North Las Vegas, Nevada

North Las Vegas, Nevada
City
Official seal of North Las Vegas, Nevada Seal
Nicknames:  North Town
Motto:  Your Community of Choice
Location of North Las Vegas in Clark County, Nevada
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Clark
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Shari L. Buck
• Mayor Pro Tem	Pamela A. Goynes-Brown
• City Manager	Timothy R. Hacker
Area
• Total	100.44 sq mi (260.1 km2)
• Land	100.44 sq mi (260.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	2,205 ft (672 m)
Population  (2011)
• Total	229,224 (United States rank: 94th)
• Density	1,471.0/sq mi (567.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	89030-89033, 89036, 89081, 89084-89087
Area code	702
FIPS code	32-51800
GNIS feature ID	0847435
Website	CityOfNorthLasVegas.com

North Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located in the Las Vegas Valley. The city was incorporated on May 16, 1946. It is near the city of Las Vegas, and the fourth largest city in the state of Nevada. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is located near or in the city.

Geography

Mountains of the Las Vegas Range surrounding the exterior of North Las Vegas, 2006

Located in the southern United States in the Mojave Desert, North Las Vegas sits north and east of Las Vegas. According to the United States Census Bureau, North Las Vegas has a total area of 78.5 square miles (203 km²), all of it land. In the Las Vegas Valley, several mountain ranges are nearby.

Climate

North Las Vegas has an arid climate, and is one of the driest places in the entire United States. Temperatures are mild in the winter, and hot in the summer, like most of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Snowfall is rare, like most of the hot deserts of the United States; snow falls every few years. In winter, temperatures often fall below freezing. In the summer, the monsoon can reach the area, bringing heavy rains, and thunderstorms (like July 3, 2011, when flooding occurred, shutting down traffic lights). If precipitation is falling n the area, the temperature decreases by several degrees, like most of the Southwestern US.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1950	3,875		—
1960	18,422		375.4%
1970	36,216		96.6%
1980	42,739		18.0%
1990	47,707		11.6%
2000	115,488		142.1%
2010	216,961		87.9%
2011 (est.)	219,020		0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

2010 US census

As of 2012, the city's population was 227,585, making it the third largest city in Nevada after Las Vegas, Henderson and Reno; two of which are in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

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 1,471.0 people per square mile (568.0/km²). There were 36,600 housing units at an average density of 466.2 per square mile (180.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.93% White, 19.02% African American, 0.82% Native American, 3.24% Asian, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 15.78% from other races, and 4.68% from two or more races. 37.61% were Hispanic or Latino 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. The per capita income for the city was $16,023. About 11.8% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.

Government and infrastructure

In July 2011, The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that North Las Vegas appeared to be headed for state intervention, disincorporation and/or insolvency. The housing crash has hit Southern Nevada hard and North Las Vegas in many ways is the center of the storm. In spite of having the highest property tax rates in Clark County, city leaders have been unable to pass a balanced budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. The city's operating budget is out of balance to start the new fiscal year, with a deficit of $8.6 million. A budget balanced through personnel layoffs was passed in May, but judges reversed some of those pink slips, creating a financial emergency that could require the state to take over North Las Vegas' finances.

The state Department of Taxation has not had to put a local government into receivership since 2005, when rural White Pine County nearly went bankrupt. The state has never taken over a government the size of North Las Vegas, which has a total budget of roughly half a billion dollars and a population of more than 215,000. Another small possibility could be the annexation of North Las Vegas by the city of Las Vegas.

However, should the state of Nevada step in, it has sweeping powers. The Department of Taxation could raise North Las Vegas city taxes across the board, without a direct vote of the City Council, the Legislature or the citizens of North Las Vegas. North Las Vegas appears to have an agreement with firefighters on pay cuts that would cut the budget deficit to $6.6 million. The council were scheduled to consider an amended budget in late July that will further reduce expenses.

The Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center of the Nevada Department of Corrections is located in North Las Vegas. The facility, originally the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility opened September 1, 1997. It was built and operated by Corrections Corporation of America. Since then the state took direct control of the facility. It houses the female death row.

Transportation

The Las Vegas Strip, as seen from North Las Vegas

Both domestic and international airline travel for the entire metropolitan area is handled at McCarran International Airport, south of North Las Vegas and Las Vegas, and adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip.

The North Las Vegas Airport, formerly known as Sky Haven Airport, was established on December 7, 1941. A division of Vision Airlines operates a tour to the Grand Canyon in Arizona from this airport.

RTC Transit provides bus service in the city, as it does throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

The major highways/roads serving North Las Vegas are I-15, Clark County Highway 215, and Las Vegas Boulevard (Nevada Highway 604).

Economy

According to a study by Sterling's Best Places, the city of North Las Vegas had an unemployment rate of 15.20%, compared to the national average of 9%. The city had a sales tax of 7.75%, compared with a national average of 6.80%. Future job growth for the city is anticipated at 20.12%, compared with a national average of 31.25%.

North Las Vegas is currently experiencing an economic crisis as such that the state of Nevada is considering taking over the city's financial affairs. In 2012, the city declared a state of emergency due to financial crises.

See also

• Las Vegas
• Clark County
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway

External links

• North Las Vegas
• 24 unique aesthetic images of North Las Vegas
• City Data.com statistics