Today, former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley will take the oath of office and succeed Carolyn Goodman as the mayor of Las Vegas. However, the kingdom she governs is relatively limited. Just type “Las Vegas” into Google Maps and you’ll see what I mean. The borders of the official city don’t come close to covering the entire valley or what is generally referred to as Las Vegas in broad, general terms.
🏜️ What’s Officially Within City Limits?
Start with Downtown and its immediate surrounding area on a map — then look directly west, and to the north. That’s about it. The city covers areas like Charleston Heights, The Lakes, Desert Shores, Centennial Hills, Lone Mountain, Tule Springs, and even part of Kyle Canyon.
🤔 What About Summerlin?
The City of Las Vegas includes Summerlin North and Sun City, but none of the master-planned community’s neighborhoods to the south. Confused yet? We’re just getting started.
🚂 The Roots of Vegas
Las Vegas was founded in 1905, developed by the railroad as a rest stop between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Clark County was created in 1909 and Las Vegas, its county seat, was incorporated as a city in 1911.
🎰 Then Came the Strip
Everything changed in 1941 when El Rancho Vegas opened just outside the city’s southern boundary of San Francisco Avenue, which is known as Sahara Avenue today. The Frontier, Flamingo, and Thunderbird followed, setting the stage for a boom of hotels on a stretch of Highway 91 that would eventually become the Strip.
El Rancho kicked off the era of the Strip. (Bettman/Getty)
🛣️ Hotel Highway
By operating outside city limits, hotels benefitted from fewer taxes, fees, and regulations. That was especially appealing to the growing presence of organized crime in casino resorts along Las Vegas Boulevard. As you can imagine, there was tension between the city and the county. At one point, Mayor Ernie Cragin threatened to annex the Strip.
🤝 Finding Compromise
Casino interests lobbied Clark County for an alternative solution. It was determined that the city could not annex any territory without the voting approval of its residents. The unincorporated town of Paradise (most of the Strip) was made official in 1950, followed by Winchester (which includes the North Strip) a year later. To further streamline matters, the Clark County School District was established in 1951 and the Las Vegas Police Department combined forces with the Clark County Sheriff's Department in 1973.
📬 So What About Those Mailing Addresses?
You may live outside the City of Las Vegas, but still have “Las Vegas” on your mailing address. That’s because you live in the township of Las Vegas, which has different borders than the city. Confused? You’re not alone. Henderson and North Las Vegas also have township boundaries that differ from their city boundaries. It’s just the way it is.
👀 Will the City of Las Vegas Expand?
Probably not — at least not geographically. It’s all too confusing to get voters to approve (and they’d probably be raising their own taxes anyway).
So … congratulations Shelley Berkley!!! 🥳 Enjoy your reign over some of us the next four years.
- Much of the information for this story was pulled from our City Cast Las Vegas interview with UNLV history professor Michael Green. Give the full episode a listen 👍 [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
