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USA: Nevada: Carson City, Cathedral Gorge, Ely, Great Basin, Hoover Dam - Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Lehman Caves, Primm, Red Rock Canyon, Reno, Virginia City

Primm, Nevada, USA: The first & the last roll
by Prakash Bang, Editor in Chief

Located about 40 miles from Las Vegas, Primm is a tiny community notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 where it crosses the border between California and Nevada. It sits at the edge of Ivanpah Dry Lake.

I was a delegate in a Travel Conference scheduled in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. I was hosted on a 3-day trip. On one of the days, I had the opportunity to take a trip to Grand Canyon West, Arizona. From there, we took a plane to Boulder City from where we took a bus to drive to Primm.

With a box lunch in hand, we travelled the scenic back road. Soon we were at Primm. Our first stop was the Fashion Outlet of Las Vegas. It has more than 100 designer outlets. The prices were really attractive if one has to compare with shops in Las Vegas. In fact, if you have the time, I suggest driving to Primm for your shopping. The trip will be worth it.

Adjoining the Fashion Outlet is the Primm Valley Resort and Casino. That would be our hotel for the night. Our dinner would be at GP’s Steakhouse (awesome!) located in the hotel’s premises. After dinner, I had the chance to experience ‘The Desperado’... listed in the Guiness Book of Records in 1996 as the tallest roller coaster in the world. A portion of the roller coaster ride runs through the interior of Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino where it is located. A monorail connects Primm Valley with Bufallo Bill’s.

Casino, Primm Valley Resort, Primm, Nevada, USA

There was no way I could have taken the ride after a meal that was loaded with delicious calories!

Primm was previously known by the name of State Line, but was renamed in 1996 to avoid confusion with Stateline located in northern Nevada. It is named after the original developer of the city, casino owner Ernest Jay Primm.

It’s a small community. Life revolves around the 3 casinos, a few gas stations & restaurants. The community's economy is based on its three casinos, which attract gamblers from Southern California wanting to stop before reaching Las Vegas 40 miles to the north, or as a last chance to gamble before leaving Nevada. The community's hotels also serve as reliever hotels on the occasions when Las Vegas hosts major conventions. Most of Primm's residents are employees of the casinos namely, Primm Valley; Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s.

Just across the road is the California side of the border. Out there is a convenience store, aptly named the Primm Valley Lotto Store. The store is the closest access for southern Nevadans wishing to play the California State Lottery. The only paved road access to the store is from Nevada. As a result, the store sells more California Lottery tickets than any other vendor in that state, largely because Nevada does not have its own state lottery!

The next morning, after a sumptuous breakfast at hotel’s Country Club Buffet we moved on.

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