Kingman, Arizona
| Kingman, Arizona | |
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| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Mohave |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | John Salem |
| Area | |
| - Total | 30 sq mi (77.7 km2) |
| - Land | 30.0 sq mi (77.6 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,333 ft (1,016 m) |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
| - Total | 27,696 |
| - Density | 669.7/sq mi (258.6/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 86401, 86402, 86409 |
| Area code(s) | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-37620 |
| Website | www.ci.kingman.az.us |
Kingman (Huwaalyapay Nyava[2] in Mojave) is the county seat of Mohave County, Arizona. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 27,271.[3] The nearby communities of Butler and Golden Valley bring the Kingman area's total population to about 48,000.
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History
Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale, a U.S. Navy officer in the service of the U.S. Army Topographical Corps, was ordered by the U.S. War Department to build a Federal wagon road across the 35th Parallel. His secondary orders were to test the feasibility of the use of camels as pack animals in the southwestern desert. Beale traveled through the present day Kingman in 1857 surveying the road and in 1859 to build the road. The road became part of Highway 66 and Interstate Highway 40.
Kingman, Arizona, was founded in 1882. Situated in the scenic Hualapai Valley between the Cerbat and Hualapai mountain ranges, it is known for its very modest beginnings as a simple railroad siding near Beale’s Springs in the Middleton Section along the newly-constructed route of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The city of Kingman was named for Lewis Kingman, who surveyed along the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad's right-of-way between Needles, Calif. and Albuquerque, N.M.. Lewis Kingman supervised the building of the railroad from Winslow, Ariz. to Beale's Springs, which is near the present location of the town of Kingman.
During World War II, Kingman was the site of a U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) airfield. The Kingman Army Airfield was founded at the beginning of WW II as an Aerial Gunnery Training Base. It became one of the USAAF's largest, training some 35,000 soldiers and airmen. This airfield and Kingman played a significant role in this important era of America's history. Following the war, the Kingman airfield served as one of the largest and best-known reclamation sites for obsolete military aircraft.
On July 5, 1973, Kingman was the site of a catastrophic BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) which killed 11 firefighters. The explosion occurred following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank. This explosion has become a classic incident studied in fire department training programs worldwide.
The Arizona State Archives in Phoenix, has 24 cubic feet of original material, including civil case material and photographs, concerning the "Kingman Explosion."
Famous residents
The actor Andy Devine was raised in Kingman, where his family had moved to from Flagstaff when he was one year old. His father opened the Beale Hotel here. One of the major streets of Kingman is named "Andy Devine Avenue" and the town holds the annual "Andy Devine Days."
Timothy McVeigh was also a resident of Kingman for a few years on up to immediately prior to the Oklahoma City bombing.
Former Boston Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli was born in Kingman.
Former professional PRCA and PBR bull rider Cody Custer was born in Kingman.
Aviation author and historian Michael B. McComb attended Kingman High School (1981-1985) in Kingman.
Actor Will Sasso has been known to stay in Kingman for extended periods, escaping Los Angeles to get some R&R for his mind, body and soul.
Arizona being a 'neutral' state for the Mafia, and with Kingman's proximity to Las Vegas, members and associates of various La Cosa Nostra organizations, including Chicago and New York, have reportedly made Kingman their home over the years, as well as other areas of Mohave County.
In popular culture
Pamela Anderson did one of her 1992 Playboy photo shoots at the corner of 4th Street and Andy Devine Avenue (U.S. Route 66), and was brought in to the Kingman Police Department for indecent exposure. She was not charged but asked to write a letter of apology.
In the HBO Series "The Sopranos", when Tony Soprano was shot in the beginning of Season 6, he fell into a coma and believed he was involved in a case of mistaken identity with Kevin Finnerty who lived in Kingman, Arizona.
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married at a local church in Kingman.
Kingman has been featured as a filming location for the movies Roadhouse 66 and Two-Lane Blacktop.
The town is mentioned in the lyrics to the song "Route 66".
Scenes from the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" were filmed at the Kingman Airport. In the scenes, it is possible to see a clear shot of the Hualapai Mountain.
Scenes from the 1992 movie Universal Soldier were filmed in the downtown area as well as a local grocery store and at the Kingman Airport[4].
In "Otis", an episode of the television series Prison Break, LJ Burrows is sent to an adult facility in Kingman, Arizona. In a subsequent episode "Buried", LJ is released from the aforementioned facility.
Geography
Kingman is located at (35.208449, -114.025730),[5] at 3,333 feet (1,016 m) in elevation.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.0 square miles (77.6 km²), all of it land.
Climate
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Kingman has an arid desert climate, however its elevation tempers this somewhat. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F (32 °C) frequently, and summertime lows usually remain between 60 °F (16 °C) and 70 °F (21 °C). Winter highs are generally mild, ranging in the mid to upper 50s, but nights are usually right around or slightly above freezing (32 °F/0 °C).
The record low temperature in Kingman was set on January 29, 1979 at 4 °F (-16 °C), and the record high temperature occurred on August, 19, 1915, July 16, 1917, and July 3, 1967, at 111 °F (44 °C). The wettest year was 1919 with 21.22 inches and the dryest year was 1947 with 3.58 inches. The most rainfall in one month was 9.85 inches in September 1939. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 6.03 inches on November 28, 1919. The snowiest year was 1949 with 18.2 inches. The most snowfall in one month was 14.0 inches in December 1932.[6]
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 20,069 people in all with 7,854 households, and 5,427 families residing in the city. The population density was 669.7 people per square mile (258.5/km²). There were 8,604 housing units at an average density of 287.1/sq mi (110.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.94% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 1.98% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 3.41% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. 9.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,854 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,086, and the median income for a family was $41,327. Males had a median income of $32,036 versus $21,134 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,181. About 8.2% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 300 |
| 1940 | 3,000 |
| 1950 | 3,300 |
| 1960 | 4,500 |
| 1970 | 7,300 |
| 1980 | 9,300 |
| 1990 | 13,200 |
| 2000 | 20,069 |
Transportation
Kingman is at the junction of Interstate 40, US Route 93 and Arizona State Route 66.
The Kingman Airport has regional airline, flight training, air ambulance and air charter service.
Kingman has passenger rail service at its train station. It is served by the Amtrak Southwest Chief route, daily passenger railroad service between Los Angeles and Chicago.
Education
Mohave Community College is located in Kingman.
Points of interest
- Hualapai Mountain Recreation Area
- Kingman is best known for Route 66 and being a gateway to the gambling destinations of Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada, as well as its proximity to the Grand Canyon, California, the Colorado River, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and many other national parks and forests.
- The Annual Fun-Run car show.
References
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Arizona". United States Census Bureau. 2008-07-10. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-04.csv. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ↑ Munro, P et al. A Mojave Dictionary Los Angeles: UCLA, 1992
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona" (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-04-04.csv.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105698/locations
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?az4639; http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?az4645
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ http://www.populstat.info/Americas/usas-azt.htm
External links
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