LAist: From A to Zzyzx

Jen

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:03:01 -0800

Fascinating stuff. This is why I read this website! I've always wondered about that, but never bothered to do any research. Now lazy old me has a little bit of knowledge.

Kevin

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:01:08 -0800

Pete, you're very right...Springer thought by naming the place "Zzyzx", he'd have "the absolute last name in business" by being the last enty in the phone book. Sadly, it's not that interesting, but that's all I could find out about the name. I'll add it to the post, thanks everyone for bringing that up!

Pete

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:39:58 -0800

I seem to remember having read, in an annotated gazeteer of California place names, that the name "Zzyzx" was picked so it would be at the absolute bottom of any alphabetical list of anything.

Meghan

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 23:06:16 -0800

Yeah, I'm still wondering where the name come from. Could someone connect the dots for me. Wha???

Kate

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 22:19:44 -0800

Truly great story, but we still don't know where the peculiar name came from, right? I mean, the huckster dude's last name was Springer so he didn't name it after himself... doesn't a key set of dots remain unconnected here? Now its like, the more I know, the more I wonder...

Edward Padgett

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:22:10 -0800

For thirty years I have wondered about Zzyzx Road when driving to Las Vegas. Now I'll have something interesting to say about this oddly spelled road.

Rodger Jacobs

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:05:50 -0800

Excellent, Kevin! A fascinating tale well told.

Carolyn

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 14:40:25 -0800

That's such a good story I'm tempted to think you made it up!

Snow

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 13:47:49 -0800

There used to be a nightclub on Western & 6th called Zzyzx, but it changed its name.