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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - USA
Las Vegas is the largest city in the U.S.
state of Nevada, and (due to its gambling and entertainment) a major
tourist destination. At the 2000 census, the city had a population of
478,434 making it the largest city in the state of Nevada. The city's
official population estimate as of July 1, 2002 is 514,640. Las Vegas is
the county seat of Clark County, Nevada.
The name "Las Vegas" is often also applied to the unincorporated areas of
Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and
near the Las Vegas Strip. This four and a half mile stretch of Las Vegas
Boulevard is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits, in the township of
Paradise, Nevada.
History
First settled in 1854 by Mormon farmers, Las Vegas already had been named by
Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party who watered there while heading north
and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. At that time, some low
areas of the Las Vegas Valley contained artesian springs which created
extensive green areas in contrast to the surrounding desert, hence the name
Las Vegas, Spanish for "The Fertile Valleys." The Mormons abandoned the site
in 1857, and the U.S. Army built Fort Baker there in 1864. Thanks to the
springs, Las Vegas was a water stop, first for wagon trains and later
railroads, on the trail between Los Angeles, California, and points east
such as Albuquerque, New Mexico. Las Vegas was founded on May 15, 1905 when
110 acres, in what later would become downtown, were auctioned.
Incorporated in 1911, and with gambling legalized in 1931, Las Vegas started
its rise to world fame in 1941, when developers began building large hotels
incorporating gambling casinos. Several such early enterprises are widely
reputed to have been backed by money from crime syndicates based in the
eastern United States. Gangsters Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky
are widely credited as the organizers and prime movers behind early
development of Las Vegas. Ever since then, Las Vegas has been a mecca of
gambling.
Las Vegas is sometimes called "Sin City" due to the popularity of legalized
gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages any time of the day and night,
various forms and degrees of adult entertainment, and legalized prostitution
in nearby counties (Nevada law prohibits prostitution in counties which have
large populations; see Prostitution in Nevada). The nickname favored by
local government and promoters of tourism is "The Entertainment Capital of
the World." In the last fifteen years or so many massive casinos have been
built, and the emphasis has turned from gambling and other "adult" pursuits
to entertainment for both adults and children. In addition, concerted effort
has been made by city fathers to diversify their economy by attracting light
manufacturing, textiles, banking, and other commercial interests. The lack
of any state, individual or corporate income tax, and very simple
incorporation requirements, have fostered the success of this effort. Having
been late to develop an urban core of any substantial size, Las Vegas has
retained very affordable real estate prices in comparison to nearby urban
centers. Consequently, the city has recently enjoyed an enormous boom both
in population and in tourism. As of 2001, the greater Las Vegas metropolitan
area is the fastest growing population center in the United States. Las
Vegas's incorporated population of 478,434 is an understatement of the
city's recent population boom, as much of the greater Las Vegas metropolitan
area is unincorporated. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is home to
1,583,172 residents according to the county's 2003 estimate.
As a reflection of the city's rapid growing population, the new Chinatown of
Las Vegas was constructed in the early 1990s on Spring Mountain Road.
Chinatown initially consisted of only one large shopping center complex but
the area was recently expanded for new shopping centers that contain various
Asian businesses.
Government
Most of the people and businesses who call "Las Vegas" home actually live in
neighboring communities that have no city government. In fact, of the nearly
1.6 million people who live in the Las Vegas Valley, just under 680,000 live
in no city at all. The largest of these towns are Paradise (187,680) between
Las Vegas and Henderson, Sunrise Manor (183,679) east of Las Vegas and North
Las Vegas, and Spring Valley (152,330) southwest of Las Vegas. These towns
resulted from a 1940s water dispute between the City of Las Vegas and early
homeowners south of San Francisco Street, now Sahara Avenue. Residents of
these towns cannot vote for the Mayor and City Council of Las Vegas, but
they can vote for members of the Clark County Commission, which governs
their areas. They are also represented by advisory boards, which are
appointed by and give nonbinding suggestions to the Clark County Commission.
The City of Las Vegas government operates as a council-manager government.
The Mayor sits as a Councilmember-At-Large and presides over all of the City
Council meetings. In the event that the Mayor cannot preside over a City
Council meeting the Mayor Pro-Tem is the presiding body of the meeting until
such time as the Mayor returns to his seat. The City Manager is responsible
for the administration and the day to day operation of all of the municipal
services and city departments. The City Manager also maintains an
intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, county and other local
governments.
Elected and Government Officials of the City of Las Vegas:
(For Councilmembers' official websites, see City of Las Vegas Official
Website under External Links)
Douglas Selby - City Manager
Barbara Jo (Roni) Ronemus - City Clerk
Oscar B. Goodman - Mayor and Councilmember at Large (Term Expires in 2007)
Gary Reese - Mayor Pro-Tem and 3rd Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2007)
Janet Moncrief - 1st Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2007)
Steve Wolfson - 2nd Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2005)¹.
Larry Brown - 4th Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2005)
Lawrence Weekly - 5th Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2007)
Michael Mack - 6th Ward Councilmember (Term Expires in 2005)
¹ Elected on June 22, 2004 in a special election to finish the term of
Councilwoman Lynette Boggs-McDonald following her resignation upon
appointment to the Clark County Commission.
City of Las Vegas Government Offices are located at 400 Stewart Avenue, Las
Vegas, Nevada 89101.
Geography
Las Vegas is located at 36°11'39" North, 115°13'19" West (36.194168,
-115.222060).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
293.6 km² (113.4 mi²). 293.5 km² (113.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1
mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.04% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 478,434 people, 176,750 households, and
117,538 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,630.3/km²
(4,222.5/mi²). There are 190,724 housing units at an average density of
649.9/km² (1,683.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 69.86% White,
10.36% African American, 0.75% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.45% Pacific
Islander, 9.75% from other races, and 4.05% from two or more races. 23.61%
of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 176,750 households out of which 31.9% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 48.3% are married couples living together, 12.2%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% are non-families.
25.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.66 and the average family size is 3.19.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18,
8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100
females there are 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $44,069, and the median
income for a family is $50,465. Males have a median income of $35,511 versus
$27,554 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,060. 11.9% of
the population and 8.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 15.4% are under the age of 18 and 8.3% are
65 or older.
The population of the entire Las Vegas Valley is approximately 1.6 million.
Climate
Las Vegas has a desert climate with very little rainfall, and extreme heat
in the summer; highs of 105°F (40°C) are common from May to September, and
for several days each year, temperatures may exceed 115°F (46° C). Winters
are cool and windy, with the balance of Las Vegas' annual four inches of
rainfall coming from January to March. Only rarely are showers seen in
Spring or Fall. July through September, the Mexican Monsoon often brings
enough moisture from the Gulf of Mexico across Mexico and into the US
southwest to cause afternoon thunderstorms.
Problems
Because Las Vegas is in a valley, the rare instance of intense precipitation
can cause heavy flooding. For example, an unprecedented thunderstorm hit the
northwest part of the city for two hours in August of 2003, causing some
hail damage and considerable water damage. Heavy localized flooding occurred,
with property damage reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
To help alleviate the damage caused by flooding, the city has spent millions
of dollars to build large concrete drainage areas throughout the area. The
hope is that these open-top drainage areas (each ten feet by fifteen feet by
thirteen feet) will help to ease the flow of water when flooding does occur.
Sports
Las Vegas is the largest city in the United States to have no major-league
level professional sports teams. This is largely due to the stigma of legal
sports betting being seen as a conflict of interest with any potential pro
sports team being located in Las Vegas by the NBA, NFL, NHL, and Major
League Baseball. There are no laws preventing Nevada sports books from
accepting bets on local professional teams, and many casinos have said they
would not voluntarily take a local team "off the boards." Las Vegas also has
a considerably small television market, because the larger outlying areas
were all drawn into the markets of larger cities farther away decades ago (St.
George, Utah is in the Salt Lake City market, and Bullhead City, Arizona is
in the Phoenix market). Las Vegas' TV market is the 51st largest in the US,
behind places like Albuquerque, Greensboro, Harrisburg, and Hartford.
However, Las Vegas does have the following minor league sports and pro tour
events:
Las Vegas Gladiators (Arena Football League)
Las Vegas 51s (Pacific Coast League, Class AAA minor league baseball)
Las Vegas Wranglers (East Coast Hockey League)
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
NASCAR Busch Series: Sam's Town 300
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Las Vegas 350
NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
PGA Michelin Championship at Las Vegas Oct 7-10, 2004
LPGA -- (to be named event)
PRCA National Finals Rodeo
PBA Las Vegas Open
The Las Vegas Posse was a former Canadian Football League team that played
at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Las Vegas has become an internationally known motor racing locale having
hosted the elite Formula One racers at Caesars Palace and the Championship
Auto Racing Teams (CART) for Indy racers in the early "80's. Las Vegas was
also the home of the famed "Mint 400" Desert Race from 1968-1987 run in the
unforgiving Nevada desert outside Las Vegas. Nearly 100,000 spectators lined
the 100 mile loop to view the 500+ off road racing vehicles. Sponsored by
Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino, the event was the largest and richest
event in the sport. The technical and safety inspection was held on famed
Fremont Street and became one of the major must attend sporting events in
Las Vegas history. The race ended when Del Webb organization sold the Mint
Hotel to the adjacent Horseshoe owned by the legendary Binion gaming family.
Las Vegas is also host to many professional boxing matches and has hosted
many heavyweight boxing championship bouts. The University of Nevada, Las
Vegas Rebels (Runnin' Rebels is used only by the men's basketball program)
host Mountain West Conference events on the UNLV campus and eight miles east,
at Sam Boyd Stadium. Indoor sporting events involving UNLV teams are held at
the Thomas & Mack Center complex, both at the main arena and at Cox Pavilion,
a smaller arena attached to the complex.
In April 2004, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig publicly
revealed that MLB was considering Las Vegas as a potential future home for
the Montreal Expos. However, MLB eventually chose Washington, D.C. as the
Expos' new home.
Transport
After many delays, a passenger monorail opened on July 15, 2004. It begins
at the MGM Grand at the south end of the Strip, and then runs roughly
parallel to the Strip on its eastern side. The monorail passes next to the
Las Vegas Hilton and the Convention Center before ending at the Sahara at
the north of the Strip. It takes about 14 minutes to travel its total
distance of 3.9 miles (approximately 6 kilometers). The fare is $3 one way
or $10 for an all-day pass. The system has suffered several malfunctions
that have caused it to be closed for extended periods.
McCarran International Airport is amongst the United States busiest
airports. The growth of the Strip to the south has meant that the airport is
now very close to the heart of Las Vegas.
The CAT Bus (Citizens Area Transit) is the most popular means of public
transportation among locals and tourists with 51 bus routes operating all
over the valley .
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