Amboy, California | |
|---|---|
 Amboy sign, west side of town | |
  Amboy, California Location within the state of California | |
| Coordinates:34°33′25″N115°44′42″W / 34.55694°N 115.74500°W /34.55694; -115.74500 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 1 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 92304 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| GNIS feature ID | 238579 |
Amboy is anunincorporated community inSan Bernardino County, inCalifornia'sMojave Desert, west ofNeedles and east ofLudlow on historicRoute 66. It is roughly 60 miles (97 km) northeast ofTwentynine Palms. As of 2020, the town's business district still contained a post office, a historic restaurant-motel, and a Route 66 tourist shop, all operated by the town's population of four people. As of 2024, only the gas station was open, and the population was zero.[1]
Although Amboy was first settled in 1858, the town was not established until 1883. Lewis Kingman, alocating engineer for theAtlantic and Pacific Railroad, created the town as the first of a series of alphabetical railroad stations that were to be constructed across theMojave Desert.[2] The name was probably taken from a location in the eastern United States.[3]
In 1926, Amboy became a boom town after the commissioning ofU.S. Route 66.
In 1938, Roy's Motel and Café opened and prospered due to its isolated location on the route. By 1940, Amboy's population had increased to 65. Its growth was tied not only to tourists, but also to theSanta Fe Railroad over which freight trains still run today betweenKingman, Arizona and theBNSF RailwayBarstow, California yard.[citation needed]
During theGreat Depression andWorld War II, from 1929 through 1945, tourism declined nationally. But the remaining travelers' need for lodging, meals, and gasoline kept the town busy. The town remained this way until the opening ofInterstate 40 in 1973, which bypassed Amboy.[4]
In 2024, a news report stated that the population was zero, even though one business remained open.[1]
The town is south of theGranite Mountains,Providence Mountains, and theMojave National Preserve. Adjacent to the south is the landmarkAmboy Crater, and beyond to the southeast theBullion Mountains. To the south isBristol Dry Lake and the community ofCadiz, California.[citation needed]
Amboy was once a major stop along the famousRoute 66, but has seen much lower visitation since the opening ofInterstate 40 to the north in 1973. Amboy is home toRoy's Motel and Café, a Route 66 landmark.[citation needed]
In 2007, the town reportedly had a total of 10 surviving buildings and a population of far fewer than the advertised 20, which, according to theLos Angeles Times, was approximately four.[5] A resident interviewed in a short 2014 documentary also gave the population as four, all of whom are men.[6] By 2024, however, the permanent resident population had declined to zero; only a single open business has kept Amboy from being declared aghost town.[1]
Roy's Motel and Café provided gasoline, food, and lodging. It was noted for itsGoogie "retro-future" architecture added to one of the original buildings, and its sign, a 1959 addition. Both Roy's and the surrounding town were once owned by Buster Burris, one of Route 66's most famous characters who purchased Roy's from his father-in-law Roy Crowl, the man for whom the property is named, in 1938 and ran the town until 1995.[5] More recently, efforts to preserve Amboy and reopen Roy's have been undertaken by businessmanAlbert Okura[5] and his son Kyle Okura.[1]
The former Amboy School is adjacent to Roy's; the school closed in 1999.[1]
Part of the 1986 filmThe Hitcher withRutger Hauer was filmed in Amboy. Roy's was the setting for a 1999 television commercial[7] forQwest Communications. It was also used inEnrique Iglesias' music video "Hero" and the filmLive Evil. The town's former owners Walt Wilson and Timothy White maintained Amboy in weathered, unrestored condition for use as a motion picture film site.
In 1993,Huell Howser visited Amboy during episode 410 ofCalifornia's Gold as part of his ongoing series visiting interesting areas of California. During the episode, he interviewed Buster Burris, the owner of Roy's. The episode was aired on December 3, 1993, and also showed Wonder Valley in theMorongo Basin and theAmboy Crater.[8]
A fictional version of Amboy complete with Roy's Hotel and sign was part of Ivan's rig and roll map for 18 Wheels of Steel Haulin'.[citation needed]
A racing gameBlur (2010) features Amboy at some of its tracks.[citation needed]
The heist film "They Came To Rob Las Vegas" (1968) occurs near Amboy, in the desert (which was actually filmed in Spain).[citation needed]
