Clark County, Nevada

Clark County is a located in the  of. It is the most populous county in Nevada (2006  1,912,654), and contains the city of. Las Vegas has been the since the county was created by splitting off a portion of  on,. Much of the county was originally part of, before Nevada became a state. The county was named for, a copper magnate and United States Senator. Clark was largely responsible for the construction of the through the area, a factor heavily contributing to the region's early development.

Residents of the Las Vegas Valley area often do not make a distinction between the Clark County and the city of Las Vegas, using Las Vegas to describe both.

Clark County is a major tourist destination, with 150,000 hotel and motel rooms.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 20,955 (8,091 ). 20,488 km² (7,910 sq mi) of it is land and 467 km² (180 sq mi) of it (2.23%) is water.

The forms the county's southeastern boundary, with  forming  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 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.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - west
 * - southwest
 * - south
 * - east

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,623 families residing in the county. The was 67/km² (174/sq mi). There were 559,799 housing units at an average density of 27/km² (71/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 71.58%, 9.08% or , 5.27% , 0.79% , 0.47% , 8.61% from , and 4.20% from two or more races. or residents, who may be of any race, were 21.96% of the population.

By 2005 Non-Hispanic whites were 54.5% of Clark County's population. 10.1% of the population was African-American. 1.0% was Native-American. Asians were now 6.7% of the population. 0.6% of the population was Pacific Islander. 26.1% of the population was Latino. By 2006 the population had risen 29.2% since 2000 to 1,777,539 people.

In 2000 there were 512,253 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17.

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

The median income for a household in the county was $44,616, and the median income for a family was $50,485. Males had a median income of $35,243 versus $27,077 for females. The for the county was $21,785. About 7.90% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government
Clark County Government is run by the 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 who is hired by the Commission.

Its  also have appointed boards that provide advice to the Clark County Commission.

The County operates out of the Clark County Government Center located in the City of. The building is unusual in shape, and includes an outdoor where concerts and other events are held.

The provides most law enforcement services in the county. Exceptions include agencies that have their own police forces including;, the , and some other cities like , , and. The Clark County Park Police is responsible for all of the parks operated by the county and some selected special venues, such as the Clark County Amphitheater, Clark County Archery Range, and the Desert Rose Golf Course.

The Regional Justice Center replaced the Clark County Courthouse in 2005, and is located about 3 blocks from downtown Fremont Street, at 200 Lewis Avenue.

The Clark County Detention Center (CCDC) is located another block away at 300 S. Casino Center Blvd.

Clark County Regional Flood Control District
The (CCRFCD) was created in 1985 by the  allowing Clark County to provide broad solutions to flooding problems.

Clark County School District
Public primary and secondary education is the responsibility of the.

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Operates the and does planning for most major roadways.

Southern Nevada Water Authority
A multi-agency group that manages the water distribution for the Las Vegas valley.

Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee
The group that manages and protects the.

Since 1999 the group has added more the 15,000 plants to stabilize the wash's banks and restore and expand the surrounding the wash. As part of the effort to restore the wash to a more natural state, they have also removed more than 500,000 pounds of trash.

Incorporated cities

 * (County seat)
 * (County seat)
 * (County seat)

Unincorporated Areas (Census Designated Places) or Townships

 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * also called Nelson Landing
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )
 * (Formerly )

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-15.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-215.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:I-515.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:US 93.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 95.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Nevada 157.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Nevada 159.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Nevada 160.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Cc215.png|25px]]

Parks and Recreation

 * Clark County Parks Dept.
 * Sunset Park located at Sunset and Pecos is one of the largest

Gaming areas
The State of Nevada divides the state into several gaming districts. The reporting districts affecting Clark County are:
 * This region includes 33 casinos on, such as , , , and the . Casinos within the Henderson city limits are included as well, such as , , , , and.
 * There are 19 casinos in this reporting area.
 * This region is composed of all the casinos on, from at the north end to  on the south end.  Also included are resorts located near this area, such as , , , , , and the.
 * This area has 10 casinos.
 * This region has 11 casinos and include the, , , and the.
 * There are 66 casinos in this category that includes casinos at, , , the and  casinos, along with other casinos that don't fit any other category such as , , , , and
 * There are 66 casinos in this category that includes casinos at, , , the and  casinos, along with other casinos that don't fit any other category such as , , , , and

Environmental factors
Clark County contains a   and, including higher elevation mountain areas, the desert floor and the / ecosystems. Variations in diurnal temperature as well as seasonal swings in temperature create demanding adaptation elements on the of this county. Additional pressure has been placed on species survival by the rapid human, especially since 1970.

Correspondingly levels prior to the 1960s were in a favorable range, but the proliferation of automobiles with the human population expansion created circumstances where some Federal Air Quality Standards began to be violated in the 1980s.

To plan for the wave of development forecast by 1980, Clark County embarked on a regional Environmental Impact Assessment funded by a Federal Section 208 program, with conducting the planning work and Earth Metrics performing environmental analysis. This endeavor projected future population growth, land use changes and environmental impacts.

Notable government buildings

 * Clark County Government Center
 * Regional Justice Center (opened, )