Reviews & Comments
Bullhead City, AZ
Bull $#@! city -
6/1/2014Welcome to Bull$!@# city. We recently moved here about 7 months ago from L.A. California. (My girlfriends mom bought a mobile home out here after she sold the house in California to be closer to her cousin). My girlfriend lives with her mom and our 2yr old son. I come and go between CA and bullhead city for months at a time to be with my son. Still in the process of finding a more permanent residence out here. But I'm not feeling it. Their is next to nothing out here. No form of entertainment other then shopping or casinos, or parks. You have a Kmart, Wal-Mart, various fast food chains, target, Ross, bath and body, one dollar tree, plenty of gas stations, water sport rentals, repair shops, motels, stuff like that but no actual malls. And the main stores I.e walmart, Kmart, target and ross (same complex), big lots are all spread pretty decently apart from each other. Laughlin Outlet center is an absolute joke. Most stores are gone and what's left is nothing of interest or highly priced stores where items can be found much cheaper elsewhere. Not to mention the 'food court' consist of only two food places, an arcade with games from the '80's and outdated posters from early 2000. Don't forget the car rides that don't even work. Some thrift stores such as goodwill and whatnot. But most aren't even worth your time. Most have nothing of value but try to overprice most items. Possibly due to not having much bussiness to begin with. Their is only ONE public laundry mat. Also expensive compared to California (has highest cost of living in all of united states), washers are super tiny $2.00, triple loaders $3.25 are no bigger then your average washer size at home, dry is $0.75 for 9 mins. Or a much smaller dryer that you can barely fit one load in that runs 40 mins but cost $1.25 and forget about adding more time by adding a quarter or two. I found out the hard way. It does not add time but instead requiring the entire $1.25 to be added yet again. All other laundry mats have been either shut down or no longer exist.
It is ILLEGAL to sleep in your vehicle or RV (except paid camp sites), anywhere in Mojave county (was informed by police officer (the hard way), that it's the only county in a 40 mile radius that has such a law. You can be arrested and have your car impounded if caught sleeping in it, ANYWHERE (even if out of the way miles from any bussiness or building, in the desert.) You will be arrested! I recieved a warning. After seven months of off and on parking overnight at the local 24hr walmart. (Never had a problem or was told to leave at all) Have seen signs saying no overnight RV parking. But during 'snow bird' season. That's all you see. Never seen anyone arrested. So I thought it was ok. Not only was I not bothering anyone. I was confronted by the rudest officer (first officer I had contact with) who in the end threatens to arrest me for no reason. When I was actually going into the store and wasn't gonna sleep overnight on the lot but elsewhere. It was only 12 am. Apparently parking away from everyone else (how's that illegal? It's a huge parking lot, I have every right to park where ever I please on a parking lot I'm gonna go into the bussiness on. Plus nothing wrong with exercise)
And putting up my sunscreen even though it's dark made me look 'suspicious' I'm sorry officer for protecting my privacy (my front windows are not tinted nor were blocked), and keeping peering eyes from seeing what's inside my vehicle. It's a long story. But he basically said he did not want to see my face again, its the first time we ever crossed paths (I couldn't even see his thanks to the blinding light in my face, and never got his name even when I requested it) in his county again or I'll be arrested. I did nothing wrong, I did not break any law. And he did not catch me sleeping in my vehicle because I wasn't. They have lot's of druggies and criminals out here. Yet I'm the one they harass. Also you can sleep in your vehicle on your own property and still be arrested. How stupid is that? Also a month ago their was a couple screaming at each other for over two hours. Literally yelling at each other on that same walmart parking lot. For over 2 hrs around 1 am to 3 am prior to leaving. No cops ever showed up. I didn't call because I didn't want to bring attention to myself. But yet me not doing anything or disturbing the peace, am the one harassed by an officer? The night before a truck pulled up about 4-5 parking spaces away from me. Then proceeded to have what looked like a little romp inside. They didn't leave till 5 am. No officers ever came. I parked around the same spot I normally do. Was only there not even 10 mins after 12am. Before being approached then threatened.
I was mostly worried about a random citizen with ill intent approaching me. Never thought it would be a man of the law that would threaten to arrest me for some retarded law I wasn't even aware of. Nor can you find it if you google it. But according to the watch commander I called and spoke with. Its in fact a real law. It's private property I understand. But even if you have an ok from the store manager themselves. You can still be arrested.
It is ILLEGAL to be homeless in Mojave county period. If your homeless and move here (I'm not, just homless here not in California), you are going to have a bad time. Forget the heat. The cop's are what you have to worry about. Doesn't matter if your a law abiding homeless person. You're breaking the law just by simply lacking a place to live. If you're homeless with a car they will take your 'home' from you. And trust me you won't get it back. Along with giving you a jail cell. Protect and serve my A$$. They spend more time harassing the homeless then they do arresting druggies or thieves. Which their are plenty of. Instead they have to make my visit with my son even more difficult then it already is.
You can carry a concealed weapon. I.e. guns, bowie knife, machete, large knives etc. But if you're homeless......
You can deal drugs, do drugs, publicly drink alcohol, steal, and assault someone, rant for two hours screaming at the top of your lungs at 1 am-3am in a walmart parking lot. But if you sleep in your vehicle and/or are homeless...
There are several incidences I came to find where officers have shot and killed unarmed homeless people. Cop's don't get in trouble really. Is this a city you'd want to visit? Put money into their casinos? That is ok with something like this?
Cost of living is next to nothing. Minimum wage is next to nothing $7.50 an hr. Most places do not provide benefit's. Nor full time, instead hiring more people part time to avoid giving benefits. Health care is next to nill. Our 2yr old son had an emergency (couldn't breath) which required an ambulance. And his California medi-cal would not cover the expenses or wasn't accepted to begin with. Leaving us with a $4,154 ambulance bill (only took him 4 miles away) and $2000 in doctor fees. Even though we proved our inability to pay. They still come after us.
A neighbor who works for the local casino in laughlin NV. Said he worked there for 13 yrs. And this is how it works. If you take $7.50 an hour you'll get benifits after 2 yrs of working. If you take $8.50 an hour you get no benifits. It's worthless moving here. Utilities cost double (hence why the laundry mat is so expensive) so pair that with low hourly wage. It's not that much different then living anywhere else.
Their is next to nothing out here. Very boring long term. Cops would rather harass and threaten innocent people then do their job.
It's ok to visit i guess. But if your bringing an RV it's best to go to a motel, paid camping site, or stay in laughlin. Because if your caught staying in it overnight in any 24hr parking lot. You're risking arrest and having the rv and any other vehicles impounded.
All this desert and land, yet very little around to do. Most places don't even come up on the map if you do a general search. Type 'Fun' for example. Most things related that come up are the casino's. Last I checked it's no fun when you're losing money. All laughlin has is the casino's and the sorry excuse for a mall outlet center. Not much else. Looking for a more residential like area. You either have to drive all the way to las Vegas 75 miles away, lake Havasu 60 miles away, or Kingman (not much different than here) 40 miles away.
Unless you don't mind heat or lack of entertainment. Their is no reason to even visit, let alone live here. Like another poster stated. Unless you have money to spend at the casino's, or have boats or off road stuff, their isnt much else to do. And most jobs are dead end jobs with next to nothing as payment for your work. I have a couple broken teeth and from what I can tell by seeing others. Dental care is next to nothing also. With no benifits and little left after taxes, getting your own healthcare would harm you more financially then help.
Honestly if it wasn't for my son and gf. I would leave never to return. This place is a joke. Founded in the 80's yet still has nothing to show for it. And their animosity towards homeless people (who have enough problems as it is) more so then drug dealers, addicts, or thieves. Makes it even less desirable. Granted rent is considerably cheaper then elsewhere. Same goes for gas. The utilities make up for it. Basically making it not all that much less then living in L.A.
Mobile homes also have very little durability and will not increase in value as time goes by. You'll pay more fixing or repairing them over time then they are worth. They aren't very well insulated either. Many of her mom's doors are poorly fitted. And at one time this home had been broken into quite a bit. The garage side door has been boarded shut. House side door has like four locks on it (deadbolt (doesn't latch frame is warped), knob (also doesnt latch), three straight bolts (one will not latch), and one on a chain. Can still see straight through the edges to outside. Some windows have been broken into. And a camera had been installed at one time. She had to replace the entire faucet and shower head unit in the main bathroom along with a full re-tile. Their are many leaks where their shouldn't be in door and Window frames. So it's really hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Wiring is poor too. She paid $80,000 for a three bedroom two bath. 2 car garage. Came fully furnished with an interior design you'd find in a motel from the '70's. Complete with three flower couches. Not worth it, even if fully furnished. a front and back yard devoid of grass. Nothing but gravel.
Can't tell if my GF's mom is losing it because of the heat or what. But since she's moved here, she's now highly addicted to Rocks (not the drug slang) actual rocks. She's now a bonified rock collector. Guess it's kind of due to being not much else to do around here.
Our next door neighbors prior to moving out were druggies. No cop interference. And the new ones that moved in (also from L.A.) only come every now and then and are not permanent residents. Mostly during weekends. They are generally nice. But tend to blast their music or t.v. or be loud in general really late into the night and early morning. Once again no cops showing up. But if I sleep in my truck out front of the house.....you get the idea.