Hotels in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

A little about Lake Havasu City...

Lake Havasu City, home of the historic London Bridge, is on the east shore of Lake Havasu on the Colorado River border of California and Arizona . McCulloch Properties, Inc. established the town in 1963 as a self-sufficient, planned community.

It is the major population center of Southern Mohave County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. Lake Havasu City incorporated in 1978.

Lake Havasu City attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to its calm waters and beautiful beaches. The London Bridge and its adjacent English Village are the focal point of a multi-million dollar resort complex of shops, restaurants and lodging facilities. A million visitors bring $100 million annually to the economy of Lake Havasu City.

A popular tourist attraction in Lake Havasu City is the London Bridge, which crosses an 8ft (2.4m) deep man-made canal that leads from Lake Havasu (on the Colorado River) to Thompson Bay. It was bought for US$2.5 million from the City of London when the bridge was replaced in 1968. The bridge was disassembled, and the marked stones were shipped to Lake Havasu City and reassembled for another US$7 million. It opened in October 1971. It has been claimed that it was bought in the mistaken belief that it was the more grandiose Tower Bridge (which is often wrongly called London Bridge by tourists), but McCulloch ardently denied that.

The city is serviced by several intersecting loop roads which connect with Highway 95. This somewhat unorthodox road layout has been a source of confusion for many newcomers. Many of the houses in the city are vacation homes.

The city is a destination of choice for university students during Spring Break. Its reputation in the region rivals Panama City, Florida in the east. Much of the spring break activity centers on the London Bridge Resort Village, a British-themed tourist district next to the bridge. The resort built a large patio extending out to the channel with a swimming pool and a stage equipped with disco lighting to accommodate parties.

Lake Havasu City is regularly host to other major events such as boating conventions and the Western Winter Blast. Property values have soared in recent years as has the city's population.

The opening of the London Bridge in October 1971 by McCulloch Properties, Inc. brought a unique attraction to Lake Havasu City. The Bridge has been reconstructed over a channel off of Lake Havasu and an English Village replica built next to it.

Forty-five-mile-long Lake Havasu, formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, offers abundant attractions to its visitors. The deep blue water with its coves and inlets makes the lake a good fishing spot for bluegill bass and crappie. The city hosts a number of major bass competitions. Open stretches of water are the scene of annual national outboard championships, sailing competitions, water skiing and International Jet Ski competitions.

Early mines and mining towns are scattered in the desert to the north and east of Havasu: the most famous of these is Oatman. Lake Havasu National Wildlife Refuge provides areas where one can explore the rugged terrain where birds and small game flourish.

For those interested in geological phenomena, the area surrounding Lake Havasu City is ideal. Within a 10-mile radius of the city, such specimens as volcanic rock, geodes, jaspers, obsidian, turquoise and agate can be uncovered.