This Desert Town Banned Streetlights — And the Visitors Keep Coming

The ordinance was radical in 2014: no streetlights, shielded fixtures only, and a curfew on decorative lighting. Half the town thought it would kill business. Instead, the darkness became the business.

The local astronomy association now runs nightly viewings from the old sports field, and the town council has formally designated the view of the Milky Way a "public asset" in its planning code — believed to be a world first.

Residents have adapted with red-tinted headlamps and a certain smugness. "On cloudy nights," one hotelier admits, "we are just a normal town with better stories."

“Twelve years after going dark, the stargazing town's Milky Way is classified as a public asset. The bed-and-breakfasts are booked to spring.”