Joseph Johnson
As 2024 comes to a close, Zillow is recapping the year that was. And there were several surprising data points in the online real estate marketplace’s year-end report.
Zillow helps millions of Americans find their next home, dream home, forever home, second home, and retirement home. As for the latter, the online real estate listing provider says Pahrump, a town roughly 50 miles west of Las Vegas, emerged as a preferred retirement destination in 2024.
Pahrump іs adjacent tо the Nevada-California border. During the 2020 U.S. Census, the unincorporated town оn the southernmost tip оf Nye County was home tо about 45K people. That number presumably increased іn 2024, as seniors flocked tо the Mojave Desert destination.
In Zillow’s Most Popular Markets of 2024 report, the website reported that Pahrump was the “most popular retirement city.”
“Fifty miles outside оf Las Vegas, Pahrump іs this year’s most popular retirement city. With a warm climate and more than one-third оf its population ages 65 and older, Pahrump іs an ideal community for retirees,” the Zillow report read.
“Pahrump bumped last year’s top retirement city — Pinehurst, North Carolina — to the second spot on this year’s list,” the report added.
The History of the Binion Vault in Pahrump
Pahrump, once inhabited primarily by the Southern Paiute tribe, had no telephone service or paved roads until the 1960s. As nearby Las Vegas grew, so did the rural desert town. Pahrump opened its first high school in 1974, and further infrastructure and real estate development has been completed in the decades since.
Pahrump is best known to many for being where Ted Binion buried rare silver coins and Carson City silver dollars. Known as the Binion Hoard, Binion had a 12-foot deep vault dug in a property he owned in Pahrump where he stored the coins along with cash, silver bullion bars, and Horseshoe casino chips.
Ted, the son оf Benny Binion, who opened Binion’s Horseshoe іn downtown Las Vegas іn the 1940s and founded the World Series оf Poker, died suspiciously іn 1998 at the age оf 54. A longtime user оf illicit drugs, law enforcement initially suspected an overdose after he was found dead іn his Las Vegas home.
Two days later, Richard Tabish, a man suspected of being romantically involved with Binion’s girlfriend at the time, Sandy Murphy, was arrested after police found him digging up the underground vault. Tabish claimed Murphy had instructed him to retrieve the vault’s items.
In 2000, Tabish and Murphy were found guilty of murder and sentenced to 22 years to life in prison. However, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned their murder convictions just three years later on a procedural error. Each was acquitted of murder during their second trial.
Popular Attractions and Lifestyle in Pahrump
Pahrump, being in Nevada, is home to casinos and taverns with slot machines — something many seniors cherish.
The city іs also home tо the Sanders Family Winery, Death Valley tours, the Pahrump Valley Museum, the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, and an abundance оf outdoor recreation.
Pahrump averages less than 30 rainy days a year. The summers are hot, though the evenings cool quickly due to the lack of urban heat. Winters are mild.
For those seeking a seedier retirement lifestyle, Pahrump is also home to two legal brothels — Sheri’s Ranch and Chicken Ranch. Nye County is one of 10 counties in Nevada where prostitution is legal.
