Golden Valley

Golden Valley is a community about 5 miles west of Kingman that straddles Arizona State Highway 68 for several miles as it crosses the Sacramento Valley. The valley is formed by the drainage of the Scaramento wash as it meanders south between the Cerbat Mountains on the east and the Black Mountains on the west, eventually to empty into the Colorado River just north of Needles, CA.

Golden Valley, the community, doesn't have a community center. There's no City Hall or Town Square. There is a Post Office (in a convenience store) and a fast food place (A Sonic Drive In) that opened in 1998. We've heard stories about a major grocery store being planned, but it hasn't happened yet. We have a school (part of the Kingman School system), a fire department and a Sherrif's sub-station. There are several convenience stores here, including three that sell gasoline, a couple of restaurants, three RV Parks, some churches, several Real Estate offices and other businesses sprawled on both sides of the highway. There is no business section - just a scattering of businesses as you drive down the highway.

Away from Highway 68, there are few paved roads in Golden Valley and many miles of un-paved ones. Frequently the dust raised by early morning traffic looks like a fog hanging over the valley from a distance.

Golden Valley is a little lower in elevation than Kingman, and a little farther from the mountains so we tend to be a little warmer and receive a little less precipitation, or at least a little less freezing precipitation. There is no free water in the valley so we don't have much in the way of larger wildlife. Probably the largest animals are the coyotes - there is plenty of smaller game to support them: quail, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, ground squirrels, chipmunks, kangaroo rats, etc. Due to the lack of water, I don't think there are any javalinas here and any deer in this valley would definitely be a long way from home.