned with your race issue is you. I've never seen anyone here in Golden Valley mistreat anyone unless they get mistreated first. You mention the possibility of your kids being bullied at school, then you mention that you plan to home school. Doesn't seem to make any sense. You mention extra curricular activities like sports, but if they're not in school, no sports program. Nothing grows in Golden Valley except weeds, and they get burned up by the sun by mid summer, so "sustained living" is just about impossible here in the desert. Your well will cost you upwards of $20,000, and there's no guarantee you'll even hit water. If you happen to live on a city water lot, you need to appeal to the city in order to install a well. The wind here is relentless and violent at times, so the dust blows almost constantly. Just being honest. This town is mostly made up of elderly, retired people and those on low incomes or fixed disability incomes. Again, just being honest. There is almost nothing for kids to do here, unless you go to Kingman, and even there, it's thin. Kingman is a cultural wasteland consisting of a bowling ally and an old movie theater and the occasional hot rod show. If you live on a dirt road, which most do, your vehicles will be damaged on a regular basis because most roads here are not properly graded on a regular basis. There is no utopia in this country to shield your kids from drugs, that's up to you. Drugs are everywhere in these United States with no town or city escaping its ravages. I hope this helps.