Nothing, Arizona

Nothing is an uninhabited ghost town in eastern Mohave County, Arizona, United States.[1]

Nothing, Arizona
Ghost town
Nothing, 2011
Nothing, 2011
Nothing is located in Arizona
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing is located in the United States
Nothing
Nothing
Coordinates: 34°28′47″N 113°20′7″W
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyMohave
Settled1977
Elevation
[1]
3,268 ft (996 m)
GNIS feature ID2675317[1]

History

The locals told travelers it "got named by a bunch of drunks."[2] Nothing has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3]

The settlement was established in 1977 by Richard "Buddy" Kenworthy,[4] located 118 miles (190 km) northwest of Phoenix,[5] and 23 miles (37 km) south of Wikieup, the "rattlesnake capital of Arizona."[6] It is west of Bagdad at milepost 148½ on U.S. Route 93 (the Joshua Forest Scenic Parkway) between Wickenburg and Kingman, on the route from Las Vegas to Phoenix.[7]

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) installed one of four motorist call boxes on U.S. 93 at Nothing.[8]

The town sign read:[9][10]

Town of Nothing Arizona. Founded 1977. Elevation 3269ft.
The staunch citizens of Nothing are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic. Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.

At its height, Nothing had a population of four. The settlement contained a gas station and small convenience store.[11]

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.[12] An attempted revival of Nothing occurred at some time after August 2008 when Nothing was purchased by Mike Jensen.[13] 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. More recently the building has been repurposed and used as an unofficial bathroom for travelers.[14]

2016 promotion

In 2016, Century 21 real estate 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) only.[15] The promotion was done with the participation of the current property owner[16] and included a downloadable "Certificate of Nothing" and gift card.

References
  1. "Nothing (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. Peterson, Dale (2001). Storyville, USA. Athens: University of Georgia Press. p. 238. ISBN 0-8203-2303-9.
  3. Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. xi. ISBN 9781440507397.
  4. "Arizona Town Has Just About Nothing Going On | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  5. Nothing, Arizona Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine by Andrew Eames, from travelintelligence.net
  6. "A trip to Bagdad Arizona". www.desertusa.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  7. "Forgotten Wagners". deuceofclubs.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  8. Motorist Assist Patrol U.S. 93 Corridor Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  9. A town called Nothing by Dmitry Knyazev, From issue 2550 of New Scientist magazine, 06 May 2006, page 88
  10. 10 Advantages of Doing Ministry Without a Ministry Strategy by Tony Morgan, May 31, 2005
  11. Will Shiers (November 6, 2010). Roadside Relics: America's Abandoned Automobiles. MBI Publishing Company. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-61060-114-6.
  12. "Nothing, AZa". www.roadsideamerica.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  13. Ruelas, Richard (April 29, 2009). "Pizza chef has high hopes for his roadside attraction". The Arizona Republic. Gannett. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  14. "The Inevitable Return Of Nothing". Trunkations. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  15. Cave, James (June 13, 2016). "You Can Literally Give Dad 'Nothing' For Father's Day". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  16. Peters, Terry (June 8, 2016). "Real estate company offers the chance to give Dad 'Nothing' this Father's Day". Today. NBC News. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
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