North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, United States, in the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 216,961, with an estimated population of 251,974 in 2019. The city was incorporated on May 1, 1946. It is the fourth largest city in the state of Nevada.

History

During the 1860s, Conrad Kiel established a ranch at the modern-day intersection of Carey Street and Losee Road in what would be North Las Vegas. In 1917, libertarian Thomas L. Williams of

Eureka, Utah Eureka is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 669 at the 2010 census, down from 766 in 2000. The city was named from the Greek word ''eureka'', meaning "I have found ...

visited the

, back when

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Las Vegas Indian Colony The Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony ( Southern Paiute language: Nuvagantucimi, "people of "where snow sits" (i.e. Charleston Peak)) is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute Indians in Southern Nevada. Res ...

, and Arden were the only entities in the valley. He did not approve of Las Vegas, perhaps because of its rowdiness (he was a Christian, or at least went to church), or because Las Vegas' attempts at municipal control over its citizens. However, he was pleased by the abundance of the valley's

artesian water An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within t ...

and potential for agriculture. Two years later in 1919, he moved himself and his family (his wife and three sons) to a 160-acre piece of land a mile from Las Vegas. That year, he founded his town, developing the town by building he and his family a house, sinking a well, grading roads, extending power lines, and forming a system of

irrigation ditch An acequia () or séquia () is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest particularly n ...

es. Williams believed that churches and church people should govern the new town, and so encouraged churches to buy property in the town. In 1919, the federally enforced

Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress, designed to carry out the intent of the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919), which established the prohibition of alcoholic d ...

was passed, which prohibited the sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol. Since there was no local law against alcohol, and because of a system of tunnels that would connect the town's underground

speakeasies A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States ...

, the town attracted bootleggers from Las Vegas, although Williams was initially unaware of this. This gave his town the nickname of "Old Town". When he did discover of it, he stuck with agriculture for his economic purposes. In 1924, Williams built his second house that was the first business of the town. It was named the Oasis Auto Court, and it contained a grocery store, a campground, a post office, a community center, and a telephone. At the time, it was the town's only telephone. Between 1928 and 1935, a large influx of workers from the Hoover Dam settled in Williams' town, as Las Vegas was intolerant towards them. In 1932, the town board was created. That same year, the town's first grammar school, Washington School, opened. A proper name had not yet been established for the town, and Williams did not want it named after himself, which lead to the town board voting for either "North Las Vegas" or "Vegas Verde" (which means "Green Meadows" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

). "Vegas Verde" won, and that became the name for the town for a few months. George Hansen, a town board member who voted for the name "North Las Vegas", noticed that at one town board meeting, two members who voted the name "Vegas Verde" were absent. The vote for a name came once again, and "North Las Vegas" won. In 1939, Williams died of stroke, and that left North Las Vegas to the ruling of the town board. An elementary school, and a road, were eventually named after him. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Las Vegas Aerial Gunnery School opened in North Las Vegas. It would eventually become

Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...

. North Las Vegas was the subject of many annexation attempts from Las Vegas. On May 1, 1946, North Las Vegas was incorporated as a city. In 1957, North Las Vegas planned to annex an area to its southeast, and in response, the

Clark County Commission The Clark County Commission is the governmental organization that governs and runs Clark County, Nevada, providing services to the unincorporated areas. Its offices are located at the Clark County Government Center in Downtown Las Vegas. The comm ...

created the town of Sunrise Manor to prevent further annexation attempts. On May 13, 1964, First Lieutenant Raynor Lee Hebert, a student pilot from Port Arthur, Texas, took off from

at approximately 2:00 PM on an

F-105 The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...

fighter jet. He radioed his flight leader saying that he could not retract his nose gear, and thus couldn't gain altitude. He was at an height high enough to bail out, but too low that if he did, he would've hit Lincoln Elementary School, which was in session with 800 students. He kept the plane nose up long enough to pass the school, and eventually hit nine residential houses on Lenwood Avenue. The crash killed Hebert and four civilians. Hebert Memorial Park was created by the City of North Las Vegas with a plaque at the crash site to commemorate Hebert. In the early 1960s, North Las Vegas had a major growth boom. The 1970s in North Las Vegas saw a growth in poor neighborhoods, population density, and crime. In 1988, former mayor James Seastrand said in one interview, In the 1990s, North Las Vegas annexed about 60 square miles of empty desert surrounding the city, reportedly for more "upscale" housing. On January 29, 2022, nine people were killed and a tenth critically injured following a six-vehicle crash on an intersection in North Las Vegas. The crash occurred after a speeding Dodge Challenger ran a red light and struck the other five vehicles. It was the deadliest road accident in the area in recent history.

Geography

North Las Vegas city hall at night, February 2013

Located within the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

in the southwestern United States, North Las Vegas sits northeast of Las Vegas. According to the United States Census Bureau, North Las Vegas has a total area of , of which , or 0.04%, is water. In the Las Vegas Valley, there are several prominent mountain ranges nearby.

Climate

Due to its location within the Mojave Desert, North Las Vegas has a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

. Temperatures are generally mild in the winter and hot in the summer. Like most of the hot deserts of the United States, snowfall only occurs once every few years on average. In winter, temperatures rarely fall below freezing. In the summer, monsoons can reach the area, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Demographics

2000 US census

As of the 2000 census, there were 115,488 people, 34,018 households, and 27,112 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 36,600 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 55.93%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 19.02%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.82% Native American, 3.24% Asian, 0.53%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 15.78% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4.68% from two or more races. 37.61% were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 34,018 households, out of which 47.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was 3.67. In the city the population was spread out, with 33.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,057, and the median income for a family was $46,540. Males had a median income of $32,205 versus $25,836 for females. About 11.8% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. The United States Census Bureau listed North Las Vegas, as well as the Las Vegas metropolitan area, as one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States.

2010 US census

At the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 216,961 people residing in North Las Vegas. The racial makeup was 47.4%

, 19.9%

, 0.8% Native American, 6.3% Asian, 0.8%

, and 5.8% from two or more races.

residents of any race were 38.8% of the population, and 31.2% of the population was non-Hispanic White.

Economy

Bigelow Aerospace Bigelow Aerospace is an American aeronautics and outer space technology company which manufactures and develops expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998, and is based in North Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

is headquartered in North Las Vegas. Traditionally,

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

and

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

distribution companies have dominated the local market. However, high-tech businesses, including solar and green technology, and custom manufacturing facilities are moving to North Las Vegas. On May 12, 2019

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

opened a 850,000-square-foot fulfillment center in North Las Vegas which currently employs more than 1,500 people. In October 2019 Sephora opened a 715,000-square-foot distribution center in North Las Vegas.

Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center The Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center (FMWCC, originally the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility) is a state prison for women in North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. All custody levels (minimum, medium and maximum) are hous ...

, Nevada's only female correctional facility, is located in North Las Vegas. Master-planned communities in the city include Aliante and Eldorado. The Apex industrial Park is now a part of the city as well. North Las Vegas has many medical/recreational marijuana dispensaries, and opened the first 24-hour dispensary in the Las Vegas Valley.

Government

Mayor and council

The city of North Las Vegas provides recreational amenities, police and fire protection, and water and wastewater services. The city, which was incorporated in 1946, encompasses . The city operates under a council-manager form of government, with a mayor and four council members. The mayor is elected at large; and council members must live within, and are elected by their wards. The city has two municipal judges who are elected at large.

City management

The city manager and city attorney are appointed by and report to the city council. The city manager's administration consists of an Economic Development Division, Strategic Planning Division, community Outreach Division, Communications and Marketing Division and the following departments: Administrative Services, City Clerk, Community Services and Development, Finance, Fire, Human Resources,

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

, Public Works, the North Las Vegas Library District, and Utilities. The City of North Las Vegas operates an extensive system of open spaces, parks and leisure services. The city maintains 34 parks totaling more than of developed park land. Six of the city's parks feature water amenities, including pools, ponds and spray pads. The city also runs two recreation centers. In June 2011 the city opened a third recreation center—SkyView Multi-Generational Recreation Center—focused on mufti-generational fitness and recreation. It is operated by the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

under contract to provide quality amenities and programs for residents of all ages. North Las Vegas park officials recently completed of regional trails along the Lower Las Vegas Wash and along the Upper Las Vegas Wash. These paved trails connect with

Southern Nevada Southern Nevada (SNV) is a region and the southern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. It also includes the areas in and around Pahrump and Pioche. Tonopah and Hawthorne are sometimes also referred to as part ...

's Neon to Nature regional trail system, which is used for hiking, biking and leisurely strolls. The North Las Vegas Library District operates three full-service libraries—North Las Vegas Library, Aliante Library and Alexander Library. Each offers public access computers, adult and children's programming and meeting rooms in addition to books, downloadable media, DVDs, magazines and newspapers. Each also provides wireless connectivity to the Web for patrons who wish to use their electronic devices. The North Las Vegas Library, was the city's first library to open in 1966. Aliante Library opened to the public in May 2006 adjacent to the Nature Discovery Park, one of the most popular recreation amenities in North Las Vegas. Alexander Library, the city's newest state-of-the-art facility, opened in March 2009 and is adjacent to a two-acre park that includes tot lots, shade structures, paved and lighted walking paths and demonstration gardens.

Police

The

North Las Vegas Police Department The North Las Vegas Police Department (NLVPD) is the police department of the City of North Las Vegas in Clark County in southern Nevada. Although North Las Vegas and Las Vegas are part of the same metropolitan area, share city limit boundarie ...

was established in 1946 (when the city incorporated) to serve North Las Vegas, which at that time consisted of four square miles and a population of around 3,000. NLVPD grew to keep pace with the rapid growth of the city of North Las Vegas and Clark County. As of 2016, NLVPD provided law enforcement services to an area of 100.48 square miles (260.2 km2) and a population of approximately 233,808 citizens. As of July 2016, NLVPD had 309 commissioned personnel (Police and Detention Officers) and 106 civilian support personnel.

Education

North Las Vegas is home to the Cheyenne Campus of the

College of Southern Nevada The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada Sys ...

. The institution covers an area of roughly and provides for a broad variety of different courses. As of 2013, the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

was planning to open a branch in North Las Vegas near the I-215 Beltway, though this plan has yet to be implemented as of 2022. Primary and secondary school students in North Las Vegas are served by the

Clark County School District The Clark County School District (CCSD) is a school district that serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City; as well as the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue ...

(CCSD), the fifth-largest in the United States with over 300,000 students enrolled in any of its 357 schools. CCSD has a workforce of over 35,000 people, and is considered a major employer in the county. The following

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s are in North Las Vegas: * Canyon Springs *

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

* Legacy * Mojave * Rancho

Transportation

Domestic and international airline travel for the entire metropolitan area is handled at

Harry Reid International Airport Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...

, south of

, adjacent to the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city ...

. The

North Las Vegas Airport North Las Vegas Airport is a public-use airport northwest of downtown Las Vegas in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by the Clark County Commission and operated by the Clark County Department of Aviation. Known locally as Northtown, it is th ...

, formerly known as ''Sky Haven Airport'', was established on December 7, 1941. A division of

Vision Airlines Vision Airlines, formerly Vision Air, was an airline that had its operations headquartered in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline also operated charter flights for their tour services in northern Arizona and Nevada including the Grand Canyon, ...

operates tours to the Grand Canyon in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

from the airport.

RTC Transit RTC Transit is the name of the bus system in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Clark County, Nevada, Clark County, Nevada. It is a subsidiary of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. While it services most of Clark County ...

provides bus service in the city, as it does throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The major highways/roads serving North Las Vegas are

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

Clark County Route 215 The Las Vegas Beltway (officially named the Bruce Woodbury Beltway) is a beltway route circling three-quarters of the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. The Las Vegas Beltway carries two numerical designations. Approximately of the highway, f ...

, U.S. Route 93,

Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in Clark County, Nevada, United States, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S. Route 91 (US 91), which had been the main highway between Los Angel ...

( SR 604) and Rancho Drive (SR 599 / US 95 Bus.)

Notes

References

* City of North Las Vegas Communications Division * 2013 North Las Vegas Community Report * http://cityofnorthlasvegas.com/Departments/MayorAndCouncil/Files/SOTC13/CommunityReport2013.pdf

External links

City of North Las Vegas official website

{{Coord, 36, 13, 43, N, 115, 8, 48, W, type:city, display=title 1919 establishments in Nevada Cities in Clark County, Nevada Cities in the Mojave Desert Las Vegas Valley Populated places established in 1919 Cities in Nevada