Pahrump, NV

Pahrump’s name is reported to derive from the Southern Paiute Pah-Rimpi, or “Water Rock,” a reference to the artesian wells in its valley. Southern Paiute people inhabited the area before settlers arrived in the late nineteenth century. Development around the wells produced ranch holdings that often exceeded 1,000 acres. Today Pahrump is an unincorporated town at the southern tip of Nye County, near the California line and about 50 miles west of Las Vegas; its 2020 population was 44,738. Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch is among its local businesses. Pahrump Valley Transportation and the veterans’ service VetRANS operate by appointment and provide some trips to Las Vegas, while Salt Lake Express stops on its Las Vegas–Reno route. Radio host Art Bell founded the overnight program Coast to Coast AM and broadcast it from his Pahrump home studio.