You Can Truly Get Away From It All At A Strange Arizona Ghost Town Famed For Its Unusual Name
There's something immensely captivating about ghost towns. These abandoned places draw dark tourism enthusiasts, history buffs, and photographers seeking atmospheric settings and unique stories. Exploring a once-thriving town now lost to time carries a certain allure. From Nevada's Rhyolite, one of the best preserved and most photographed ghost towns, to Alaska's Kennecott, which is also a National Historic Landmark, these destinations make unforgettable pit stops on a U.S. road trip. Arizona is home to over 250 ghost towns, boasting one of the largest concentrations in the country. However, there is one that is particularly quirky with a peculiar name: Nothing.
Nestled on 6 acres in Mohave County, Nothing lives up to its name, as there is, quite literally, not much to do or see here at all. Entirely uninhabited, the town sits between Las Vegas and Phoenix along U.S. Route 93 and has been abandoned not just once but twice since its founding in 1977. Surrounded by the harsh, arid desert, the town's few remaining structures have fallen into disrepair but still offer an intriguing, unconventional roadside attraction.
There's nothing to see in Nothing
Nothing was established in 1977 by miner Richard "Buddy" Kenworthy, who sought to mine the area for precious metals and minerals — a hallmark of Arizona's rich geology. The town's unusual name reportedly came from a suggestion by a friend of Kenworthy who humorously said, "there ain't nothing out there," per The Seattle Times. The joke stuck, as did the town's name.
From its inception through the late 1980s, Nothing grew to a population of nine. It featured a general store, a gas station, homes, and a bar. Sadly, the bar burned down in 1988, marking the start of the town's decline. Most of its residents left after the fire, and while there were efforts to rebuild, they didn't succeed in encouraging people to stay. By 2005, even Kenworth had moved on.
The town's remote location and unforgiving desert climate made it difficult to attract settlers or sustain a community long-term. With few amenities and little to do, Nothing struggled to grow. What remains now is a fascinating piece of Arizona's mining history in the form of boarded-up and fenced-off buildings surrounded by barbed wire.
Trying to make something out of Nothing
Today, Nothing is a desolate shadow of its former self, littered with debris and marked by sun-bleached, graffiti-covered structures. The remnants include a dilapidated town sign, a boarded-up convenience store, and a disused gas station. The only operational feature is a restroom — arguably the town's biggest draw for passing travelers. While there may be little to do, Nothing's name and quirky charm make it an unusual photo opportunity.
What makes this ghost town so endearing is perhaps its honesty: it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, at one point, a sign outside its convenience store proudly proclaimed, "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."
Back in 2009, entrepreneur Mike Jensen bought the town from Kenworthy. He attempted to put Nothing back on the map by opening a portable pizza restaurant designed to attract hungry road-trippers. Unfortunately, his efforts came to, well, nothing. By 2011, the town was once again abandoned. A final attempt was made in 2016, when real estate company Century 21 launched a Father's Day campaign that offered customers the change to lease part of the town for a day. Despite this publicity stunt, Nothing remains today as its name suggests — a peculiar, abandoned piece of Arizona history. For another striking ghost scene in the Southwest, head to the Colorado town of Ashcroft, a historic mining town with gorgeous mountain views.