Clark County is home to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, heart of the Entertainment Capital of the World and site of 14 of the nation's 15 largest hotels. This jewel in the desert lures many of the 39.2 million tourists who come to the Las Vegas community each year to enjoy its world-class entertainment and hospitality, splendid casinos, fine restaurants and dazzling array of shopping venues.
This excitement is surely a factor in the nation-leading growth of Clark County's booming population of 2 million. Another factor is the high quality of life afforded by its low tax rate, wonderful business climate, great weather, friendly people and smorgasbord of recreational venues.
Those venues stretch beyond the Strip to include the gambling destinations of Mesquite, Primm and Laughlin, located on the fun-filled Colorado River. But they also feature Lake Mead National Recreation Area and engineering marvel Hoover Dam, Mt. Charleston and the Toiyabe National Forest, Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire and parks, museums and recreational and cultural attractions.
Clark County -- the nation's 15th-largest county -- is a wonderfully diverse place, and our government is organized to meet those myriad needs. First, it provides urban services. In fact, more people live in urban Clark County than in any of Southern Nevada’s cities, including the city of Las Vegas. Geographically, this area of the unincorporated county includes the Las Vegas Strip and takes in McCarran International Airport, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and, of course, the neighborhoods where our residents live, work and play.
Second, it provides regional services for more than 2 million residents and almost 44 million tourists a year (2007) -- 39.2 million visited the Las Vegas Valley -- and occupies an area (8,012 square miles) larger than New Jersey. Clark County government takes a leadership role in protecting the quality of our air through its Air Quality and Environmental Management Department and water through the Las Vegas Valley Water District, whose board is comprised of the seven members of the Clark County Commission. The county also operates McCarran and other airports, Southern Nevada’s only public hospital (University Medical Center), social services, community planning and the court system. Further, the county plays a key role in promoting tourism, transportation, public health and flood control.
Third, it provides town services for unincorporated townships such as the gambling destination of Laughlin and for rural treasures such as Overton (home of the Lost City Museum), Goodsprings, Jean and Searchlight.
Highlights about our county:
- Clark County has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, with more than 5,000 people moving here each month in recent years. Three of five of them move into unincorporated Clark County, often because of economic opportunities. The county has about 38,930 licensed businesses.
- Tourism’s economic impact in 2006 was $39.4 billion, including $10.6 billion spent on gambling. In 2006, there were 133,186 hotel and motel rooms in Clark County. The average visitor to Las Vegas is 48.0 years old, stays 3.6 nights at an average nightly room rate of $120, spend $140.86 per visit shopping, arrives by plane (46 percent come by air, 54 percent visit by car), has in his party 2.6 people and gambles away $651.94 for an average 3.3 hours per day. 13 percent of our tourists visit from other nations, 32 percent come from Southern California and 52 percent are from the Western United States.
- As a “city” government, Clark County responds to the needs of about 877,233 residents in the urban unincorporated area. Sahara Avenue, which crosses the Strip on the north side of the Sahara hotel-casino, is the municipal boundary for the city of Las Vegas. Those residing south of this line receive their traditional urban services from Clark County rather than from any of the county’s five cities: Las Vegas (pop. 603,093), Henderson (pop. 256,390), North Las Vegas (202,520), Boulder City (pop. 15,790) and Mesquite (pop. 18,012). The services provided there include all those functions normally associated with a city, such as public works, building inspections, fire protection, parks and recreation, etc.
- Clark County is governed by a seven-member County Commission, elected from geographic districts on a partisan basis for staggered four-year terms. Commissioners biennially elect a chairperson who serves as the commission's presiding officer. The commission in turn hires a county manager, who is responsible for administrative operations. The chairman is Rory Reid (seated in January 2003). The vice chair is Susan Brager (January 2007). The other commissioners are Larry Brown (January 2009), Tom Collins (January 2005), Chris Giunchigliani (January 2007), Steve Sisolak (January 2009) and Lawrence Weekly (March 2007). Virginia Valentine has been county manager since August 2006.
- Clark County employs more than 12,000 in 38 departments. It has a fiscal year general fund budget of $1.37 billion and a total budget of $5.9 billion. The county is known for its strong ending-fund balance, overall financial strength and an investment-quality credit rating. It retains the best bond ratings of any local government in the state with an “Aa2” from Moody’s Investors Service and an “AA” from Standard & Poor’s. The county has committed to policies supporting these high standards in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
- Clark County is the most populous of Nevada’s 17 counties with 2 million residents and 70 percent of the state’s population.
- Clark County, formed in 1909, is named for William Andrews Clark (1839-1925), who established the railroad that linked Los Angeles with Salt Lake City. Las Vegas was founded in 1905 after Clark’s railroad, which made stops here, purchased land for a town site and sold lots by auction, creating downtown Las Vegas.
- Clark County's mission statement: "To provide responsible, progressive, and results-oriented goverment that is responsive, accessible, and accountable to our citizens, ensuring their right to cost-effective and open government."