If you are looking for information about Las Vegas, see Las Vegas (disambiguation).

Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is the most populous county in that state (2001 population estimate 1,464,653), and contains the city of Las Vegas, which is the county seat. Most of the county was originally part of Pah-Ute County, Arizona. Most people do not make a distinction between the County and the City of Las Vegas using Las Vegas to describe both.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 20,955 km² (8,091 mi²). 20,488 km² (7,910 mi²) of it is land and 467 km² (180 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.23% water.

The Colorado River forms the county's southeastern boundary, with Hoover Dam forming Lake Mead along much of its length. Las Vegas is frequently, yet incorrectly labeled a valley. By definition, Greater Las Vegas is a land basin or bowl, surrounded by four mountain ranges, with nearby Mount Charleston being the highest elevation at 11,918 ft, 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.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,623 families residing in the county. The population density is 67/km² (174/mi²). There are 559,799 housing units at an average density of 27/km² (71/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 71.58% White, 9.08% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 5.27% Asian, 0.47% Pacific Islander, 8.61% from other races, and 4.20% from two or more races. 21.96% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the county the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 103.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $44,616, and the median income for a family is $50,485. Males have a median income of $35,243 versus $27,077 for females. The per capita income for the county is $21,785. 10.80% of the population and 7.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.10% of those under the age of 18 and 7.30% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government

Clark County Government is run by the Clark County Commission which consists of 7 members who are elected to serve staggered 4 year terms in biannual elections. After each election, the members elect a Chairperson who runs the Commission Meetings. Actual day to day operations are handled by the County Manager who is hired by the Commission.

Each Commissioner is elected to represent 1 of 7 districts, designated A-G.

The Commissioners also serve as the Board of the University Medical Center .

The County operates out of the Clark County Government Center located in the City of Las Vegas. The building itself is rather unique in its shape and it includes an Amphitheater where concerts and other events are held.

The Clark County Courthouse is located a block from downtown Fremont Street, at 200 3rd Avenue. Marriage licenses are issued at this location.

The Clark County Detention Center (CCDC) is located another block away at 300 Casino Center South. Visitation is by a schedule defined by the housing location of the inmate. Visitors must arrive one hour prior to visitation for check in. Visits are 30 minutes long. Two persons per visit. Each inmate is allowed two visits per week. Valid state or federal issued picture identification is required for all visitors. Persons entering will be searched and checked for warrants (and if needed, arrested). Inmate conversations are monitored since all communications are done via closed-circuit television.

Clark County Commission

Members as of 2005

Clark County Regional Flood Control District

The Clark County Regional Flood Control District was created in 1985 by the state legislature allowing the county to provide broad solutions to flooding problems. The District has developed and so far successfully implemented a fifty year program to eliminate most flooding in the populated areas it is responsible for.

With the rapid growth, the plan and finances have not been able to keep up. As a result, developers are deciding to build in areas not yet protected by detention basins or other control measures. This is causing many new home buyers to deal with damage or severe runoff on local streets which are being used as flood channels .

Heavy rain fall can cause localized flash flooding. A thunderstorm hit the northwest part of the city of Las Vegas 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. In February of 2005 the southwest part of the Vegas Valley was hard hit by flooding from the mountain rain fall runoff. Higher than average precipitation that same winter was responsible for significant damage in Mesquite and Overton.

Since Las Vegas is located in a basin with a single outlet, the Las Vegas Wash, all rain runoff drains to the east side of the basin where it will eventually be deposited into Lake Mead. Rain fall in the surrounding mountain ranges at times, can contribute to flooding in the area. The area is also subject to localized weather events. It is possible for an area to receive heavy rainfall in a short time, while nearby areas as close as one or two miles receive little or no rain.

To help alleviate the damage caused by flooding, the Clark County Regional Flood Control District has spent millions of dollars to build detention basins and concrete drainage channels throughout the area. The belief is that these structures will control the flow of water when there is storm runoff and reduce flooding.

Given the topography of the area, some areas may not be fixable. One example being the Flamingo Wash where the channel overflows into the Imperial Palace parking garage during flash flooding events.

In addition to building and maintaining flood control projects, the District also operates a Flood Threat Recognition System of ALERT rain and stream-gauges, with the cooperation of the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service. This system collects hydrometeorologic data primarily for the purpose of detecting situations which could cause flooding.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities:

• Boulder City (Gambling is illegal in the city limits)
• Henderson
• Las Vegas (County seat)
• Laughlin
• North Las Vegas
• Mesquite

Townships:

• Blue Diamond
• Bunkerville
• Cal-Nev-Ari
• Enterprise
• Glendale
• Goodsprings
• Indian Springs
• Jean
• Logandale
• Moapa Town
• Moapa Valley
• Mount Charleston
• Mountain Springs
• Overton
• Paradise
• Primm
• Sandy Valley
• Searchlight
• Sloan
• Spring Valley
• Summerlin South
• Sunrise Manor
• Whitney
• Winchester

Federal land:

• Nellis AFB

Internal links

A list of Clark County Airports.

External links

• Clark County, Nevada Government and Services
• Clark County Television (County of Clark owned television station with Live Internet Feed)
• Clark County School District
• Detailed map of Clark County (Census Bureau Map, little street detail) (pdf, 32 Mb)
• Photographic virtual tour of Clark County
• Clark County Regional Flood Control District