| Primm | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
| "Downtown" Primm off Interstate 15 | |
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Primm
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Clark |
| Elevation | 2,618 ft (798 m) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 89019 |
| Area code(s) | 702 |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
Primm (formerly known as State Line 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.
It was previously known by the name of State Line (2 words), but was renamed in 1996 to avoid confusion with Stateline located in northern Nevada. It is named after the original developer of the city, casino owner Ernest Jay Primm.[1]
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. Most of Primm's residents are employees of the casinos.
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.
The community of Primm made an appearance in the 2010 role-playing video game Fallout: New Vegas developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada. Notable locations include Bison Steve's Hotel, a reference to Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino.[2]
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Primm is also home to a large outlet mall, Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, as well as, gas stations, restaurants, and apartments for the workers of Primm.
A convenience store, aptly named the Primm Valley Lotto Store, is located just over the California side of the border, and is the closest access for southern Nevadans wishing to play the California State Lottery. The only paved road access to the store is from Nevada. As a result, the store sells more California Lottery tickets than any other vendor in that state, largely because Nevada does not have its own state lottery.[3]
A new airport 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.
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 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.[4]
In 1996, SCORE International started hosting an annual off-road race known as Terrible's SCORE Primm 300. The Primm 300 is one in a series of annual off-road races that include the Baja 1000, Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the Laughlin Desert Challenge.
In 1997, the 20th World's Strongest Man competition was held in Primm.
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.[5][6]
Primm was the end location for the 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge. Additionally, it was the starting and ending location for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The $2 million prize was won by a team from Stanford University.
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