An unexpected magnet for Californians lies a state away

In 1968, inventor Robert McCulloch purchased the decommissioned London Bridge for $2.4 million and began to move it to newly founded Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

- BY TERRY CASTLEMAN

LUIS SINCO Los Angeles Times PACKED BOATS bob in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Recreationists descend in droves to the area in the summer.

The bridge’s 10,276 granite blocks were shipped by sea to Long Beach, then trucked to Arizona.

Back then, moving the London Bridge to the desert elicited chuckles and curiosity in California. But in recent years, increasing numbers of Californians are taking that same trek from the coast to start new lives in Lake Havasu.

The town famed for its spring break recreation might not be the first place that comes to mind when Californians think about relocating.

After all, in raw numbers, the biggest destination for Californians in the last few years has been Texas. When it comes to migration to Arizona, Maricopa County — home to Phoenix — saw the largest influx of Californians by sheer numbers, at 36,000 in 2023, U.S. Census data show.

But Lake Havasu City is impressive in two key metrics:

Far more Californians move to the town per capita compared with the Phoenix area.

In 2023, which was the last year that data were available, 5,358 Californians moved to Mojave County (home to Havasu) compared with only 2,651 Arizonans. That is the highest ratio in Arizona.

So the city offers a useful window into how Californians resettle when they cross the Golden State border.

Amber Whitehead lived the first 47 years of her life in California before moving to Lake Havasu City full time in 2024.

THE COVID-19 pandemic prompted a California migration boom to Lake Havasu City, and the Arizona town's popularity has endured.

(BRIAN VAN DER BRUG Los Angeles Times)

Now, she worries too many others are following her.