Mgm Grand Hotel Fire Facts

Clark County, Nevada

History of Human Occupancy

Human history in Clark County and the Lake Mead area dates back more than 10, 000 years ago to man's arrival in the Southwest. The first people that can be positively recognized in this region were known as the "Basketmakers". They were possibly ancestors of the Pueblo Indians who were farmers and merchants (Lake Mead NRA). Tule Springs, a few miles north of Las Vegas provided the earliest evidence of man in the Lake Mead area. Here, archaeologists found fire hearths and stone utensils in association with Mammoth bones and other Pleistocene fauna. The evidence points out that these early people were part of a widespread hunting culture that was dependent upon Mammoth, Bison, and other big game. They were probably nomadic and moved in small bands or family groups (Lake Mead NRA).

The recorded history of the area began in 1826, when Jedediah Smith traveled through on his first Southwest Expedition in search of beaver. Other early on explorers were John C. Fremont, Lt. Edward Beale, Lt. Joseph C. Ives, and Major John Wesley Powell. The explorers were followed by colonization and exploitation. Mormon farm settlements and roaring mining camps appeared along the rivers and in the mountains (Lake Mead NRA).

Lake Mead was named in honor of Dr. Elwood Mead. As Commissioner of Reclamation from 1924 - 1936, he outlined new provisions for a giant project that would dam the Colorado River, impound the world's (at that time) largest artificial lake and provide flood control, irrigation supply and power generation. That project was Boulder Dam. We know it by a later name change as Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam was completed in 1935 and Lake Mead was formed (Lake Mead NRA). Hoover Dam is pictured below.

People

As of 2004 Clark County had an estimated 1, 747, 025 people in the county. There were 675, 558 housing units for these people to share. 58.1% of them were White, 24.9% were Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% were Black, 7.1% were Asian and 0.8% was American Indian. The 5 largest ancestry groups in Nevada are: German (14.1%), Irish (11%), English (10.1%), Italian (6.6%), American (4.8%). 67.2% of the Clark County population fell into the age group of 19-64 years if age, while 19.5 % were 6-18 years old, 1.5% was under the age of five and 11.8% were over the age of 65 years. 51% of the inhabitants were female, while 49% were male. In 2000, the average persons per household was 2.65 (Demographic Quick Facts).

In 2000, the per capita income was $21, 785, which was a 44.2% increase over ten years. The median household income was $44, 616, a 45.1% increase over the past ten years.

The American India Territories can be viewed to the right. The American Indian Tribes in Clark County consist of the Paiute, Shoshone, Washo. Historical American Indian Tribes consisted of Patayan, Anasazi, Pinto/Gypsum, San Dieguito, and Paleo-Indians (Nevada).

As of 2001, the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area is the fastest growing population center in the United States.

Physical Geography

Nevada is a state that shares borders with Oregon and Idaho to the north, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast and Utah to the east. The border with Arizona includes the Colorado River and Hoover Dam. The majority of Clark County was absorbed by the state on May 5, 1866 when it absorbed the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom (Nevada).

Red Rock Canyon is located about 12 mi. west of Las Vegas, and easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. The canyon showcases a set of large red sandstone peaks and walls. The walls are up to 3000 ft (1000 m) high, making them a popular hiking and rock climbing destination. The highest point is Bridge Mountain (Nevada).The Red Rock Canyon can be seen below.

Nevada's highest point of elevation is Boundary Peak in Esmeralda County at 13, 140 feet. While it's lowest point of elevation is on the Colorado River in Clark County at 470 feet (Nevada Facts).

Clark County Nevada is 8, 060 square miles (Demographic Quick Facts). Of that, 180 square miles, or 2.23% of it is water (Clark County Nevada). Clark County is known for Lake Mead, and Hoover Dam as well as desert land and the Sierra Nevada, a large mountain range. Within Clark County are cities such as Reno, Laughlin and the infamous Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is located in a valley with a single outlet, the Las Vegas Wash. Because of this, all of the rain runoff drains to the east side of the valley and into Lake Mead (Everything You Wanted To Know...). A scenic Lake Mead picture can be viewed to the left.

In the Lake Mead area, three of America's four desert ecosystems--the Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Deserts--meet. As a result, this apparently barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world (Lake Mead NRA).

Lake Mead is an artificial lake that was created in between 1924 and 1936 in honor of Dr. Elwood Mead. It was created by damming the Colorado River (Lake Mead NRA) (For more information on the creation of Lake Mead, please see "History of Human Occupancy).

Resources

Mineral resources that can be found in Clark County include Gold, Silver, Copper, Aggregate, Barite, Gypsum, Geothermal energy, and Petroleum. In 1972 these products brought the county in $180 million. By 2003, these resources were worth $3, 213.1 million (Annual Mineral Production).

Climate

As demonstrated on the map below, Clark County, on average does not get a lot of rainfall. Las Vegas has a desert climate with very little rainfall, and extreme heat in the summer; highs of 105F are common from May to September, and for several days each year, temperatures may exceed 115F. Winters are cool and windy, with the balance of Las Vegas' annual 4 inches of rainfall coming from January to March. Only rarely are showers seen in Spring or Fall. July through September, the Mexican Monsoon often brings enough moisture from the Gulf of Mexico across Mexico and into the US southwest to cause afternoon thunderstorms. Although winter snows are frequently visible on the mountains surrounding the valley, it rarely snows in Las Vegas itself.

Agriculture and ArableLand

As seen on the chart below, Clark County's agriculture consists of hay, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and nursery flowers and trees. However, due to lack of rainfall, Clark County is not suitable for farming.

Crop Statistics (1997 US Census of Agriculture)

Cereals

Farms

Acres

Yield

Barley

6

120

10090 bu

Forages

Farms

Acres

Yield

Total Hay*

69

3145

15961 tons, dry

Alfalfa Hay

65

2145

D

Small Grain Hay

16

D

1617 tons, dry

Tame Hay

10

D

1682 tons, dry

Vegetables

Farms

Acres

Yield

Tomatoes

1

D

Watermelons

2

D

Fruits and Nuts

Farms

Acres

Yield

Apples

5

34

D

Peaches

4

D

D

Pears

3

D

D

Pecans

2

D

D

Pistachios

1

D

D

Other Fruits and Nuts

2

D

D

Nursery and Greenhouse Crops, Cut Christmas Trees Harvested, Mushrooms, and Sod Grown for Sale

Farms

Sq. ft. under glass or other protection

Acres in the open

Sales ($1, 000)

Nursery and Greenhouse Crops

15

636080

36

5571

Nursery, Floriculture Vegetable and Flower Seed Crops

6

X

36

X

Floriculture Crops

8

D

D

D

Bedding and Garden Plants

6

D

D

D

Nursery Crops

4

D

D

59

Other Nursery and Greenhouse Crops

1

D

D

D

*Alfalfa, grass silage, green chops etc. D=Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms. X=Not applicable(Crop Map).

Economy

Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. Revenue from hotels (including most of the world's largest), gambling, entertainment, theme parks, resorts, and other tourist-oriented industries forms the backbone of the economy. The nightclubs, casinos, and championship boxing matches are world famous, and entertainment enterprises have led to an increasing range of music, sports, gambling, and amusement centers up and down the main "strip, " as the city succeeded in the 1990s in redefining itself as a family resort, complete with monorail (opened 2004) (Nevada). A picture of the southern end of the "strip" can be viewed above to the left.

A campus of the Univ. of Nevada is there, and Las Vegas also has a number of museums, including ones devoted to natural history, old neon signs from the strip, the entertainer Liberace and the 1950's performer Elvis. Nellis Air Force Base lies to the north of the city (Nevada).

Nevada is also the home of Area 51, the top-secret installation the Government has always denied existed. Area 51 is supposedly located in Groom Lake, near Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada).

An exhausting effort has been made to diversify the Las Vegas economy by attracting light manufacturing, textiles, banking, and other commercial interests (Nevada).

Transportation

The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the MGM Grand Hotel at the south end of the Strip roughly parallel to the Strip on its eastern side. The monorail passes next to the Las Vegas Hilton and the Las Vegas Convention Center, both with stations, before ending at the Sahara Hotel at the north end of the Strip (Nevada).

Two smaller light-rail services, referred to as trams, operate on the Strip. One runs between two MGM Mirage properties, Treasure Island and the Mirage. The other operates among three Mandalay Resort Group properties: Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur (Nevada). Tourists, employees, and locals can ride the tram for free, whereas the monorail costs money to ride.

McCarran International Airport, located about three miles from the "strip", is among the busiest airports in the United States (Nevada).

Rostow

In Nevada, there are 15 births per 1000 people. There are 922.8 deaths per 100, 000 people (Kaiser).

Sources

http://www.nps.gov/lame/ Lake Mead National Recreational Area (National Park Service)

http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/ Annual mineral production (Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology)

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropmap/nevada/default.html Crop Map (Hort Purdue)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada Nevada (Wikipedia)

http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org Kaiser (Nevada)

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/general/facts.cfm Nevada Facts (Nevada Legislature)