Nipton, California is the closest thing you’ll find to a ghost down these days. It’s got six residents (as of 2016) and boasts only two businesses — a general store, and a tiny hotel (complete with eco-cabins) that’s either a complete and utter delight or a woeful disappointment, depending on whether you’re cool with sharing a bathroom or not. Soon, however, Nipton will be revived. And it’s going to be paradise for cannabis enthusiasts (that’s the classy way of saying “people who loved to get hiiiiiiiiiiigh“).
How did that happen? Well, it turns out you can buy a town, and Nipton was for sale. According to a piece published on Gizmodo early this year, the town sits on 120 acres, 80 percent of which aren’t being used. So if a company had a plan to develop the area and $5 million in cash, the town could be theirs. Fortunately, American Green, one of the country’s largest publicly traded cannabis companies had both the plans and the money to bring Nipton back to its former glory and prevent it from becoming what it’s described as in Fallout: New Vegas.
Of course, the town won’t turn into the Westworld of cannabis overnight, and it’s not going to become a bustling metropolis, either. According to a press release from American Green, the corporation’s first order of business will be to bottle CBD-infused water from a nearby source and distribute it throughout California. Then, they’ll move into the tourism and entertainment sector.
From the press release:
Ultimately, the company would like to offer a variety of commercial and recreational attractions including: CBD and mineral baths, cannabis-product retail outposts, artists-in-residence programs, culinary events and bed-and-breakfast lodging to complete the charming small town experience. Company officials hope that this project will help to catalyze job creation and development within the town and surrounding communities, making Nipton a model for the cannabis industry’s role in stimulating and accelerating the rebuilding of struggling small town economies throughout the U.S., where cannabis products have been legalized.
Sounds really nice, actually. Stephen Shearin, a consultant working with American Green, told Business Insider that the idea wasn’t to recapture the glory days of Woodstock. “It’s about creating an environment where people come to work and share in a community,” he said. The company is also promising to offer employment to locals and while striving to make Nipton an energy-independent town.
Is this the beginning of a “green rush”? Not gonna lie, we certainly hope so.
