Primm

Primm is a small community in Southern Nevada located at the California and Nevada State Line. It is south of Las Vegas and  from another small town called Jean. It sits right next to Interstate 15.

History
In the 1920s, the area only had a gas station which was owned by Pete MacIntyre. The story goes that he was having trouble selling gas so he resorted to bootlegging. He died in 1933 and was initially buried in an unmarked grave close by, though unintended exhumation caused his body to be moved into a cave. The man is now often known locally as "Whisky Pete", with the town's first casino named eponymously after him.

Between the early 1950s to the early 1970s, Dale Hamilton owned the town known as State Line at the time with an ambition to place a few slot machines in his gas station to entice travelers, a tradition that continues to this day.

In 1977, businessman Ernest Jay Primm opened Whiskey Pete's  to capture gamblers on their way to or leaving Las Vegas. He passed this venture on to his son Gary Primm.

Several decades later and in 1990, State Line's second casino The Primadonna Resort was opened to the public. Its current name is the Primm Valley Resort.

Buffalo Bill's and its Desperado hypercoaster were opened in 1994.

In 1996, State Line was renamed to Primm to remove confusion from the Nevadan town of Stateline near Lake Tahoe and to acknowledge the Primm family's success.

In 2010, the town was featured in the video game Fallout: New Vegas along with much of Southern Nevada including nearby Goodsprings, Jean, and Searchlight.

Climate
As with the rest of the Mojave Desert, Primm has a typical climate of hot days and cold nights. It is constantly arid with little rainfall as well as hot summers and warm winters.

By car

 * If you're driving to Primm from the Los Angeles area or its surrounding counties, drivers can take I-15 North and stay on the freeway all the way to Exit 1 after crossing the California/Nevada State Line.
 * From the Las Vegas area, take I-15 South and get off at Exit 1.

By taxi
Taxis are available 24 hours a day from Las Vegas to Primm. The fare however is around $100 each way due to the distance between the two destinations; alternatively, cheaper rates can be found via ride hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.

By plane
There are no airports in Primm, though there is a proposal to build the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (formerly Ivanpah Valley Airport) close by as early as 2029.

The nearest airport to Primm is. It's north and is mostly used for recreational aviation and skydiving rather than commercial flights.

Other close airports are  and  (formerly McCarran International Airport)  near Henderson and Las Vegas respectively.

By monorail
A free monorail connects the three casinos.

By foot
Most of the town is walkable.

Goodsprings
Goodsprings is northwest of Primm and  west of Jean on the I-15. The former mining town is quiet with few amenities for the traveler, but it's worth checking out the Pioneer Saloon, the exterior of the Goodsprings Schoolhouse and Goodsprings Cemetery. For travelers that want to see everything the town has to offer the historical society has listed other places of interest on their website which includes a walking tour.



Jean
Jean is north of Primm on the I-15. There isn't much to see except the Seven Magic Mountains, a bright and colorful sculpture by Ugo Rondinone.



Gambling
Primm has three casinos, all of which are owned by Primm Valley Casino Resorts. Amongst offering traditional casino games, there are also on-site bookmakers for horseracing and other sports events.



Motorsports
The Stateline Supermoto Challenge is an annual event at Buffalo Bill's.

Buy
Heading southbound, Primm is your last chance to buy gasoline at the usually-lower Nevada prices. Gas prices often jump 15 to 40 cents just by crossing the California state line.



There is access to a small convenience store on the California side of the state line, where California State Lottery tickets can be purchased. Oddly, this store cannot be reached without travelling through Nevada.



The town's shopping mall is part of the Primm Valley Resort.



Eat
Restaurants in Primm can be found in three places:


 * All three hotel-casinos have restaurants inside them for different budgets and times of day.
 * The Prizm Outlets mall has a food court with a variety of restaurants.
 * A few restaurants are dotted around the town.

Sleep
The community consists of three hotel-type casinos which attract travellers driving from California, typically on their way to Las Vegas and driving back. These hotels also serve as feeders to Las Vegas when a major event and/or convention is taking place.



Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby


 * Searchlight – to the southeast of Primm on the I-15 then SR-164. Also a former mining town, Searchlight maintains its heritage with its own museum, which while small is also educational. The town also has two casinos both run by Terrible's and two motels. Searchlight Airport has no scheduled services, and is uncontrolled, unmanned, and unlighted.
 * Baker – to the southwest of Primm on I-15, Baker is the only significant town on the interstate in the remote desert stretch between Barstow and the Nevada border. It offers food, fuel and lodging, is home to the world's tallest thermometer, and is the starting point for the journeying north to Death Valley.