The gold rush was an important part of American history. It revitalized communities and created new wealth for a growing nation. There’s even an NFL team named after the year it took place (the San Francisco 49ers). But have you heard of the green rush? It hasn’t been big enough to inspire a professional team name yet, but that may be changing. And it all starts with the sale of a small town in California and it’s destiny as a weedtopia.
Welcome to Nipton, California
It sounds like the plot of a stoner party movie, but a cannabis company just bought the town of Nipton, CA, and they plan on building a pot utopia.
American Green, a large cannabis company based out of Phoenix, paid $5 million for the sparsely populated town (about 20 people). The total area covers just 120 acres. For comparison, the size of the University of Colorado campus is 600 acres, or five times larger than Nipton.
The land purchased includes a general store, hotel, school, mineral baths, and a solar farm that covers half of Nipton’s energy costs. It might not seem like much, but it forms the perfect foundation for the expansions and updates American Green has planned. The company plans on spending another $2.5 million over the next 18 months to rebuild and add on to Nipton’s infrastructure.
Expanded Solar Farm
Nipton already uses solar panels to power a large part of the town. With a relatively small investment, American Green can expand the solar farm to reduce both energy costs and environmental impact.
Cannabis Production
In addition to providing tourists an amazing destination, American Green hopes to create a weedtopia for cannabis extraction and edible companies. Not only would the increased production create jobs and bring money into the growing town, but it would create the potential for new attractions and reasons to visit. Imagine being able to tour an edibles plant the way you might tour a brewery or the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory.
CBD & Mineral Baths
By introducing CBD treatments to the mineral baths, Nipton can provide both recreational and medical marijuana users a more relaxing, healthy day away.
Artists & Chefs
Cannabis and creativity go together like movies and popcorn for many users. To foster that sense of creativity—and bring more traffic to the town—American Green plans on adding artist-in-residence programs and culinary events.
Beds & Breakfasts
Bed and breakfasts will serve as the primary housing option for visitors, allowing Nipton to maintain a cozy, small-town feel and creating a more inviting environment where tourists can feel comfortable and secure smoking and socializing.
The Budding Green Rush
The growing marijuana industry is attracting impressive numbers of tourists and entrepreneurs to states that have legalized recreational use. Increasing numbers of business owners are choosing to invest in the budding industry, and there is every reason to believe cannabis could have the same impact for many towns that the gold rush had in the 19th century.
We’re not there yet, and American Green has a long way to go before they reach the lofty goals they set for themselves. But, the cannabis company has the plan and resources to make Nipton one of the top marijuana tourism destinations and production hubs in the nation.
If everything goes according to schedule, we could be scheduling our trip to pot utopia in just 18 months. The green rush might even end up being bigger than the 1849 gold rush. And who knows? Maybe our great grandchildren will sit down someday to watch the red and gold San Francisco 49ers face off against the green and purple Nipton 19ers.
Karing Kind is Boulder’s First Recreational Marijuana Dispensary
We strive to offer a top-tier experience every time you enter our store. Our extensive menu, award-winning budtenders, incredible deals, and the lowest marijuana tax rate in the state make us the perfect Colorado cannabis destination.
Karing Kind is located just off of US-36, one mile north of Broadway, open MON-SUN from 9am to 10pm.
While we carry a variety of strains, concentrates, edibles, salves and tinctures, inventory and stock levels fluctuate from week to week and month to month. Check our menu and follow us on Twitter for an up-to-date list of edibles, concentrates and buds available now.