The only thing more disturbing than the idea of a big man creeping into children’s homes at night is a crumbling Christmas town in the Mojave desert where kids used to meet the big (and no doubt sweating) man in the red suit all year long, even in the blistering heat.
Welcome to Santa Claus, Arizona, where sand replaces snow, snakes replace reindeer and derelict buildings replace hopes and dreams. Whah whah.
Real estate agent Nina Talbot established the jolly town in 1937 as a way to attract homebuyers to the area.
About 14 miles northwest of Kingman, AZ, Santa Claus attracted tourists year-round who would visit the Christmas-themed buildings, meet St. Nick and parents could send their kids mail postmarked “Santa Claus.”
But, people didn’t buy property in the surrounding area like Talbot had hoped and she sold the land in 1949.
The local restaurant called Santa Claus Inn and later renamed the Christmas Tree Inn, stayed open and continued to be successful, though, thanks to some notable clients and mentions from traveling food critic Duncan Hines, science fiction writer Robert Heinlein and actor Jane Russell.
In the coming decades, even Santa ghosted the town, leaving the candy cane-striped buildings in his wake.
