ZIP Code 89169

Las Vegas (US: ; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels together with their associated activities. Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, it was the most populated North American city founded within that century (a similar distinction was earned by Chicago in the 19th century). Population growth has accelerated since the 1960s, and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85.2%. Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century, and according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had 641,903 residents in 2020, with a metropolitan population of 2,227,053. It is the driest major U.S. city. Over time and influenced by climate change, droughts in Southern Nevada have been increasing in frequency and severity, putting a further strain on Las Vegas' water security. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. In 1950, Las Vegas Army Airfield was established. In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Las Vegas, nicknamed the "Atomic City" Residents and visitors were able to witness the mushroom clouds that were exposed to fallout.

Toponymy

Las Vegas is the primary city name, but also Calico Basin, Callville Bay, Cold Creek, Corn Creek, Enterprise, Mount Charleston, Mountain Sprg, Mountain Springs, Mt Charleston, Sloan are acceptable city names or spellings, Old Nevada on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The area was named Las Vegas, which is Spanish for "the meadows", as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as the desert spring waters needed by westward travelers. The area is now known as Las Vegas National Park. The park is home to the Las Vegas Museum of Art and Science, which was established in the late 19th century. The museum is located in the town of Las Vegas and has a collection of more than 1,000 pieces of art, including the famous "Las Vegas" mural. The Las Vegas museum is also home to a collection of photographs of the area's history, including some of the first visitors to the area in the 1800s and early 1900s. It is located on the banks of the Colorado River, which runs through the center of the park. The town's name is derived from the Spanish word for "meadows", which means "to the meadows" or "the grassy meadows". It is also the name of a tribe that once lived in the area, Las Vegas de las Vegas, and was known for its wild animals, such as elk, deer and elk. The name Las Vegas is also used to refer to a region of the U.S. state of Nevada, which also had a similar name. The city's name means "the valley" in Spanish, meaning "the land of the meadow" and "the wild grass". The town is also known as the "Vegas" in English, and the word "vegas" means "meadow".

History

Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. A young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chose Las Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Las Vegas. The iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, which has never been located within municipal limits, was created in 1959 by Betty Willis. In 1995, the Fremont Street Experience opened in Las Vegas's downtown area, featuring 12.5 million LED lights and 550,000 watts of sound from dusk until midnight during shows held at the top of each hour. In 2012, 2012 was dubbed "The Year of Downtown". Projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars made their debut at this time, including the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum, a new City Hall complex, and renovations for a new Zappos.com corporate headquarters in the old City Hall building. It is now home to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team. The city was nicknamed the "Atomic City" until 1963 when the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty required that nuclear tests be moved underground. Gambling was referred to as "gaming", which transitioned it into a legitimate business.

Geography

Las Vegas has a subtropical hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh), typical of the Mojave Desert in which it lies. It is among the sunniest, driest, and least humid locations in North America, with exceptionally low dew points and humidity that sometimes remains below 10%. July is the hottest month, with an average daytime high of 104.5 °F (40.3 °C) Las Vegas winters are short and generally very mild, with chilly (but rarely cold) daytime temperatures. The mountains surrounding the Las Vegas Valley accumulate significant snow every winter, but it is rare, although moderate accumulations occur every few years. The most recent accumulations occurred on February 18, 2019, when the city received about 1 to 2 inches (5 to 5 cm) of snow. After Alaska and California, Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S. It has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey that over the next 50 years, there is a 1020% chance of an M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km (31 mi) of Las Vegas. The city has a total area of 135.86 sq mi (351.9 km²), of which 135.81 sq mi is land and 0.13 km² (0.03%) is water. The elevation is approximately 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level. On average, 137 days per year reach or exceed 90°F (32°C).

Demographics

The 2010 census showed the city contained 583,756 people, 211,689 households, and 117,538 families residing. The median income for a household in the city was $53,000. The city has the second lowest level of black-white segregation of any of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, after Tucson, Arizona. Las Vegas has one of the highest marriage rates of U.S. cities, with many licenses issued to people from the area. Since divorce is easier in Nevada than in most other states, many people come from across the country for the easier process. There is a Ethiopian community in Las Vegas. The population age distribution was as follows: 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 were 65 years of age or older. There were 190,724 housing units at an average density of 1,683.3/sq mi (649.9/km²) The city's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic Whites, have proportionally declined from 72.1% of the population in 1990 to 47. 9% in 2010, even as total numbers of all ethnicities have increased with the population. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the median age was 34 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males. Males had a median income of $35,511.

Economy

The city's economy is driven by tourism, gaming, and conventions, which in turn feed the retail and restaurant industries. The city is trying to diversify the economy by attracting health-related, high-tech and other commercial interests. Las Vegas used more than 1.4 billion gallons of water in 2014, more than three times that of Los Angeles and over three times the amount of water used in San Francisco in 2002. The Las Vegas Strip is the center of the gambling and entertainment industry, with some of the largest casinos and buildings in the city located there. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, located downtown along the Fremont Street Experience, is the oldest continuously operating hotel and casino in Las Vegas; it opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. City offices moved to a new Las Vegas City Hall in February 2013 on downtown's Main Street. The former City Hall building is now occupied by the corporate headquarters for the major online retailer, Zappos.com, which opened downtown in 2013. The City purchased 61 acres (25 ha) of property from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995 with the goal of creating a better draw for more people to the downtown area. Although water conservation efforts implemented in the wake of a 2002 drought have had some success, some local water consumption remains more than 30 percent more than in Los Angeles, and three times over Los Angeles. The number of people living in the Las Vegas Valley used 1.2 billion gallons (4.5 billion US gallons) in 2014.

Culture

The city is home to several museums, including the Neon Museum, The Mob Museum, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and the DISCOVERY Children's Museum. "First Friday" is a monthly celebration that includes arts, music, special presentations and food in a section of the city's downtown region called 18b, The Las Vegas Arts District. Las Vegas has earned the moniker "Gambling Capital of the World", as the city currently has the largest number of land-based casinos in the world. The city is also home to an extensive Downtown Arts District, which hosts numerous galleries and events including the annual Las Vegas Film Festival. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is situated downtown in Symphony Park and hosts various Broadway shows and other artistic performances. It is a Grammy award-winning magnet school located in downtown Las Vegas. It also hosts the annual Clark County Film Festival, which is held in Clark County's downtown area. The festival extends into the Fremont East Entertainment District as well. The Thursday evening prior to First Friday is known in the arts district as "Preview Thursday", which highlights new gallery exhibitions throughout the district. The City of Las Vegas is also the home of the Nevada State Museum, and the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park. It was the location for many of the historical signs from Las Vegas's mid-20th century heyday. The Neon Museum is located in the city and is known for its neon signs and other historical artifacts from the era. It has been named the world's largest neon museum.

Sports

The Las Vegas Valley is the home of three major professional teams: the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Vegas Golden Knights and the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders. Two minor league sports teams also play in the Las Vegas area. The mixed martial arts promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is headquartered in Las Vegas and also frequently holds fights in the city at T-Mobile Arena and at the UFC Apex training facility near the headquarters. The Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League, the Triple-A farm club of the Oakland Athletics, play at Las Vegas Ballpark in nearby Summerlin. Las Vegas Lights FC of the United Soccer League, play in Cashman Field in Downtown Las Vegas. College teams include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and Nevada-Las Vegas (Nevada-Pueblo), who play in NCAA Division I. The WNBA has a franchise in the Vegas Aces, who play at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The NFL has a team in the Raiders, who relocated from Oakland, California in 2020 and play at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise. The NBA has two teams in the Aces' division, the Reno Aces and the Vegas Wranglers. The Aces are a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which plays in the MGM Grand Arena in downtown Las Vegas, while the Wrangslers are a affiliate of the NBA's San Francisco Bay Area franchise, the San Antonio Spurs.

Parks and recreation

The city owns the land for, but does not operate, four golf courses. It is also responsible for 123 playgrounds, 23 softball fields, 10 football fields, 44 soccer fields, and 10 dog parks. The city also owns six community centers, four senior centers, 109 skate parks, and six swimming pools. It also owns and operates the Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course, which is located in the city's downtown area. It has a total of 68 parks, including six community center parks. It owns and controls four golf clubs, including Angel Park Golf Club, Desert Pines Golf Club and Durango Hills Golf Club. It does not own or operate any other golf courses in Las Vegas or the surrounding area. The Las Vegas City Council has the power to open or close any of the golf courses, as well as the municipal golf course, if the council votes for it to be opened or closed. The council can also close the courses if it votes to do so, but it has not done so so so far. The golf courses are owned and operated by the city, but the city does not control the courses or the land on which they are located. The parks are open to the public, and the city has no plans to close any parks in the near future. They are open year-round, except for when the city decides to close them for maintenance or development. They include dog parks, playgrounds and community centers. They also have six swimming swimming pools, which the city owns and owns.

Government

The city of Las Vegas government operates as a councilmanager government. The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over all of the city council meetings. The City Manager is responsible for the administration and the day-to-day operations of all municipal services and city departments. Las Vegas and Clark County share a police department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. A Paiute Indian reservation occupies about 1 acre (0.40 ha) in the downtown area. The city is home to the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse and the Regional Justice Center, home to numerous companies providing bail, marriage, divorce, tax, incorporation and other legal services. The Las Vegas metropolitan area is split into neighboring incorporated cities or unincorporated communities. Approximately 700,000 people live in unincorporated areas governed by Clark County, and another 465,000 live in incorporated cities such as North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City. North Las Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and some colleges have their own police departments. The Clark County Sheriff's Department was formed after a 1973 merger of theLas Vegas Police Department and the Clark CountySheriff's Department. It is the largest police department in the United States, with more than 4,000 officers. It was the first police department to be created in the U.S. in the 1970s and is based in Las Vegas. It has a budget of more than $1.5 billion and has a force of about 4,500 officers.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada = 34.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 70. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 89. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Las Vegas = 5.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 641,903 individuals with a median age of 35 age the population grows by 18.39% in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,525.16 residents per square mile of area (1,747.17/km²). There are average 2.71 people per household in the 205,994 households with an average household income of $53,647 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.30% of the available work force and has dropped -5.90% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 14.90%. The number of physicians in Las Vegas per 100,000 population = 168.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Las Vegas = 4.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 22. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 294. 106 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 32.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 59, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada which are owned by the occupant = 56.72%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 15 years with median home cost = $121,670 and home appreciation of -18.04%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.44 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,259 per student. There are 20.9 students for each teacher in the school, 1084 students for each Librarian and 523 students for each Counselor. 5.87% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.66% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.74% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).