Primm, Nevada | |
|---|---|
 Primm off Interstate 15 | |
  Primm Location within Nevada Show map of Nevada Primm Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:35°36′46″N115°23′25″W / 35.61278°N 115.39028°W /35.61278; -115.39028 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Clark |
| Founded | 1920s |
| Founded by | Pete MacIntyre |
| Named after | Ernest Jay Primm |
| Elevation | 2,618 ft (798 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 646 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 89019 |
| Area codes | 702 and 725 |
| GNIS feature ID | 849405[1] |
Primm (formerly known asState Line) is anunincorporated town inClark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddlingInterstate 15 at the Nevada–California border. It sits onIvanpah Dry Lake, which extends to the north and south of town.
Primm was initially known as State Line and started as a small motel and coffee shop built by Ernest Primm (1901-1981) in the 1950s. Over the years, Primm grew, with Gary Primm, Ernest's son, expanding the area by building casino hotels. In 1996, the town was officially renamed Primm in honor of its founder and to avoid confusion withStateline in northern Nevada.[2]
The community's economy is based on its onecasino, thePrimm Valley Resort. The casino attracts gamblers fromSouthern California wanting to stop before reachingLas Vegas 40 miles (64 km) to the north, or as a last chance to gamble before leaving Nevada. Most of Primm's residents are employees of the casino. Conversely, a store located just over the California state line from Primm sellsCalifornia State Lottery tickets and games (including the multi-stateMega Millions andPowerball games) mainly to residents of Nevada, whose constitution prohibits astate lottery.[3]
While not acensus-designated place, the 2000 census population for the community is 436. A Clark County Comprehensive Planning Department estimate placed the population at 284 on July 1, 2006, apparently using different boundaries for the area. In a December 5, 2007 article in theLas Vegas Review-Journal, Primm's population is listed as around 1,132.
For 2020, Census Block 2156, Census Tract 57.03 and Block 2155, Census Tract 57.03 showed a total population of 650.[4]
Primm, Nevada is located along Interstate 15, midway between Las Vegas, Nevada andBaker, California.
The nearest commercial airport isHarry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. The proposedSouthern Nevada Supplemental Airport would be built just north of Primm.
Primm hosted anAmtrak Thruway bus stop atWhiskey Pete's Resort until late 2017, operating bi-directionally with service betweenBakersfield, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the 1920s, Pete MacIntyre owned a gas station at the state line, on a road later designatedU.S. Route 91. MacIntyre’s business was reportedly unsuccessful, and he eventually resorted tobootlegging alcohol. Primm historians remember him as “Whiskey Pete”. According to local legend, MacIntyre expressed his desire to be buried in a vertical coffin with his body in a standing posture, along with a bottle of moonshine in his hands to “drink” as he “watched over” the region. Whiskey Pete's unmarked grave was accidentally exhumed while workers were building a connecting bridge fromWhiskey Pete's toBuffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino (on the other side of I-15). The remains were apparently relocated and are now said to be buried in one of the caves where he produced his moonshine.[5]
During its heyday, Primm featured family-friendly attractions like the Adventure Canyon Log Flume and the Desperado roller coaster, which was once the world's tallest. However, by the 2000s, Primm's energy waned. In 1998, MGM Grand acquired the casinos from the Primm family, and later in 2007, they were sold to Affinity Gaming.
Dale Hamilton was the proprietor of State Line from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, as U.S. 91 was upgraded to today’sInterstate 15. After obtaining the property, Hamilton built aChevron station, as well as a small-slots casino and a café/lunch counter. He also opened a basic automotive garage and maintained a towing service. He called the business simply "State Line Bar:Slots". Hamilton also campaigned legislators inCarson City to grant an Interstate 15 interchange to the site, which was not originally planned.
In 2004, under the then-ownership ofMGM Mirage, 52 apartment buildings were constructed in Primm to serve as more convenient housing for employees of the three casinos. The name of theapartment complex is the Desert Oasis, and its current location is at 355 E. Primm Boulevard.[6][7]
Prizm Outlets, formerly known as the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, is a 370,000-square-foot mall that, as of 2023, is almost completely empty.[8] It was sold in 2021 for $400,000.[9]
Whiskey Pete's closed in 2024[10] whileBuffalo Bill's closed in 2025.[11] This left thePrimm Valley Resort as the only casino in Primm.
Primm's climate is ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh).
| Climate data for Primm, Nevada (2002–2014) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 57 (14) | 61 (16) | 69 (21) | 77 (25) | 88 (31) | 100 (38) | 105 (41) | 101 (38) | 94 (34) | 79 (26) | 66 (19) | 55 (13) | 79 (26) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 50 (10) | 58 (14) | 65 (18) | 76 (24) | 87 (31) | 93 (34) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 68 (20) | 56 (13) | 46 (8) | 68 (20) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 39 (4) | 47 (8) | 53 (12) | 63 (17) | 73 (23) | 80 (27) | 77 (25) | 69 (21) | 56 (13) | 45 (7) | 36 (2) | 56 (14) |
| Source:[12] | |||||||||||||
In 1996,SCORE International started hosting an annual off-road race known as Terrible's SCOREPrimm 300. The Primm 300 is one in a series of annual off-road races that include theBaja 1000,Baja 500,San Felipe 250 and the Laughlin Desert Challenge.[citation needed]
In 1997, the 20thWorld's Strongest Man competition was held in Primm.[citation needed]
Primm was the end location for the2004 DARPA Grand Challenge. Additionally, it was the starting and ending location for the2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The $2 million prize was won by a team fromStanford University.[citation needed]
The Stateline Supermoto Challenge also takes place at Buffalo Bill's casino every year attracting pro and amateursupermoto racers from around the country.[13]
Primm is the location of theMint 400, the American off-road race.[citation needed]
Primm is the location of WORCS, (World Off Road Championship) of two to four rounds of Motocross, UTV, Side by Side and ATV off-road racing.[citation needed]
Primm is also whereSimon Lizotte set the Flying Disc Distance World Record at 263.2 m (863.5 ft) on October 25, 2014. He used a 157-gramInnova Blizzard Champion Boss.[14]
Primm is home to the Bonnie and Clyde Getaway Car,[15] the vehicle thatBonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were in when they were shot and killed after being pursued by the police. It was previously located inside Whiskey Pete's and Buffalo Bill’s but was moved to thePrimm Valley Resort following the closure of those hotels.
The couple were shot and killed inGibsland, Louisiana, on May 23, 1934, around 2,400 km (1,500 miles) from Primm.[16]
Primm appears in the 2010 video gameFallout: New Vegas and is designed to be one of the first few places the player visits. In game, the town is depicted as being taken over by escaped convicts, having killed the local sheriff.[17]
Municipalities and communities ofClark County, Nevada,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Proposed communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |