Yucca, Arizona

Yucca is an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Located along Interstate 40, it lies southwest of Kingman, just east of the southern section of the Black Mountains and west of the Hualapai and McCracken Mountains in the Sacramento Valley.

History

Yucca started as an order office and water fill station for Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (affiliated with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) in the 1880s. It was part of a rail line commissioned by congress spanning from St. Louis, Missouri to Needles, California. This rail line grew to be transcontinental and is a major freight corridor to Southern California. [ [http://www.carrtracks.com/cbhistry.htm Santa Fe Transcon History ] ]

During World War II, the US Army Air Corps purchased 2284 acres of land and developed the Yucca Army Airfield for training pilots. In 1954 the air base was purchased by Ford Motor Company and along with additional land, was turned into the Arizona Proving Ground comprised of nearly 4000 acres. Chrysler purchased the proving grounds in November 2007 from Ford for $34.9 million. [ [http://www.allpar.com/corporate/arizona-proving-grounds.html Chrysler Arizona proving grounds review ] ] [Chrysler Proving Grounds]

Yucca became part of Route 66 in 1952 when the highway was realigned bypassing Oatman, Arizona. This was the heyday for the small town when motels, cafes, and a Whiting brothers truck stop operated. In the early 1970s Interstate 40 replaced the section of Route 66 going through Yucca. The motels and truck stop went out of business as people used facilities in larger Kingman, Arizona and Needles, California. [ [http://www.mcdonaldlawaz.com/aroundaz/route66/yucca.htm Yucca ] ] A small general store/cafe, post office, real estate office, and bar are the only retail businesses remaining [2008] .

In 1997 a land exchange between the Santa Fe Railroad and the US Government of approximately 70,000 acres was completed just southwest of Yucca. Much of the land subsequently owned by the railroad was subdivided into typically 40 acre parcels and offered to the general public as the Stage Coach Trails development. This land has primarily been purchased by individuals for residential use or long term investment. Other smaller developments opened just north of Yucca in 2006. Over time these residential developments may spur renewed business growth in the area. [ [http://www.stagecoach-trails.com/ Arizona land, Kingman real estate for sale ] ]

References