Amboy
Amboy is a small unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert on historic Route 66. Amboy has a long history, and its most prominent feature is the iconic Roy’s Motel and Café, a classic roadside attraction.
Roy’s Motel and Café, with its distinctive Googie architecture, has been a popular stop for travelers along Route 66. The town itself has seen various levels of activity over the years, with periods of decline and attempts at revitalization. The area around Amboy also contains interesting geological features, including the nearby volcanic crater called Amboy Crater.
The town has become something of a cultural and historical landmark, representing the heyday of American roadside attractions and the nostalgia associated with Route 66. However, the population of Amboy is quite small, and the town is primarily known for its historical significance and as a stopping point for those traveling the historic Route 66.
Although Amboy was first settled in 1858, the town not established until 1883. Lewis Kingman, a locating engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, created the town as the first of a series of alphabetical railroad stations that was being constructing across the Mojave Desert.