Located at the intersections of Interstate 40, and US Hwy. 93 and Historic Route 66, Kingman is situated in the scenic Hualapai Valley between the Cerbat and Hualapai mountain ranges.
Kingman is a historic city with over 60 buildings on the National Register of Historic Buildings. It is also a hub of activity for history buffs and nature enthusiasts alike and is proud of its position as the center of regional culture and trade.
Spaniards searching for gold explored the area as early as the 1500’s and were followed by the Anglo explorers in the early 1800’s. In 1857, Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his team of explorers came to survey a wagon route along the 35th parallel to the Pacific Ocean. His survey party used camels for transportation, a novelty that never caught on. Nonetheless, the Beale Road, which stretches from Ft. Defiance, New Mexico to the Colorado River, became a popular path for prospectors seeking fortunes of gold, silver, copper and turquoise.
In the early 1880’s, Lewis Kingman surveyed a railroad route between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Needles, California, which for much of its length paralleled Beale’s Road. The fledgling settlement along the track’s route was designated “Kingman” after the enterprising surveyor in 1882. Framed businesses popped up everywhere and in 1887, Kingman was declared county seat of Mohave County, spurring the construction of a courthouse and county jail.
In 1914, the National Old Trails Highway, the predecessor of Route 66, was completed. The road was officially renamed U.S. Highway 66 in 1926 and only 800 of the 2,200 miles were paved, none in Arizona. Route 66 was traveled heavily during the Great Depression in the 1930’s by immigrants looking to find a better way of life. In the 1940’s the route was used to transport massive equipment and troops during WWII. By the 1950’s, the increase in traffic on the nation’s roads and an increase in accidents prompted President Eisenhower to sign into effect the National Interstate Highway System.
One of the new interstates was to be I-40, which would parallel Route 66 in many places and cover it in others. Located approximately in the middle of the longest remaining continuous stretches of Route 66 lies Kingman, AZ which is why we boast being the “Heart of Historic Route 66”.
Take a cruise down memory lane visiting historic communities along the way. Stop in Oatman, AZ a former gold mining town where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned or drive on just past Peach Springs, AZ to the Grand Canyon Caverns and descend by elevator 21 stories into the earth for a guided tour of the caverns and 3 million old fossils.
Kingman offers golf enthusiasts two 18-hole championship golf courses, nine community parks with softball fields, soccer fields, playgrounds, tennis courts, racquetball courts, skate parks, picnic tables, grills, clean restrooms, Olympic sized swimming pool, walking track, and even one dog park.
Kingman offers a full list of summer activities to enjoy while in the area. So whether you like to go hiking, biking, camping, antiquing, driving down Memory Lane on Route 66, golfing, or attending one of our many upcoming events you will always find something to do in Kingman.
This summer take time to make new friends, experience our high desert climate with open vistas and beautiful mountain ranges. Our elevation of 3,400 ft. allows for a milder temperature throughout the summer months so it’s a great time to visit and take in some real southwestern hospitality. |
