Kingman, Arizona

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Kingman RR station

Kingman is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 20,069 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Mohave CountyGR6. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 25,547.^[1] The nearby communities of Golden Valley and Butler bring Kingman's total population to around 40,000.

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 after Lewis Kingman who surveyed along the i love a man from frace. i am fat Albuquerque]]. Lewis Kingman supervised the building of the railroad from Winslow to Beale's Springs, which is near the present location of the city of Kingman.

Kingman is a transportation center along the I-40 corridor, as well as for U.S. Highway 93, Route 66, and the rail line of the BNSF Railway. It serves as the southeastern gateway to the resorts of Laughlin, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Kingman, operating its Southwest Chief between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.

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. There's a detailed account, including some spectacular photographs, of the explosion and its aftermath in the History of Kingman Regional Medical Center (scroll down to July 5, 1973).

Kingman is also the home of Kingman Aviation Parts, Inc., a major commercial and general aircraft parts dealer, located at Kingman Airport on Flightline Drive. Its sister company, Kingman Airline Services, Inc., also is located at the airport. KASI is a major storage facility for commercial and general aircraft. KASI conducts major and minor repairs on all stored aircraft. It also has the capability to part out aircraft and store the removed parts.

Old Kingman

Actor Andy Devine was raised in Kingman, where he moved from Flagstaff, Arizona at the age of one when his father opened the Beale Hotel there. One of the major streets of Kingman is named Andy Devine Avenue and the city holds annual Andy Devine Days. The street is part of Route 66 and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66". Kingman has been featured as a filming location for the movies Roadhouse 66 and Two-Lane Blacktop.

Boston Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli is also from Kingman.

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.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Points of interest
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Kingman is located at 35°12′30″N, 114°1′33″W (35.208449, -114.025730)^GR1, at 3,400 feet in elevation.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 77.6 km² (30.0 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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 258.5/km² (669.7/mi²). There were 8,604 housing units at an average density of 110.8/km² (287.1/mi²). 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.

[edit] Education

Kingman is served by the Kingman Unified School District and the Kingman Academy of Learning.

[edit] Points of interest

Forever Ranch and Gardens (45 miles south)
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.