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Clark County, Nevada - 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 lies in the Las Vegas Valley, surrounded in most directions by mountains. Mount Charleston is the tallest of these, at 11,918 feet in elevation, located northwest of Las Vegas. 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 Commisioners 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. Clark County Commission Members as of 2005
| lign=Center|District!!align=center|Expires!!align=left|Commissioner | | lign=center|A | align=center|2009 | align=left|Bruce L. Woodbury | | lign=center|B | align=center|2009 | align=left|Tom Collins | | lign=center|C | align=center|2009 | align=left|Chip Maxfield | | lign=center|D | align=center|2009 | align=left|Yvonne Atkinson Gates | | lign=center|E | align=center|2007 | align=left|Myrna Williams | | lign=center|F | align=center|2007 | align=left|Lynette Boggs McDonald | | lign=center|G | align=center|2007 | align=left|Rory Reid | Clark County Regional Flood Control District The Clark County Regional Flood Control District was created in 1985 by the Legislature to provide a broad solution to the flooding problems through the county. The District is well into a 50 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. Instances of intense precipitation can cause heavy flooding. For example, 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. Likewise in February of 2005 the southwest part of the Vegas Valley was hard hit by flooding, mostly caused by mountain rains. This same very wet winter also caused significant damage in Mesquite and Overton. Since Las Vegas is located in a valley with a single outlet, the Las Vegas Wash, all rain runoff drains to the east side of the valley and into Lake Mead. Rains in the mountains that surround the valley can cause flooding in the valley. The area is also subject to very localized weather events. So it is possible for a very small area to receive several inches of rain in a hour while areas a mile of two away 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 hope is that these structures will control the flow of water when there is storm runoff and reduce flooding. Given the topography of the valley, some areas may not be fixed. 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 maintaing flood control projects, the District also operates a Flood Threat Recognition System of ALERT rain and streamgauges, 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 Internal Links A list of Clark County Airports. External Links
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