Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place adjacent to Las Vegas in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Wikipedia

Paradise is an unincorporated town[2] and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most-populous CDP in the United States; if it were an incorporated city, it would be the fifth-largest in Nevada.[3] As an unincorporated town, it is governed by the Clark County Commission with input from the Paradise Town Advisory Board.

Paradise contains Harry Reid International Airport, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), most of the Las Vegas Strip, and most of the tourist attractions in the Las Vegas area (excluding downtown). However, all Paradise addresses and other unincorporated areas in the Las Vegas Valley have “Las Vegas, NV” addresses.[4]

History

The southern part of the Las Vegas Valley was referred to as Paradise Valley as early as 1910, owing to a high water table that made the land particularly fertile for farming.[5][6] County commissioners established a Paradise school district in 1914.[7]

Neighborhoods on the east side of Paradise

In 1950, Mayor Ernie Cragin of Las Vegas sought to annex the Las Vegas Strip, an unincorporated territory, to expand the city’s tax base to fund his ambitious building agenda and pay down the city’s rising debt.[8] A group of casino executives, led by Gus Greenbaum of the Flamingo, lobbied the county commissioners for town status, preventing the city from annexing the land without the commission’s approval.[8] The commission voted to create the unincorporated town of Paradise on December 8, 1950.[9[10] The town encompassed a strip one mile (1.6 km) wide and four miles (6.4 km) long from the southern city limits of Las Vegas to just south of the Flamingo.[10] The town board initially consisted of five casino managers chaired by Greenbaum.[10][1]

A month after its establishment:

The town was expanded to include the residential areas of Paradise Valley, giving it a total area of 54 square miles (140 km2).[11] Months later, however, it was reported that county officials had determined that the town had not been appropriately established because the petition for the town’s formation had insufficient signatures and violated a state law forbidding the formation of a city spanning multiple school districts.[12] On August 20, 1951, county commissioners accepted petitions to create two new towns covering the area of the putative town.[13] Town “A” of Paradise included the areas within a Las Vegas school district, extending from the city limits to one mile south, while Town “B” included the areas within the Paradise school district.[12]

In 1953, Town A was renamed Winchester, and Town B became known simply as Paradise.[14]

In 1975, Nevada enacted a law that would have incorporated Paradise (along with Sunrise Manor and Winchester) into the City of Las Vegas.[15] Before it could take effect, however, the bill was struck down as unconstitutional by the Nevada Supreme Court.[16][1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) of Paradise (which may not coincide exactly with the town boundaries) has a total area of 46.7 square miles (121 km2), all of it land.

The official town boundaries are bordered by Desert Inn Road to the north, Nellis Boulevard to the east, Sunset Road to the south, and Decatur Boulevard to the west. A southern finger is between Bermuda Road and Eastern Avenue south of Silverado Ranch Boulevard. South of Russell Road, the eastern border stairsteps on a roughly 45-degree angle toward the corner of Eastern and Robindale Road, and there is an additional finger surrounding Interstate 215 east of St. Rose Parkway.[18]

Demographics

At the census of 2010,[20] there were 223,167 people residing in Paradise. The racial makeup was 59.8% White, 8.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 9.5% Asian, 1.0% Pacific Islander, and 5.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents comprised 31.2% of the population, and 46.3% were non-Hispanic White.

As of the census[21] of 2000, there were 186,070 people, 77,209 households, and 43,314 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,947.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,524.1/km2). There were 85,398 housing units at an average density of 1,811.6 per square mile (699.5/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 72.51% White, 6.59% African American, 0.77% Native American, 6.52% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 8.37% from other races, and 4.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.47% of the population.

There were 77,209 households, of which 24.6% had children under 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 31.9% of all households comprised individuals, and 7.5% had someone who was 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the CDP, 21.2% was under 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% was 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,376, and the median income for a family was $46,578. Males had a median income of $31,412 versus $25,898 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,258. 11.8% of the population and 8.1% of families were below the poverty line. 15.3% of those under 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line.

Population: 189,733 (2022)

Zip Codes Paradise Nevada

Elevation: 2,057 ft (627 m)

Founded: December 8, 1950, 73 years ago

Named for: Paradise Valley