Quay Valley, California facts for kids

Quay Valley was a big city that was planned to be built in Kings County, California. It was meant to be powered by solar power and house about 75,000 people. The city would have been located halfway between the big cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The idea for Quay Valley first came up in 2008. However, the people planning it had to put the project on hold because of money problems. By 2010, the project faced legal issues, especially about water rights. It was unclear if it would ever be built. In 2014, a court case about water was settled, which was good news for the project. A new plan was submitted in 2015.

But in December 2017, the main person behind the project, Quay Hays, officially withdrew the application. This meant the Quay Valley city project was stopped for good.

What Was the Plan for Quay Valley?

Quay Valley was designed to be a very green city. It would have used only clean and renewable energy. A large power plant on site would have generated 600 megawatts of solar power.

• Homes and People: The city was first planned to have about 50,000 homes on 12,000 acres (about 4,856 hectares). It would have housed around 150,000 people. Later, the plan was made smaller. It was changed to 25,000 homes on 7,200 acres (about 2,914 hectares) for 75,000 residents.
• Fun and More: The original ideas included fun places like an entertainment area, a medical center, theme parks, and even a race track. Some of these ideas were removed in later plans.

How the Project Started and Stopped

The idea for Quay Valley began with a group called Kings County Ventures LLC. More than 250 people worked on the early plans. In 2007, they even set up a special research ranch to test new building methods.

• Water Problems: By 2010, the project faced big challenges. One of the main problems was getting enough water. In California, new cities must show they have enough water, even during a five-year drought. The project leaders had a lawsuit about water rights.
• Other Hurdles: Besides water, the project also needed to show it had enough money and a detailed plan for things like roads and pipes. It was hard to find enough money to start such a huge project.
• Final Decision: Even though the water rights issue was settled in 2014, and a new plan was submitted in 2015, the project still didn't move forward. Finally, on December 6, 2017, the application for Quay Valley was officially withdrawn. This meant the dream of Quay Valley ended.

The Hyperloop Idea

In March 2015, something exciting was announced for the Quay Valley site. A company called Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) planned to build a test track for a hyperloop system there.

• What is a Hyperloop? A hyperloop is a super-fast way to travel. It uses special pods that move through tubes at very high speeds, like a train but much faster.
• Test Track: The company wanted to build a 5-mile (about 8-kilometer) test track at Quay Valley. They hoped to start building in 2016 and have it ready by 2017. The goal was to have the first rides in 2018.
• Speed: On this test track, the hyperloop pods might have reached speeds up to 200 mph (about 322 km/h). This was a very interesting part of the later plans for the area.

Even with the exciting hyperloop idea, the overall Quay Valley city project was eventually canceled.