This growing city is centered at the geographic conjunction of San Bernandino County, California; Mojave County, Arizona; and Clark County, Nevada. It's the lowest point in the state of Nevada and records some of the country's highest temperatures, soaring to 1200 F. Situated squarely between Death Valley National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park, Laughlin is an urban oasis on the southern tip of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the largest Department of Interior recreational property at 1.5 million acres.

The Laughlin area sprang to commercial life in the 1950s with the building of Davis Dam on the Colorado River. At that time, it was called Southpointe and consisted of a motel and bar, which closed when the dam was completed in 1953. In 1964, Don Laughlin, former owner of the 101 Club in Las Vegas, bought the abandoned motel and river front property. He and his family lived in four rooms of the motel while renting out the other four rooms and entertaining guests with twelve slot machines and two gaming tables.

The town as gaming mecca was slow getting started, but Mr. Laughlin saw gold where everyone else saw wasteland. With visitors from nearby Bullhead City, Laughlin began to gain a reputation as a friendly, easy-money sort of place. Fortune seekers started rolling in, and snowbirds (retirees wintering in warmer climes) flocked to Laughlin for good weather, warm water, and profitable wagering.

Don Laughlin is the heart and soul of his town. When it became evident that an interstate bridge was needed to bring visitors and employees from Arizona to Laughlin, he spent $3.5 million to build one, then donated it to the states of Nevada and Arizona. He's invested $1 million in other road improvements and $6 million to expand the Bullhead Airport. And his bets have paid off. Other casinos, including Harrah's, the Flamingo Hilton, the Colorado Belle, and the Golden Nugget have joined Laughlin's Riverside Resort on the shores of the Colorado River.

The major employers in the city are the casinos, with more than 14,000 employees.

Laughlin's casinos are characterized as airy and bright, with plate-glass windows overlooking the Colorado River into Arizona. More than 5 million tourists drop by every year, and the hotels boast a 97 percent occupancy rate. Visitors gamble an average of seven hours per day and spend $353 per visitjust under Las Vegas' average. Much of Laughlin's popularity can be attributed to being just a day's drive from Las Vegas (two to three hours), making Laughlin third among Nevada resorts in gaming revenue (just behind Las Vegas and Reno, and ahead of Lake Tahoe).

Laughlin will keep you busy year-round with fishing, boating, golfing, tennis, swimming, camping, bird and wildlife watching, and hiking. The area's ruggedness is broken by the Colorado River and Lake Mojave, created by Davis Dam, which stretches 67 miles upriver to Hoover Dam. The lake is four miles across at its widest point. And if you get sick of Mother Nature, there are six movie theaters in town, along with all other big-city amenities.

Laughlin Casinos

Vital Stats

Location: Laughlin sits at the southern tip of Nevada on the banks of the Colorado River, 101 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Population: Laughlin 7,500; Bullhead City, AZ, 42,000

Average summer temperature: 880 F

Average winter temperature: 550 F

Phone Numbers of Note

Laughlin Chamber of Commerce: (800) 227-5245
Laughlin Visitors Bureau: (702) 298-3022
State of Nevada Employment Security Department (Las Vegas): (702) 486-3300
State of Nevada Gaming Commission: (702) 687-6530
Newspapers and/or relocation publications: Laughlin Times, (702) 298-6090

Inexpensive accommodations: LaughlinPioneer Hotel, (800) 634-3469; Bullhead CityDays Inn, (800) 255-6903; Lake Mojave RV Park, (520) 754-3245

Air service: Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport, (520) 754-2134
Bus service: Greyhound (Laughlin), (800) 231-2222
Rail service: Amtrak (Needles, California), (800) 872-7245
Public transit: Citizens Area Transit System, (702) 298-4435

Map of Laughlin

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