The locals told travelers it "got named by a bunch of drunks."[2] Nothing has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3]
The settlement was established in 1977 by Richard "Buddy" Kenworthy,[4] located 118 miles (190 km) northwest of Phoenix,[5] and 23 miles (37 km) south of Wikieup, the "rattlesnake capital of Arizona."[6] It is west of Bagdad at milepost 148½ on U.S. Route 93 (the Joshua Forest Scenic Parkway) between Wickenburg and Kingman, on the route from Las Vegas to Phoenix.[7]
Town of Nothing Arizona. Founded 1977. Elevation 3269ft. The staunch citizens of Nothing are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic. Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.
Nothing was abandoned by May 2005 when Kenworthy moved on from the settlement, and by August 2008, the disused gas station was beginning to collapse.[12] An attempted revival of Nothing occurred at some time after August 2008 when Nothing was purchased by Mike Jensen.[13] By April 2009, Jensen had opened his pizza business, run from a portable oven, with hopes of reopening the mini-mart and creating accommodations for RVs.
In April 2011, Nothing was marked as abandoned once again. The building has fresh boards in the windows, and no sign of inhabitance or any activity. More recently the building has been repurposed and used as an unofficial bathroom for travelers.[14]
2016 promotion
In 2016, Century 21 Real Estate ran a "Give Dad Nothing" promotion where a free 24-hour lease to a piece of property at Nothing, Arizona could be secured for June 19, 2016 (Father's Day) only.[15] The promotion was done with the participation of the current property owner[16] and included a downloadable "Certificate of Nothing" and gift card.