In the Las Vegas exurb of Pahrump, Nevada, UFO culture and human alienation converge in Mars-like terrain.
On the fringes of the Mojave Desert, there’s an outpost settled on “poof dirt”—one step and the soft, uncompacted dirt goes “poof.” Pahrump, Nevada, is an unincorporated, three-stoplight town—named by Southern Paiute people Pah-Rimpi, or “Water Rock,” for its artesian wells—that might seem unremarkable. But its pioneer spirit embraces the unconventional, veering into “strange town” territory.
Tucked in a valley about sixty miles west of Las Vegas, Pahrump’s rurality comes with limited infrastructure and slow development. Historically unreliable internet access has made human connections feel cosmic distances away.
Beneath Pahrump’s dust are tales of eccentric radio broadcasts, Hollywood legends, and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings. The town holds legal brothels, and sprawling “zombie lots”—plots of land outside of utility service areas—featured on the crime-reality TV series On Patrol: Live.
It took time to understand how my hometown’s character was molded by distance. Years after leaving, I took an impromptu night drive to Pahrump. Under the eerie and familiar darkness, I looked at the Milky Way above—I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen it. Pahrump’s geographic remoteness offers celestial rewards: views of our galaxy and the occasional shooting star, a privilege I both adored and carelessly undervalued. Through this memory (and a lot of research) I realized that my hometown’s alien ties overlap with the Vegas exurb’s existential alienation, like two dimensional planes existing in one.
This intersection of astral wonder and topographic seclusion is perhaps why paranormal lore has such a strong hold here. Locals and visitors gather in Pahrump around UAP mythos, regularly transforming the exurb into an improbably remote hub for interstellar zest.
It’s no wonder UAP buffs find this dusty town alluring. From his Pahrump home studio, licensed ham radio broadcaster Art Bell (1945-2018), host of Coast to Coast AM, cast a signal that reached across the U.S. and beyond, alchemizing the town into a prominent node within UFO culture. His broadcasts unified fragmented late-night audiences by plunging into the unexplained.
Bell’s broadcasts may be why the Martians from the 1996 sci-fi film Mars Attacks! decided to touch down there. The movie’s memorable Martian landing scene was filmed in a nearby dry lakebed, an exclusive piece of Pahrump extraterrestrial lore.
Pahrump’s deepest impression is in the sensation of existing between worlds.
Pahrump’s alien ties continue through the people who actively cultivate that identity today. Joseph De La Torre, also known as the Pahrump Alien Guy, documents Pahrump UAP and regularly comments on alien activity on his YouTube channel. He is co-founder of the Southern Nevada Ufology Group, which hosts stargazing events and conferences across Southern Nevada, drawing UFO enthusiasts and creatives inspired by the town’s embrace of the outré.
Pahrump’s deepest impression is in the sensation of existing between worlds. Where poof dirt emulates the dust of another planet, Pahrump is more than a seedy and secluded town; it’s a portal to the Southwest ether, suspended between terra firma and the stars.
