Primm, Nevada
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Primm (formerly known as Stateline and often called Primm Valley, after one of its casinos) is a tiny community in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 where it crosses the border between California and Nevada. It sits at the edge of Ivanpah Dry Lake.
The community's economy is based on its three casinos, which attract gamblers from Southern California wanting to stop before reaching Las Vegas 40 miles to the north, or as a last chance to gamble before leaving Nevada. The community's hotels also serve as reliever hotels on the occasions when Las Vegas hosts major conventions. All of Primm's residents are workers at the properties and their families, and the employee housing is an apartment complex, the Desert Oasis.
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[edit] Attractions
Primm is also home to a large outlet mall, the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, gas stations, fast food restaurants, and apartments for the workers of Primm. While not a census designated place, the 2000 census population for the community is 436. A Clark County Comprehensive Planning Department estimate placed the population at 284 as of July 1, 2006, apparently using different boundaries for the area. In a December 5, 2007 article in the Las Vegas Review Journal, Primm's population is listed as around 1,132. It was previously known by the name of Stateline, and was renamed in the late 1990s to avoid confusion with Stateline which is located in northern Nevada. It is named after casino owner Ernest Jay Primm (Las Vegas History 1996). A convenience store on the California side of the border is the closest access for southern Nevadans wishing to play the California State Lottery, and is said to be the highest-selling location in the entire state. The only paved road access to the store is from Nevada.
A new airport for Las Vegas is planned to be built north of Primm, and the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev project has proposed building a maglev train that will pass through.
[edit] History
In the 1920s Pete MacIntyre owned a gas-station at the stateline. Pete apparently had a difficult time making ends meet selling gas so he resorted to a little bootlegging. Primm history remembers him as "Whiskey Pete". When Whiskey Pete died in 1933, legend has it that he wanted to be buried standing up with a bottle of bootleg in his hands so he could watch over the area. Whiskey Pete's unmarked grave was accidentally exhumed while workers were building a connecting bridge from Whiskey Pete's to Buffalo Bills Hotel and Casino (on the other side of I-15). The body was moved and is now said to be buried in one of the caves where Pete cooked up his moonshine.[1]
In 2004, under MGM Mirage ownership, 52 apartment buildings were constructed in Primm to serve as housing for employees at the three casinos. The name of the complex is the Desert Oasis, and its address is 355 E. Primm Boulevard. Previously, employee housing did exist, but trailers were used instead of apartments.[2][3]
Primm was the end location for the 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge, and the starting and ending location for the 2005 version of the DARPA Grand Challenge.
On October 8, 2005 the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge was run in the desert around Primm. The $2 million prize was won by a team from Stanford University.
The 1997 World's Strongest Man competition was held here.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Weird Las Vegas and Nevada". http://books.google.com/books?id=QotyuGNrklEC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=Buffalo%2BBills%2BExhumed%2BPrimm&source=web&ots=cma88738Pu&sig=DpFcRR8lBlnmyiDOwE18zUiMqpo#PPA192,M1.
- ^ Smith, Rod. "Primm casino staff gets new place to call home", Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2004-11-18.
- ^ Snyder, Susan. "Housing is in Primm location", The Las Vegas Sun, 2004-11-22.
[edit] References
Las Vegas History: Stateline Renamed to Primm after Ernest Jay Primm - 1996
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 35°36′46″N 115°23′25″W / 35.61278°N 115.39028°W
