Kingman area (Phoenix: gardens, best climate, metro)

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by CCS414

Truck stops, Meth, Vegas burnouts and leathery faced white trash.

Are the "Vegas burnouts" the people who got priced out of Las Vegas and were forced to move to Kingman? Or, are you referring to people that had a gambling addiction while they lived in Las Vegas and lost everything, so were forced to move to Kingman?

I've passed through Kingman quite a few times throughout my life and I've always gotten mixed opinions about it.

The setting is pretty (if you like the desert and mountains in the background), which I do.

When I've stopped there, I made a point to talk extensively with some of the locals in the service industry (restaurants, hotels, bars, etc) and I get a a variety of thoughts. Lots of them say they moved there because it was cheap, but not because they wanted to (mostly the restaurant workers). One woman I spoke to said her and her brother moved there from Redding, CA because it was cheaper and they shared rent on a place. Odd thing is, Redding isn't known to be particularly expensive by California standards. Something seemed amiss?

She seemed like a decent, hardworking lady who could make it in the restaurant industry anywhere. I could very well be wrong about this (and probably am), but Kingman had an almost "sad/somber" vibe to it....like a place to go for last-chancers. The "Vegas burnout" descriptor sort of brought that feeling home, too.

Last time I was in Kingman, over a month ago on June 24, 2021, on the way to Sedona for a 4-day trip. The restaurant where my wife and I ate was very interesting. The clientele seemed to be mostly local types (workboots and jeans, no makeup, nobody was dressed up for dinner, etc). We stood out so much that the waitress told us we looked like tourists and we had "nice skin" (not lying!).

I know many people retire there, and for them the vibe is probably much different. For some reason, Kingman has always felt "interesting" to me. I normally don't analyze a place to this extent.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by apple92680

Kingman had an almost "sad/somber" vibe to it.

To me Kingman has the same sort of vibe as all the other I-40 towns sans Flagstaff and Albuquerque that you find in both New Mexico and Arizona from... from Needles to Tucumcari. Just kind of a very evident rough underbelly to all those towns. Fortunately Kingman is big enough that it has a nice part. Can't really say that about a lot of the other I-40 towns.

That being said, Wickenburg, although smaller and hotter is a true gem of a place. And you have decent access to Phoenix for needs.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by CCS414

Truck stops, Meth, Vegas burnouts and leathery faced white trash.

Not sure why that's such a prevalent culture in a lot of small towns in AZ. Aside from that, I ate in Mr D'z Route 66 diner years ago, it was great.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

To me Kingman has the same sort of vibe as all the other I-40 towns sans Flagstaff and Albuquerque that you find in both New Mexico and Arizona from... from Needles to Tucumcari. Just kind of a very evident rough underbelly to all those towns. Fortunately Kingman is big enough that it has a nice part. Can't really say that about a lot of the other I-40 towns.

That being said, Wickenburg, although smaller and hotter is a true gem of a place. And you have decent access to Phoenix for needs.

That's very true! Pretty succinct observation, I'd say.

...Seems like once you get to Barstow, it sets the tone for the rest of I-40 in the Southwest: tweakers, truck stops, loneliness. Needles literally looked like it was on its last leg -- worse-looking than Barstow if you can believe it?

Kingman is an improvement from Needles, but is that saying much? I noticed that Kingman and Mohave County have a reputation for extreme right-wing politics and that Kingman is known as a sort of refuge for a lot of disgruntled conservative ex-Californians who remain angry at California and liberalism, even after they've long since left.

Once you get up the grade and get to Williams, it feels "healthier" and more vibrant. The workers seem more upbeat and happier and you don't have the angry, "Vegas burnout" vibe you get in Kingman, which the other poster mentioned.

Flagstaff is very vibrant and has a thriving university, a world-renowned space research facility and lots of government workers. Plus, you've got Sedona and the Grand Canyon nearby, both of which keep Flagstaff vibrant and thriving as a tourism hub of sorts. Flagstaff and Sedona are the only "blue" spots in Northern Arizona that aren't on reservations land. I have a high school friend who works at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and he says that they get periodic warnings from the FBI on militia activity in Kingman.

East of Flagstaff (Winslow, Holbrook, St. Josephs, Gallup, Grants) you're passing through the fringes of Indian Reservations and you feel it. Albuquerque has enough culture and, Santa Fe being close by, to dilute the city's seamy side.

East of Albuquerque, it's one poor Hispano town after another (Moriarity, Cline's Corner, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari) until you reach the Texas panhandle. Tucumcari reminds me of a New Mexican version of Needles. You can see the bones of a town that once enjoyed a mid-century heyday when happy American families were buying automobiles and camping or hoteling their way across the US -- the bygone "Stucky's Era" we hear Boomers and X'rs reminisce on.

[CCS414]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Not sure why that's such a prevalent culture in a lot of small towns in AZ. Aside from that, I ate in Mr D'z Route 66 diner years ago, it was great.

Yeah, Parker is that way too, only much worse. It's a real hole. At least Kingman has that pretty mountain range as a backdrop.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by CCS414

Yeah, Parker is that way too, only much worse. It's a real hole. At least Kingman has that pretty mountain range as a backdrop.

Same with Bullhead City. Crossed over from Laughlin a couple times on my last visit and...wow!

The only reason Lake Havasu City is in relatively good shape is because of the infusion of retiree cash it gets from California. Basically, CalPERS and the LA Fire & Police Pension Fund are the lifeblood of that town. Without those, it would look like Bullhead City or Parker.

[retiredtxn]

Originally Posted by CCS414

Yeah, Parker is that way too, only much worse. It's a real hole. At least Kingman has that pretty mountain range as a backdrop.

Mountains or no, still not a great place to live. The hospital ICU here is full again with delta variant people and in a week, Mohave County has recorded over 500 new cases. People refuse to get the vaccine and won't wear masks. Only 38% vaccinated here. Our slime-ball governor tells schools that kids and teachers don't need to wear a mask. We'll soon be a hot spot...again

[mattywo85]

Kingman is a hole, that’s putting it nicely. It does have some nice subdivisions but it’s over run with crime. Weather wise Kingman is probably best in county compared to Bullhead and Havasu. Kingman is a mixed bag of good and bad. If you want to be in Mohave County I’d only consider Havasu but that’s me. And yes avoid Butler and Birdland at all costs.

[mrshowtime3]

Kingman is a dump. Not sure why people who live in a state feel the need to be overly protective of towns in the state. AZ is great. Draw a line from Prescott to Phoenix. Anything west of that is a dump except Havasu.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by mrshowtime3

Kingman is a dump. Not sure why people who live in a state feel the need to be overly protective of towns in the state. AZ is great. Draw a line from Prescott to Phoenix. Anything west of that is a dump except Havasu.

NIMBYs are strong in small towns because they want to preserve their culture and don't like outside influence or differ opinions to make a place better (i.e. close minded). Balkanization has been increasing lately in the US.