Lake Havasu City, Arizona 2008 nationwide survey, Forbes magazine ranked Lake Havasu City "The Least Educated City in America", using information from statistics on the Lake Havasu - Kingman Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Mohave County Arizona coming up last in the number of college graduates living in the city. A campus of Mohave Community College is located in Lake Havasu City. MCC also is home of one of the Northern Arizona University extended campuses. Arizona State University opened a new lower-tuition 4-year college campus, the ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City, in August 2012. The City operates under a council-manager form of government.
Havasu Creek enters Cataract Canyon (also known as Havasu Canyon). It then reaches Havasu Springs, where an underground source feeds the creek. This spring can be accessed by heading upstream when the creek is first encountered. The water stays at about 70 °F (21 °C) all year around. The creek is well known for its blue-green color and distinctive travertine formations. This is due to large amounts of calcium carbonate in the water that formed the limestone that lines the creek and reflects its color so strongly. This also gives the creek an interesting feature, as it is ever-changing. This occurs because