Pahrump, Nevada

Pahrump Valley has quite a few artesian wells, that's how the place got its name: Pah-Rimpi, Shoshone for "Water Rock." The first European settlers arrived in the late 1800's and most set up on large ranch holdings of 1,000 acres and more, raising cattle, alfalfa and cotton. Until the late 1960's, there were no paved roads and no telephone service in the valley. In 1974, Pahrump built its first high school. There were about 2,000 residents in Pahrump in 1980. By 2000, there were almost 25,000. Among those residents are people like Art Bell (of paranormal talk radio fame) and former singer/pop star Michael Jackson (who bought a home here in 2008 where he built his own in-home studio and home schooled his 3 children). The Pahrump area is also home to the famous Chicken Ranch and Sheri's Ranch.