Santa Claus, Arizona, was once a whimsical holiday-themed destination, is now a notable ghost town in the U.S.
First envisioned in 1937 as a year-round holiday-themed attraction along Route 66, this once-festive town in Mohave County has been completely abandoned for decades, leaving the festive spirit to rot in the desert.
In 2022, the remains of the ghost town has been dismantled, with most vandalized buildings removed, leaving behind only memories of its festive past.
A (Failed) Festive Experiment
Santa Claus, Arizona, originally known as “Santa Claus Acres,” was officially launched in 1937 by Nina Talbot, an ambitious real estate agent who had moved to the area with her husband.
Talbot envisioned creating a Christmas-themed resort town that would attract tourists and potential land buyers to the remote desert landscape of Mohave County.
The town featured whimsical architecture, including buildings with pointy roofs and vibrant paint schemes reminiscent of a holiday wonderland.
Children could send letters to Santa and visit him at any time of the year, making it a magical destination for families.
The main attraction was the Santa Claus Inn, along with a restaurant that served festive dishes. Unfortunately, despite its charm, the town struggled to sustain itself financially.
In 1949, after twelve years of operation, Talbot sold the Santa Claus town. Although it briefly enjoyed popularity as a tourist spot, the allure faded over time.
The new owners ran the inn with moderate success until the 1970s, when the popularity of Santa Claus started to decline altogether.
By 1983, Santa Claus had been removed from the official Arizona maps and the entire town had been listed as for sale — unsuccessfully.
Decades later, Santa Claus is officially considered a ghost town, home to families of rattlesnakes, vandalized buildings and a children’s train tagged with holiday-themed graffiti.
Santa Claus also inspired several works of fiction, such as Robert A. Heinlein’s short story “Cliff and the Calories”, which featured a fictionalized version of the town and its restaurant.
Another example is the 1984 horror film “Don’t Open Till Christmas”, which used Santa Claus as a filming location.
The End of Santa Claus
The final nail in the coffin for Santa Claus came in 1995, when the last operating business in the town, the post office, closed its doors.
The town’s main attraction, the ability to send letters with a Santa Claus postmark, was no longer available.
The town became a curiosity for travelers and urban explorers, who documented the decay and vandalism of the once-merry place.
In late 2021 or early 2022, the remaining structures of Santa Claus were torn down, leaving behind only a few traces of the town’s existence.
The land was reportedly sold to a private buyer, who may have plans to develop it in the future.
Santa Claus may be gone, but it will not be forgotten.
Today, there is nothing left but memories and a few scattered remnants of what once was a popular roadside attraction along Route 66.
It remains a unique and fascinating chapter in the history of Arizona and the American Southwest nonetheless.
Read also: This Woman Revived a Ghost Town in Utah’s Desert and Turned it into an Artist Residency
Photo Gallery: Santa Claus Then and Now
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