Lake Havasu City Profile
April 20, 2010
Before I started college, whenever people would ask me where I was from, I’d always answer, ‘California.’ And it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth either. I was born in Manhattan Beach, a small city on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. But I moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, before I was even two years old. Before I formed any concrete memories, before I could form sentences, even before I was potty-trained.
I remember nothing of Manhattan Beach, except for the numerous vacations back during the summer and winter months. But that didn’t stop me from saying “Yeah, I’m a California girl.” Why? For two very specific reasons.
- Most people have never heard of Lake Havasu and I didn’t want to have to explain.
- If they did know about Havasu, then most likely they knew the wrong reputation. “Havasu? Oh the party town!” Among other bad reputations about local girls that I won’t get into.
But for those people from the first category, and the latter while I’m at it, I’m going to explain what Lake Havasu is really all about, what it is like, and where it is going.
A Blessing and a Curse
In October of 1989, my parents moved from their small beach house in the middle of Los Angeles, to a small desert town that reaches 138 degrees in the summertime. They made this drastic move because they wanted a small crime-free environment to raise their two little girls, my older sister, Kimberly, and myself.
Growing up in Havasu is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we were able to grow up in a safe city. So safe, that we rarely locked the house door, and I only started locking my car door once I moved to Flagstaff. As a child, I was able to walk the mile home from school alone. My parents never worried about the safety of their children.
But on the flip side of that, because there weren’t any major crimes, my siblings and I grew up in a very sheltered environment. Some would call us naïve, I like to say blissfully ignorant. Havasu has very little culturally diversity, in fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 90 percent of the population is classified as white. We also saw so little crime that I often thought that crime was only on television, and did not occur in real life.
As I grew older, Havasu morphed into my very own prison cell. I often say that I missed out on a regular childhood experience by growing up there. By the time I hit middle school, I wanted to go shopping and wear clothes that I saw on TV. But that is a little hard when the only stores to shop at were Wal-Mart and K-Mart. I wanted ‘cool’ places to hang out, not Taco Bell or Hastings. I wanted things to do, not drive around and play car tag or chat online. I just wanted more, and Havasu couldn’t give it to me.
When I was asked what Havasu is like, I’d reply, “Great vacation spot, but sucks to live there.”
In a brochure created by the Lake Havasu City Conventions and Visitors Bureau, Lake Havasu is advertised as “a mecca for sports and recreation—from lake and desert tours to golf, tennis, shopping, dining and a full range of watersports activities.”
But in reality, how often does anyone do that on a daily basis, let alone teenagers?
From Birth to Bustling
Spanning more than 300 miles on Arizona’s western border, the Coloardo River unfolds in sapphire-blue lakes teeming with fish and surrounded by an abundance of wildlife. In the center of it all lies Lake Havasu, a small city with less than 55,000 full-time residents.
Lake Havasu was named after the Mohave word “Havasu,” which means “blue water.” In 1964, Havasu was established by Robert P. McCulloch, an entrepreneur from California.
Lake Havasu was created with the construction of the Parker Dam in the 1930s. Lake Havasu was a remote section of the Colorado River, winding its way through the rugged terrain, until the dam systems were built, creating the larger body of water.
Regardless that McCulloch’s initial view of Lake Havasu showed breathtaking scenery of blue waters and rich and rugged mountain ranges, it’s hard to fathom how he ever imagined a city at that location, let alone shipped a historic, 130,000 ton bridge halfway across the world to be constructed over the lake .
But he did both.
Bobbi Holmes, publisher of Havasu Magazine, first moved to Lake Havasu in 1968, before it grew to the size of a prominent city. In a recent article, Holmes recounts the history of Lake Havasu City.
McCulloch had purchased 11 Lockheed Electra planes, and formed McCulloch International Airlines, to fly in prospective buyers from all over the county. Splashly magazine ads enticed snow-weary would be customers to take a free flight to Paradise.
In 1964 McCulloch opened a chainsaw manufacturing plant to spur the growth of the infant city. Within two years there were three manufacturing plants, employing around 400 workers. But McCulloch was searching for a unique attraction for his city, and it was the purchase of the London Bridge in 1968 that gave Lake Havasu worldwide exposure.
Three years and two and a half million dollars later, the London Bridge was successfully dismantled, shipped and reconstructed in Lake Havasu.
With the purchase of the London Bridge, McCulloch accelerated his development campaign, increasing the amount of flights into the city. The free flights to Lake Havasu lasted until 1978, and reportedly they totaled 2,702 flights, bringing in 137,000 prospective buyers.
In 1978, one year after Robert McCulloch’s death, Lake Havasu gained its city status.
“The miracle was not that Robert P. McCulloch was able to transport, piece by piece, the historic London Bridge, almost halfway across the globe, and reconstruct it in the Arizona desert,” wrote Holmes. “The miracle was that he was able to build a city in that same piece of desert, especially considering there was no major highway winding its way through the would-be city, connecting it to the rest of the country, and providing a stopover for weary travelers.”
Havasu, Today and Tomorrow
Today, Lake Havasu sees about 2.5 million visitors every year, comprised of a mixture of snowbirds and vacationers. According to the Lake Havasu Chamber of Commerce, one million visitors bring in $100 million annually to the economy.
Despite the depressed state of the current economy, Lake Havasu continues to grow.
A new shopping center has been constructed along Highway 95, leading into town. Labeled an outdoor mall, the shopping plaza is currently half empty, but for the first time in the city’s history, chain stores, such as Petco and Aeropostle, have finally come to Lake Havasu.
A new movie theater, a Picazzo’s restaurant and a Super Wal Mart, round out a few of the changes made to Havasu within the last two years.
Other manufacturing industries contribute significantly to Havasu’s economy. Luxury boat manufacturing and Sterilte are among the top contributors.
Lake Havasu has tripled their taxable sales within 18 years, from 301.1 million dollars in 1990, to 911.1 million in 2008, according to the Lake Havasu Chamber of Commerce.
Although the figures are not as high as Phoenix or Vegas, there is still promise. This small city, spanning less than 45 miles, has gained in status, becoming a popular travel destination for Spring Breakers and snowbirds.
My Future
I could not get out of Lake Havasu fast enough four years ago. I was sick of the heat, the size of the city and the lack of possibilities.
But my priorities have changed, and I have grown, I like to think, out of the naïve girl I once was.
I no longer need a mall or a hang out spot. I want to live in a small city that has the community feel, where you know your neighbors by first name.
I know I want to have a family within a matter of years, and I want my children to be able to walk home from school and feel safe, the same way I did as a child.
Within a couple of weeks I will be graduating from college, moving on to the next chapter of my life. What am I going to do? Move back home, of course.
“Today Lake Havasu City is a vibrant, prosperous community that continues to attract new residents from all over the country, and the world,” wrote Holmes.