Lake Havasu City, Arizona, United States

🇺🇸 Lake Havasu City is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. Lake Havasu City is geographically isolated from the other cities in Mohave County and is the southernmost community of the Las Vegas–Henderson, NV–AZ CSA.

History The community first started during World War II as Site Six, an Army Air Corps rest camp on the shores of Lake Havasu. In 1958, American businessman Robert P. McCulloch purchased 3,353 acres (13.57 km²) of property on the east side of the lake along Pittsburgh Point, a peninsula that would eventually be transformed into an island.

After four years of planning, McCulloch Properties acquired another 13,000 acres (53 km²) of federal land in the surrounding area. Lake Havasu City was established on September 30, 1963, by a resolution of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors, as the Lake Havasu Irrigation and Drainage District, making it a legal entity (the act is referenced in resolution #63-12-1). The city was incorporated in 1978.

London Bridge London Bridge crosses the narrow Bridgewater Channel that leads from Lake Havasu (a segment of the Colorado River) to Thompson Bay (also on the river). Hoping to attract tourists and prospective buyers of residential lots, McCulloch bought it for US$2.5 million from the City of London, England, when the bridge was replaced in 1968. The bridge was disassembled on contract with Sundt Construction of Tucson, and the marked stones were shipped to Lake Havasu City and reassembled by Sundt for another US$7 million. The construction took three years to complete.

McCulloch gave an acre of land in Lake Havasu City to London. When Lake Havasu City wanted to use this land for a visitors' centre, London leased it back for a quit rent of a Hopi Kachina figure.

Since its inauguration on October 5, 1971, London Bridge has become the second-largest tourist attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon. In 2017, a panel of experts partnering with USA Today's 10Best.com chose London Bridge as one of 20 initial nominees for Best Arizona Attraction. 10Best.com readers voted London Bridge as a top 5 favorite.

Events Lake Havasu City is an active event destination for a wide range of people. During spring months, the community is joined by university students for spring break. In 1995, Lake Havasu City was featured during MTV's Spring Break coverage. Attendance during Spring Break has taken a downturn in recent years, as the city has declined to issue permits to the large party organizers.

For boaters, March to September are the prime months on Lake Havasu. The city is also home to the International World Jet Ski Final Races, multiple professional fishing tournaments, custom boat regattas, the Western Winter Blast pyrotechnics convention, Havasu 95 Speedway, the Chilln-n-Swilln Beer Festival annual charity event, the Havasu Triathlon, and the Havasu Balloon Festival & Fair.

During the winter months, the community is joined by retirees from colder regions of the country and Canada. During this period, multiple events are held on McCulloch Boulevard. Typically during the second weekend of February, McCulloch Boulevard is home to Winterfest, an annual event which draws thousands of visitors and residents for two days of food, activities, entertainment, and products from over 200 vendors from across the United States.

Geography Lake Havasu City is located in south-western Mohave County on the east side of Lake Havasu, a reservoir on the Colorado River. It is 60 miles (97 km) south of Kingman, the Mohave county seat, and 193 miles (311 km) north-west of Phoenix.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.4 square miles (120 km²), of which 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²), or 0.10%, are water.

Transport The only surface access to Lake Havasu City is by road via Arizona State Route 95, which meets Interstate 40 19 miles (31 km) to the north of the city and Interstate 10 74 miles (119 km) to the south. C. V. Wood, who designed Disneyland, was hired by Robert McCulloch to lay out Lake Havasu's unique road system.

In the early stages of development of the city, McCulloch Properties operated a fleet of secondhand airliners such as the Lockheed Constellation and the Lockheed L-188 Electra to fly prospective property purchasers to the area from California and elsewhere in the United States.

The city operates Lake Havasu City Transit. Vegas Airporter provides service from Lake Havasu City to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Havasu Landing Resort and Casino provides a ferry to Havasu Lake, California.

Lake Havasu City Airport, also known as Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport owned by the city and located 6 miles north of the central business district of Lake Havasu City.

Education Lake Havasu City is served by the Lake Havasu Unified School District. There are currently six elementary schools: Jamaica Elementary, Oro Grande Classical Academy, Starline Elementary, Smoketree Elementary, Nautilus Elementary, and Havasupai Elementary), one middle school (Thunderbolt Middle School), one high school (Lake Havasu High School), and several alternative schools in the city. Lake Havasu Unified went through some strict budget cuts, closing one of its two middle schools (Daytona Middle School), and distributing 6th graders throughout the elementaries and 7th and 8th grades to Thunderbolt Middle School. Local voters passed a bond and a budget override for the district in 2016, helping to alleviate some school district budget problems.

In a 2008 nationwide survey, Forbes magazine ranked Lake Havasu City "The Least Educated City in America", using information from statistics on the Lake Havasu – Kingman Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Mohave County Arizona coming up last in the number of college graduates living in the city.

A campus of Mohave Community College is located in Lake Havasu City. MCC also is home of one of the Northern Arizona University extended campuses. Arizona State University opened a new lower-tuition 4-year college campus, the ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City, in August 2012.

Government The city operates under a council-manager form of government. The mayor and six council members are elected to staggered four-year terms. The City Council sets the city's policy and direction, and appoints the City Manager who is tasked with the responsibility for carrying out council policies and administering the day-to-day operations. Per the City Code, the Department Directors are appointed by the City Manager.

Attractions • London Bridge • London Bridge Resort • Lake Havasu Golf Club (36 holes) • Islander RV Resort • The Nautical Beachfront Resort • Lake Havasu and Colorado River • Wheeler Park • Lake Havasu Historical Society • Havasu 95 Speedway • The Aquatic Center • Patrick Tinell Memorial Skatepark • Rotary Community Park • The Famous Turtle Beach Bar • The Shops at Lake Havasu • Lake Havasu Art Collective • Lake Havasu City Airport (KHII) • Minor league baseball: the Blythe Heat of the Arizona Winter League and the Lake Havasu Heat of the Pacific Southwest Baseball League play regular season games. • Sandpoint Marina RV Resort • Lighthouses on the Colorado River.