Clark County, Nevada facts for kids

Clark County
	Clark County, Nevada
	Map
	; Location in the state of Nevada
	; Nevada's location in the U.S.
	Statistics
Founded	July 1, 1909
Seat	Las Vegas
Largest City	Las Vegas
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 8,061 sq mi (20,878 km²); 7,891 sq mi (20,438 km²); 169 sq mi (438 km²), 2.1%
PopulationEst.; - (2014); - Density	; 2,069,681; 247/sq mi (95/km²)
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
	Website: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/Pages/default.aspx
	Named for: William A. Clark

Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,951,269, with an estimated population of 2,114,801 in 2015. It is by far the most populous county in Nevada, accounting more than two-thirds of its residents. Las Vegas, Nevada's most populous city, has been the county seat since the county was established.

The county was formed by the Nevada Legislature by splitting off a portion of Lincoln County on February 5, 1909, and came into existence on July 1, 1909. The Las Vegas Valley, a 600 sq mi (1,600 km²) basin, includes Las Vegas as well as the other primary population center, the unincorporated community of Paradise.

Much of the county was originally part of Pah-Ute County, Arizona Territory before Nevada became a state. The county was named for William Andrews Clark, a Montana copper magnate and U.S. Senator. Clark was largely responsible for the construction of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad through the area, a factor heavily contributing to the region's early development.

Clark County is today known as a major tourist destination, with 150,000 hotel rooms. The Las Vegas Strip, home to most of the hotel-casinos known to many around the world, is located not within the City of Las Vegas city limits, but in unincorporated Paradise. It is, however, located in the Las Vegas Valley.

Clark County is coextensive with the Las Vegas–Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area designated by the Office of Management and Budget and used by the United States Census Bureau and other agencies for statistical purposes.

Geography

Kyle Canyon in the Mount Charleston Wilderness

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,061 square miles (20,880 km²), of which 7,891 square miles (20,440 km²) is land and 169 square miles (440 km²) (2.1%) is water.

The Colorado River forms the county's southeastern boundary, with Hoover Dam forming Lake Mead along much of its length. The lowest point in the state of Nevada is located on the Colorado River just south of Laughlin in Clark County, where it flows out of Nevada into California and Arizona. Las Vegas is a valley. By definition, Greater Las Vegas is a tectonic valley, surrounded by four mountain ranges, with nearby Mount Charleston being the highest elevation at 11,918 ft (3,633 m), located to the northwest. Other than the forests on Mount Charleston, the geography in Clark County is a desert. Creosote bushes are the main native vegetation, and the mountains are mostly rocky with little vegetation.

Adjacent counties

Lincoln County – north
Nye County – west
Inyo County, California – southwest
San Bernardino County, California – south
Mohave County, Arizona – east

National protected areas

Calico basin in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Desert National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (part)
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (part)
Toiyabe National Forest (part)

There are 20 official wilderness areas in Clark County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Many of these are located in, or partially located in, one of the preceding protected areas, as indicated below. Many are separate entities that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM):

Arrow Canyon Wilderness (BLM)
Black Canyon Wilderness (Nevada) (Lake Mead NRA)
Bridge Canyon Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA)
Eldorado Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA / BLM)
Ireteba Peaks Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA /BLM)
Jimbilnan Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA)
Jumbo Springs Wilderness (BLM)
La Madre Mountain Wilderness (BLM / Toiyabe NF)
Lime Canyon Wilderness (BLM)
Meadow Valley Range Wilderness (BLM) mostly in Lincoln County, NV
Mormon Mountains Wilderness (BLM) mostly in Lincoln County, NV
Mount Charleston Wilderness (Toiyabe NF / BLM)
Muddy Mountains Wilderness (BLM / Lake Mead NRA)
Nellis Wash Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA)
North McCullough Wilderness (part of Sloan Canyon NCA, which is managed by BLM)
Pinto Valley Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA)
Rainbow Mountain Wilderness (BLM / Toiyabe NF)
South McCullough Wilderness (BLM)
Spirit Mountain Wilderness (Lake Mead NRA / BLM)
Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness (BLM)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	3,321	—
1920	4,859	46.3%
1930	8,532	75.6%
1940	16,414	92.4%
1950	48,289	194.2%
1960	127,016	163.0%
1970	273,288	115.2%
1980	463,087	69.5%
1990	741,459	60.1%
2000	1,375,765	85.5%
2010	1,951,269	41.8%
Est. 2015	2,114,801	8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013

2000 census

In 2000 there were 512,253 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 32.20% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,536, and the median income for a family was $59,485. Males had a median income of $35,243 versus $27,077 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,785. About 7.90% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

The United States Census Bureau 2009 estimates place the population for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area at 1,902,834 people, and the region is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Large numbers of new residents in the state originate from California.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,951,269 people, 715,365 households, and 467,916 families residing in the county. The population density was 247.3 inhabitants per square mile (95.5/km²). There were 840,343 housing units at an average density of 106.5 per square mile (41.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.9% white, 10.5% black or African American, 8.7% Asian, 0.7% Pacific islander, 0.7% American Indian, 13.5% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 11.7% were German, 9.1% were Irish, 7.6% were English, 6.3% were Italian, and 2.7% were American.

Of the 715,365 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.6% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.26. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,258 and the median income for a family was $63,888. Males had a median income of $43,693 versus $35,324 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,422. About 8.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 11 (Future)
Interstate 15
Interstate 215
Interstate 515
U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 Business (Las Vegas)
State Route 146
State Route 147
State Route 156
State Route 157
State Route 158
State Route 159
State Route 160
State Route 161
State Route 163
State Route 164
State Route 165
State Route 168
State Route 169
State Route 170
State Route 171
State Route 172
State Route 562
State Route 564
State Route 573
State Route 574
State Route 578
State Route 579
State Route 582
State Route 589
State Route 592
State Route 593
State Route 594
State Route 595
State Route 596
State Route 599
State Route 602
State Route 604
State Route 610
State Route 612
County Route 215
Summerlin Parkway

Parks and recreation

Sunset, Valley of Fire State Park, in NE Clark County.

Main page: Parks of the Las Vegas Valley

Sunset Park, located at Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas

Environmental factors

Clark County contains a diverse desert flora and fauna, including higher elevation mountain areas, the desert floor and the Colorado River/Lake Mead ecosystems. Variations in diurnal temperature as well as seasonal swings in temperature create demanding adaptation elements on the species of this county. Additional pressure has been placed on species survival by the rapid human population expansion, especially since 1970.

Correspondingly air quality levels prior to the 1960s were in a favorable range, but the proliferation of automobiles with the human population expansion created circumstances where some Federal Air Quality Standards began to be violated in the 1980s.

To plan for the wave of development forecast by 1980, Clark County embarked on a regional Environmental Impact Assessment funded by a Federal Section 208 program, with Sedway Cooke conducting the planning work and Earth Metrics performing environmental analysis. This endeavor projected future population growth, land use changes and environmental impacts.

To prevent the loss of federal funds due to unacceptable dust levels in the Las Vegas valley, in 2003 the Nevada Air Quality Management division (under direction of Clark County officials) created the massive "Don't Be a Dusthole" campaign. The campaign successfully raised awareness of dust pollution in the Las Vegas valley, quantifiably reducing pollutants and preserving ongoing federal funding.

Located in Apex is the Apex Landfill which at 2,200 acres (890 ha) is the largest landfill in the United States. Republic Services owns and operates the landfill.

Earthquake hazards

Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S. (after Alaska and California); it has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that over the next 50 years Clark County has a 10–20% chance of a M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km of Las Vegas.

Communities

Bracketed number refers to location on map, right

Cities

Boulder City (21)
Henderson (19)
Las Vegas (10) (county seat)
North Las Vegas (9)
Mesquite (4)

Census-designated places

Air Force Bases

Creech Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base

Other unincorporated communities

Arden
Cactus Springs
Cottonwood Cove
Coyote Springs (planned)
Crystal
Fort Mojave Indian Reservation (former CDP) (25)
Glendale (2)
Jean
Logandale
Mountain Springs
Overton
Primm
Roach
Sloan
Summerlin
Sutor
Vegas Creek (former CDP)

Notable government buildings

Clark County Government Center
Regional Justice Center (opened October 3, 2005)

Images for kids

The Las Vegas Strip looking South.
Regional Justice Center
The Clark County Detention Center.