Cannabis Company Wants To Turn Town Of Nipton Into Pot Paradise

NIPTON, Calif. (AP) - Now that one of the nation's largest cannabis companies has bought the entire California desert town of Nipton, a question remains: Will the new owners rename the place Potsylvania?

American Green Inc. announced Thursday it is buying all 80 acres of the town whose current owner likes to describe it as being conveniently located in the middle of nowhere.

Nipton owner Roxanne Lang says escrow hasn't closed yet. But she confirms American Green is the buyer.

The new owner plans to turn the onetime Gold Rush town 60 miles from Las Vegas into an "energy-independent, cannabis-friendly" destination.

When Lang's late husband, Gerald Freeman, bought Nipton in 1985 it was a rundown ghost town.

He transformed it into an eccentric destination for desert aficionados.

Only about 20 people live there.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.