About Bullhead City

Bullhead City is a thriving city built on community and recreational activities. It is a vibrant area located along the Colorado River, making it the home of Arizona's West Coast. Tourism remains one of the biggest industries for Bullhead City.

Things to Do

Check out a selection of activities and events we have at Bullhead City!

History of Bullhead City

The modern beginnings of the city were revived with the construction of Davis Dam, which broke ground in 1942, but had to be halted because World War II consumed necessary construction materials. Construction resumed in 1946, a year after the war ended, and the dam was completed in 1950, which impounds Lake Mohave in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The dam is named after the late Arthur Powell Davis, Director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1914 until 1923.

Construction workers on the project lived with their families at the foot of the dam in a community called Davis Camp. Nearby, a town sprang up from the remains of Hardyville to support the growing population. The town was named Bullhead City after a rock island in the Colorado River that resembled the head and shoulders of a bull with large, curved horns. The Bullhead City post office was established in 1946, and the rock was submerged under the rising water of Lake Mohave as it backed up behind Davis Dam in the early 1950s.

In the 1960s developers began advertising local subdivisions in Southern California, and the retirement population began to grow. The City’s population has grown from just over 10,000 residents in 1980 to more than 40,000, according to the 2020 Census. 

The City of Bullhead City incorporated on August 28, 1984 and became Arizona’s 77th municipality.  As of 2025, Bullhead City is approximately 59.4 square miles.