The tiny town of Nothing is located in Mohave County, Arizona, along U.S. Route 93 between Phoenix and Las Vegas. It was founded in 1977 by a prospector named Richard “Buddy” Kenworthy. The name “Nothing” was chosen with a humorous twist, in response to a friend who said, “There’s nothing there.” The town was originally intended to be a small mining outpost with a gas station and a modest convenience store.
At its peak, the town had no more than four residents, who also ran the gas station and the store, whimsically named “All-Mart.” These four people represented the entirety of the town’s social and economic life. But after a fire broke out in one of the buildings in 1988, the town began to decline, and by 2005, it had been completely abandoned.
Ghosts Under the Burning Sun
Today, visitors find the ruins of a deserted town dilapidated fences and weathered wooden structures standing under the relentless desert sun. The only functional remnant is a restroom that still operates, serving as a stop for drifters and a quick break for road travelers. There are no permanent residents, but occasional visitors especially photography enthusiasts and lovers of the bizarre still echo the town's ironic slogan:
“Town of Nothing, Arizona… Hope, Faith, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.”
The spirit of challenge never left the town. In 2009, an entrepreneur named Mike Jensen bought it and opened a mobile pizza stand. However, the venture failed, and the town slipped back into silence. In 2016, the real estate company Century 21 ran a symbolic campaign titled “Give Dad Nothing,” offering one-day ownership certificates as a quirky Father’s Day gift. Still, the foundations remained as empty as the name suggests.
In the end, Nothing stands as a spatial paradox that defies conventional town narratives as something that is literally made from nothing. It serves as a symbol of an American pursuit where small towns die or are left behind by time, preserved only in memory under the desert sun. It may not be a major tourist destination, but its captivating name makes it a magnet for curious passersby, pausing for a glimpse of a life that was never fully lived.
