Las Vegas metropolitan area

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The Las Vegas Strip, looking south, in 2006

The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes the Las Vegas Valley, a 600-square-mile (1600 km²) basin, and surrounding areas, that is part of Clark County in southern Nevada. The area contains the largest concentration of people in the state. The history of the Las Vegas metropolitan area largely coincides with the history of the city of Las Vegas. "Las Vegas" is often used in a general term to describe the entire area covered in this article. It is currently the fastest growing metropolitan area in the nation, with a population rise of nearly 25% from 2000 to 2006, and a current population of approximately two million.^[1] The metropolitan includes parts of the Las Vegas-Paradise Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is by defined by the United States Census Bureau to include all of Clark County,^[2] including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and the surrounding areas. In 2005, the valley hosted over 34 million visitors in a single year.

As of the 2007 census estimate, the Las Vegas metropolitan Statistical Area area contained over 2.0 million residents, and contains the largest ethnic Hawaiian community outside of Hawaii in the world.^[3][4]

Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the many tourist destination buildings in the area. As seen from space, Las Vegas is the brightest city on earth.^[5]

[edit] History

The area was previously settled by Mormon farmers in 1854 and later became the site of a United States Army fort in 1864, beginning a long relationship between southern Nevada and the U.S. military. Since the 1930s, Las Vegas has generally been identified as a gaming center as well as a resort destination primarily targeting adults. Relatively inexpensive real estate prompted a residential population boom in the Las Vegas Valley in the 1990s to 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Nellis Air Force Base is located in the northeast corner of the valley. The ranges that the Nellis pilots use and various other land areas used by various federal agencies, limit growth of the valley in terms of geographic area. Due to this reason, the valley has seen more mid- and high-rise buildings erected.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Boundaries

The term "Las Vegas metropolitan area" is not an official one. Different definitions are used by local governments and the US government, and area residents may have their own views on what localities are included in the definition. Most definitions agree on the inclusion of the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, the Las Vegas Strip, Summerlin, and the unincorporated townships of Winchester, Paradise, Enterprise and Spring Valley.

The government of Clark County, Nevada defines an "Urban Planning Area" of Las Vegas.[1] This definition is a roughly rectangular area, about 20 miles from west to east and 30 miles from north to south. It is generally as described above. Notable exclusions include Boulder City, Red Rock, Blue Diamond and Mount Charleston. For historical reasons including its ban on gambling, Boulder City is sometimes noted as outside the metropolitan area; however, the growth of Las Vegas in recent years has made this distinction harder to maintain.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department exercises jurisdiction over Clark County, including areas as far away from Las Vegas as Laughlin, about 90 miles from downtown Las Vegas, but excluding cities with separate police forces such as North Las Vegas and Henderson.

The US Census Bureau defines the Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump combined statistical area, which includes all of Clark County as well as the city of Pahrump in southern Nye County, about 75 miles from downtown Las Vegas. This is probably the largest area that could reasonably be called "metro Las Vegas", as it is surrounded by sparsely inhabited areas such as the Mojave Desert and federally protected areas such as the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead.

Local residents often use the term "Las Vegas Valley" as a synonym for "metropolitan area", but this is a misnomer, as the valley is in fact a basin. The basin is an area generally defined by the Spring Mountains on the west, Sheep Mountains to the north, Muddy Mountains, Eldorado Range and Lake Mead to the east, and the Black Mountains to the south.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geography and environment

Las Vegas viewed in false color, from 438 miles (705 km) by TERRA satellite. Grass-covered land, such as golf courses, appears in red. The picture bottom is just south of Sunset road and the airport, the Spring Mountains on the west and Sunrise Mountain on the east

The Las Vegas Valley lies in the Mojave Desert. The surrounding land is sandy desert with mountains in the distance.

[edit] Climate

The Las Vegas Valley lies in a relatively high-altitude portion of the Mojave Desert, and this can sometimes result in drastic changes of temperature between seasons, and even between day and night. The Valley generally averages less than five inches (130 mm) of rain annually. Daily daytime summer temperatures in July and August typically exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Very low humidity, however, tempers the effect of these temperatures, though dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sun stroke can occur after even a limited time outdoors in the summer. The interiors of automobiles often prove deadly to small children and pets during the summer and surfaces exposed to the sun can cause first- and second- degree burns to unprotected skin. July and August can also be marked by "monsoon season", when moist winds from the Gulf of California soak much of the Southwestern United States. While not only raising humidity levels, these winds develop into dramatic desert thunderstorms that can sometimes cause flash flooding.

Winter season is short in Las Vegas and temperatures are mild, with winter daytime highs near 60 degrees (F) and winter nighttime lows of about 40 degrees (F). Snow accumulation in the valley itself is generally uncommon, but every few years apart, the Las Vegas Valley can get snow. The mountains surrounding the valley are snow-covered during winter.

[edit] Air quality

Being located in a desert valley creates issues with air quality. From the dust the wind picks up from disturbed desert surrounding the city, to the smog produced by vehicles to the pollen in the air, the valley can have some bad air days.

Pollen can be a major issue several weeks a year with counts occasionally in the 70,000 plus range. Local governments are trying to control this by banning plants that produce the most pollen.

The dust problems usually happen on very windy days, so they tend to be seasonal and of a short duration.

Smog on the other hand gets worst when there is no wind to move the air out of the valley. Also in winter it is possible to get an inversion in the valley air that actually traps any smog in the valley.

The county is working to control these problems and has shown some success over the years. The constant tightening of Federal requirements for allowable particles in the air, make the task of meeting air quality standards difficult.

[edit] Water

The native flora does little to help the soil retain water. During the intense rains of monsoon season or (relatively) wet months of January and February, a network of dry natural channels, called washes or arroyos, carved into the valley floor allows water to flow down from the mountains and converge in the Las Vegas Wash which runs through the Clark County Wetlands Park. The wash system used to form a large natural wetlands which then flowed into the Colorado River until the construction of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River led to the creation of Lake Mead. Further development in the 1980s and 1990s made Lake Las Vegas, which required directing the Las Vegas Wash into tunnels which run under Lake Las Vegas and into Lake Mead.

The Las Vegas area gets about 300,000 acre feet (370,000,000 m³) of water each year from Lake Mead, with credits for water it returns to the lake. The allocations were made when Nevada had a much smaller population and very little agriculture. The allocations were also made during a wet string of years, which overstated the available water in the entire watershed. As a result, precipitation that is below normal for a few years can have a major impact on the Colorado River Reservoirs.

Early Vegas depended on the aquifer which fed the springs, but the pumping of water from these caused a large drop in the water levels and ground subsidence over wide areas of the valley. Today, the aquifers are basically used to store water that is pumped from the lake during periods of low demand and pumped out during periods of high demand.

[edit] Urbanization

The population doubling time in the greater metropolitan area was under ten years since the early 1970s and the Las Vegas metropolitan area now has a population of over two million people^{[citation needed]}. This rapid population growth led to a significant urbanization of desert lands into industrial and commercial areas. (see suburbia).

[edit] Economy

Interior of the Circus Circus casino. A major part of the city economy is based on tourism including gambling.

The driving force in the Las Vegas Valley is the tourism industry. In the past, casinos and celebrity shows were the two major attractions for the area. Now shopping, conventions, fine dining, and outdoor beauty are also major forces in attracting tourist dollars, as the valley has about 140,000 hotel rooms.

While Las Vegas has historically attracted high-stake gamblers from around the world, it is now facing tougher competition from the U.K.; Hong Kong and Macau China; Eastern Europe; and developing areas in the Middle East. The financial and operating risks associated with pursuing the high-roller market will persist, but some U.S. casinos may opt out of chasing high-end players altogether as the costs and incentives to attract these players increase significantly. ^[6]

There is a balance between all of the tourist operations in town. The conventions need hotel rooms, dining, and entertainment options. The hotels need the conventions, and tourists to fill their rooms. The restaurants depend on travelers in the hotel rooms to fill their tables. Everyone depends on a good road system to get travelers into town as well as available and reasonably priced airline seats.

Over the past few years, retirees have been moving to the valley, driving businesses that support them from housing to health care.

Las Vegas has been trying to expand its manufacturing and research base. There have been some positive signs from the World Market Center being developed in the city and opening of Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute in 2007 in addition to many smaller businesses.

While the cost of housing spiked up over 40% in 2004, the lack of business and income taxes still makes Nevada an attractive place for many companies to relocate to as well as expand into. Being a true twenty-four hour city, call centers have always seemed to find Vegas a good place to find workers willing to work at all hours.

Construction is strong. New strip casinos take years to build and employ thousands of workers. The same could be said of the housing boom with new home sales around 15,000 units in 2004. With the introduction of Turnburry Towers several years ago, developers discovered that there was a large demand for high-end condominiums. At the end of 2004, it was estimated that as many as eighty major condominiums were in various stages of development.

[edit] Shopping

Las Vegas has expanded its attractiveness to visitors by offering both high-end and affordable merchandise in many shops and shopping malls. Many hotels on the Strip also have adjacent shopping malls, giving the Strip the highest concentration of independent shopping malls in any four mile stretch. In addition to the Strip malls, there are several outlying malls in Las Vegas, Henderson, and the surrounding area. The monorail on the east side of the Strip facilitates shopping trips from the north to the south.

Major malls include:

[edit] Las Vegas Valley Culture

On the first Friday of each month, the "First Friday" celebration is held which exhibits the works of local artists and musicians in a section of the city's Downtown region now called the "Arts District".[2]

The Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, also known as the Las Vegas Zoo, exhibits over 150 species of animals and plants.

Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is the only aquarium that is accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in the state of Nevada. It features 1,200 species and over 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater.

The $485 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts (currently under construction) will be located downtown in Union Park. The center will be appropriate for Broadway shows and other major touring attractions as well as orchestra, opera, and dance performances.

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is a facility presenting high-quality art exhibitions from major national and international museums. Past exhibits have included the works of Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, and Peter Carl Faberge. A self-guided audio tour is also offered.

The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum is the result of the partnership between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York City, and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 7,660 square-foot museum has exhibited the works of such artists as Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Titian, and Warhol.

The Las Vegas Art Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, has featured past exhibits by Chagall, Rodin, and contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly. The museum's small but growing collection includes works by Alexander Calder, Robert Indiana, and Edward Ruscha.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum features robot dinosaurs, live fish, and more than 26 species of preserved animals. There are several "hands-on" areas where animals can be petted.

[edit] Housing

Slab-on-grade foundations is the common base for residential buildings in the area.

Traditionally housing consisted primarily of single family detached housing. Apartment complexes generally were two story buildings. There have been exceptions, but they were few and far between. In the 1990s, Turnberry Associates constructed the first high rise condominium. Prior to this there were only a handful of mid rise multi family housing.

By the mid 2000s, there was a major move into high rise condominiums which had a noticeable impact on the skyline, especially in the area around The Strip.

[edit] United States housing market collapse

Las Vegas has been one of the top areas in the nation adversely affected by the recent subprime mortgage crisis and United States housing market correction, resulting in a freefall in home prices and mass foreclosures. As of January 2008, 1.9% of homes in the Las Vegas area were in the foreclosure process, almost triple the rate of a year earlier.^[7] The problems, as it was mostly nationwide, was rampant speculation from house flippers, who sought quick profits and never intended to live in the homes they purchased. Also, resetting of many mortgage rates increased foreclosures. As of April 2008, 51% of the more than 22,000 homes for sale in the area were vacant, according to Las Vegas real estate research firm SalesTraq.^[8]

[edit] Las Vegas neighborhoods

[edit] Incorporated cities

• Boulder City
• Henderson
• Las Vegas
• North Las Vegas

[edit] Unincorporated communities

• Enterprise
• Paradise
• Spring Valley
• Summerlin South
• Sunrise Manor
• Whitney
• Winchester

[edit] Media

[edit] Broadcast

Las Vegas is served by 22 television and 46 radio stations. The valley is also served by two NOAA Weather Radio transmitters (162.55 MHz from Boulder City and 162.40 MHz from Mount Potosi).

• Radio stations in Las Vegas
• Television stations in Las Vegas

[edit] Newspapers

• Boulder City News is a weekly newspaper, serving Boulder City
• Gamingwire an online news service about gaming and related topics
• Henderson Home News is a weekly newspaper, serving the Henderson, owned by Greenspun Media Group, publishers of the Sun.
• Las Vegas Advisor
• Las Vegas Business Press
• Las Vegas CityLife weekly paper
• Las Vegas Review-Journal
• Las Vegas Sun
• Las Vegas Weekly is an alternative weekly paper owned by Greenspun Media Group, publishers of the Sun.
• Summerlin News and its sister West Valley News serving Summerlin and Spring Valley, owned by Greenspun Media Group, publishers of the Sun.
• Valley Times is a defunct newspaper that was discontinued around 1985. It covered the North Las Vegas area in the 1970s and 1980s.

[edit] Magazines

• Las Vegas Style
• S
• 215-South
• QVegas
• 944

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Airports

[edit] Roads

Interstate 15 traverses Primm at Exit 1 near the California-Nevada state line

Two major freeways - Interstate 15 and Interstate 515/U.S. Route 95 - cross in downtown Las Vegas. I-15 connects Las Vegas to Los Angeles and San Diego, California, and heads northeast to and beyond Salt Lake City, Utah. I-515 goes southeast to Henderson, beyond which US 93 continues over the Hoover Dam towards Phoenix, Arizona. US 95 connects the city to northwestern Nevada, including Carson City and Reno. US 93 splits from I-15 northeast of Las Vegas and goes north through the eastern part of the state, serving Ely and Wells, and US 95 heads south from US 93 near Henderson through far eastern California. A three-quarters beltway has been built, consisting of Interstate 215 on the south and Clark County 215 on the west and north. Other radial routes include SR 160 to Pahrump and SR 147 to Lake Mead.

With the notable exceptions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Boulder Highway, and Tonopah Highway (better known as the northern part of Rancho Drive), the majority of surface streets outside downtown Las Vegas are laid out along Public Land Survey System section lines. Many are maintained by the Nevada Department of Transportation as state highways.

East-west roads, north to south^[10]

North-south roads, west to east

[edit] Culture

[edit] Wildlife

[edit] Festivals

[edit] Gardens

[edit] Libraries

[edit] Museums

[edit] Parks

[edit] Sports

Las Vegas is the home of the following minor league teams:

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary

• Public schools

The Clark County School District operates all of the public primary and secondary schools in the county with the exception of a few which are contracted out to a private organization.

• Private schools:
  • The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain
  • Bishop Gorman High School
  • Faith Lutheran Jr/Sr High School
  • Calvary Chapel Christian School
  • Calvary Church Christian School
  • The Milton I. Schwartz Hebrew Academy
  • Las Vegas Day School
  • The Meadows School
  • Merryhill School
  • Mountain View Christian School
  • Paradise Christian Academy[3]
  • Shiloh Christian School
  • St. Viator School
  • Trinity Christian School
  • New Horizons Academy
  • University Baptist Academy

[edit] Colleges and universities

• Public Schools
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is the major higher education institution in Las Vegas;
  • University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) also has a campus for the School of Medicine in Las Vegas;
  • Nevada State College located in Henderson, Nevada;
  • College of Southern Nevada - formerly known as the Community College of Southern Nevada and Clark County Community College.

• Private schools 4 year+
  • Design Institute
  • National University of Nevada
  • Touro University Nevada
  • University of Phoenix-Nevada
  • University of Southern Nevada, Doctor of Pharmacy degree

[edit] Hospitals

[edit] Venues in Las Vegas

• Music venues in Las Vegas
• Sports venues in Las Vegas

[edit] References

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