Nothing is an uninhabited
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in eastern
Mohave County
Mohave County occupies the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona, one of 15 counties in the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is th ...
,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, United States.
[
]
History
The locals told travelers it "got named by a bunch of drunks." Nothing has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.
The settlement was established in 1977 by Richard "Buddy" Kenworthy, located northwest of Phoenix, and south of Wikieup, the "rattlesnake capital of Arizona." It is west of Bagdad at milepost 148½ on U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south U.S. Numbered Highway in the western United States, that connects U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Wickenburg, Arizona, with British Columbia Highway 93 at the Canadian border (north of ...
(the Joshua Forest Scenic Parkway) between Wickenburg
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa and Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 7,920 in 2022.
H ...
and Kingman, on the route from Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
to Phoenix.
The Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, ) is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's state highways, highway system, the agency is also involved with pu ...
(ADOT) installed one of four motorist call box
Kutless is an American Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1999. Since their formation, they have released multiple studio albums and one live album, ''Live from Portland''. They have sold over 3 million records worldwide.
...
es on U.S. 93 at Nothing.
The town sign read:
At its height, Nothing had a population of four. The settlement contained a gas station
A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Fuel dispensers are used to ...
and small convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...
.
Abandonment
Nothing was abandoned by May 2005 when Kenworthy moved on from the settlement, and by August 2008, the disused gas station was beginning to collapse. An attempted revival of Nothing occurred at some time after August 2008 when Nothing was purchased by Mike Jensen. By April 2009, Jensen had opened his pizza business, run from a portable oven, with hopes of reopening the mini-mart and creating accommodations for RVs.
In April 2011, Nothing was marked as abandoned once again. The building has fresh boards in the windows, and no sign of inhabitance or any activity.
2016 promotion
In 2016, Century 21 Real Estate
Century 21 Real Estate LLC is an American real estate agent franchise company founded in 1971. The system consists of approximately 14,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 86 countries and territories worldwide with ...
ran a "Give Dad Nothing" promotion where a free 24-hour lease to a piece of property at Nothing, Arizona could be secured for June 19, 2016 (Father's Day
Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...
) only. The promotion was done with the participation of the current property owner
References
External links
*
Roadsideamerica.com – Nothing, Arizona
(visitor stories)
from digitaljournalist.org
photos of Nothing, Arizona
Black-and-white photo portfolio
ADOT map showing location of Nothing
{{authority control
Ghost towns in Arizona
Former populated places in Mohave County, Arizona
Roadside attractions in Arizona
Populated places established in 1977
1977 establishments in Arizona