Henderson is a city in

Clark County, Nevada Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, across ...

, United States, about southeast of downtown

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...

. Henderson occupies the southeastern end of the valley, at an elevation of . Henderson is known for its supply of

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. With the decline of magnesium production, the Nevada legislature approved a bill that gave Nevada's Colorado River Commission the authority to purchase the industrial plants, and Henderson was incorporated in 1953. Henderson is the location of

Lake Las Vegas Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada, refers to a reservoir and the developed area around the reservoir. The area is sometimes referred to as the ''Lake Las Vegas Resort''. It is being developed by 5 companies including Lake at Las Vegas Join ...

History

The township of Henderson first emerged in the 1940s during World War II with the building of the Basic Magnesium Plant. Henderson quickly became the main supplier of

in the United States, which was called the "miracle metal" of World War II. The plant supplied the US War Department with magnesium for incendiary munition casings and airplane engines, frames, and other parts. A quarter of all US wartime magnesium came from the Henderson Plant to strengthen

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

, using 25% of

Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...

's power to separate the metal from its ore by

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

.Moore, David
The Hoover Dam: A World Renowned Concrete Monument
''Roman Concrete'', 1999. Accessed: 26 February 2012. Mayor Jim Gibson's grandfather, Fred D. Gibson, was one of the original engineers sent to Great Britain to learn the secret of creating the "miracle metal" which would help the United States and its allies win the war. The British liaison officer sent to Henderson, Major Charles Ball, had a main thoroughfare named after him. Because of concerns about having a street named “Ball Avenue”, the name was later changed to “Major Avenue”. Although "born in America's defense", Henderson's future after World War II was uncertain. In 1947, magnesium production was no longer necessary for defense, and most of the Black Mountain Industrial (BMI) Complex's 14,000 employees moved away. Enrollment in the school system was reduced by two thirds, and well over half the townsite houses, built to house plant workers, became vacant. In 1947, the United States War Asset Administration offered Henderson for sale as war surplus property. In an effort to save the city, the

Nevada Legislature The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, the Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house, the Senate, with 21. With a total of 63 seats, the Legislature is the third-smallest bicameral state legislature in ...

spent a weekend visiting Henderson, evaluating the possibility of state administration of Basic Magnesium. Within days of the visit, the legislators unanimously approved a bill that gave Nevada's Colorado River Commission the authority to purchase the industrial plants. Governor

Vail Pittman Vail Montgomery Pittman (September 17, 1880 – January 29, 1964) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 19th governor of Nevada. Biography Pittman was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the youngest of four ...

signed the bill on March 27, 1947, helping save Henderson from becoming war surplus property. With the help of local industry, Henderson was incorporated on April 16, 1953 as the City of Henderson. On May 23, 1953, Henderson, with its population of 7,410, elected Dr. Jim French as the first mayor. Originally only about in size, the city quickly began to grow, reaching over in size today.

Rocket fuel factory fire

In 1988, the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) rocket fuel factory, in the modern-day Gibson Springs neighborhood of Henderson, caught fire. The blaze quickly engulfed the factory, spewing rocket fuel, smoke, and toxic fumes from the building, eventually obliterating it in a massive explosion, followed by six smaller explosions. Smoke was seen from away, and two major blasts measured 3.0 and 3.5, respectively, on the

Richter magnitude scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...

at observatories in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. These explosions sent shockwaves throughout Henderson and parts of the

that shattered glass and damaged buildings. Two people were killed and 372 were injured. Investigators surveying the damage in the surrounding communities estimated the blast as similar to a 1-kiloton airblast

nuclear detonation A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading combination of the two, tho ...

. The events of the PEPCON factory disaster spurred development in Henderson years later, from its historical industrial development to residential and commercial development. There are now no signs of the explosion where it happened. Today, the site consists mostly of office buildings.

Geography

Henderson is about southeast of downtown Las Vegas at (36.03972, −114.98111). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

with wildlife and vegetation typical of the Mojave. The mountains that surround Henderson mostly have gentle slopes. The

McCullough Range The mountains in the McCullough Range lie mostly above the city of Henderson in the U.S. state of Nevada. The range has two distinct areas with the northern portion being primarily volcanic in origin, while the southern part of the range is prima ...

is closest to the city; most of this range is covered by black rocks from a volcanic explosion millions of years ago. These mountains reach an average height of about . The landscape consists of the desert; the only water in the city is found in washes like Duck Creek. Residential neighborhoods in Henderson include

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

, Anthem Country Club, Ascaya, Black Mountain Vistas, Cadence, Calico Ridge, Champion Village, The Fountains, Grand Legacy, Green Valley, Green Valley Estates,

Green Valley Ranch Green Valley Ranch is a hotel and casino located within the eponymous community in Henderson, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Station Casinos, and includes a casino. The resort was initially proposed by American Nevada Corporation, which rec ...

, Hillsboro Heights, Inspirada,

MacDonald Highlands The MacDonald Highlands are a series of affluent residential neighborhoods in Henderson, Nevada in the foothills of Black Mountain. The neighborhood is part of the Las Vegas Valley. The highlands are situated approximately 15 miles (25 km) ...

, MacDonald Ranch, Madeira Canyon, Club at Madeira Canyon, Roma Hills, Seven Hills, Sun City Anthem, Sun City MacDonald Ranch,

Tuscany Village Tuscany Village is a golf course community located in Henderson, Nevada. It was originally proposed by developer Jim Rhodes (developer), Jim Rhodes in 1995, under the name Palm City. The project was proposed for the former site of the Stewart grave ...

, and Whitney Ranch.

Climate

Henderson is classified as having a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(BWh) in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. It has mild winters and hot summers. Snow can occasionally fall in the winter. The monsoon can bring storms in the summer, which can cause

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing and

thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

. The hottest month is July and the coldest month is December. On average there are 292 clear days per year.

Demographics

At the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, 257,729 people resided in Henderson. The racial makeup was 76.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 5.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 7.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.6%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 4.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 14.9% of the population and 68.7% of the population was

non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...

. According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of . The city's racial makeup was 80.49%

, 3.76%

, 0.70% Native American, 3.98%

, 0.42%

, 3.16% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.49% from two or more races.

of any race were 13.71% of the population. There were 66,331 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age for the city was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The city's median household income was $63,830, and the median family income was $74,120. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $33,238. The Henderson zip code 89012 where

is located, has the 7th highest per-capita income in the United States at $148,899. About 3.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, the city's largest employers are: In July 2020, Amazon announced the opening of a new, facility in Henderson.

Culture and entertainment

An increasing number of major shopping malls, movie theater complexes, concert venues, restaurants and casino resorts offer residents a variety of choices for leisure time in Henderson. The city also sits a few miles southeast of Las Vegas and is not too far from the world-famous

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...

. "Shakespeare in the Park" celebrated its tenth anniversary in 1996, a testament to Henderson's long-standing support for the arts and cultural programs. The city also boasts the largest recreational facility – the Multigenerational Facility at Liberty Pointe – in Nevada as well as Nevada's only scenic Bird Preserve. The city supports a variety of other cultural events, many of which are held at the outdoor amphitheater, the largest one of its kind in Nevada.

Film history

*The documentary ''Real CSI'' featured the Henderson Police Department (HPD) Crime Scene Analysts/Investigators. *The 1998 film ''

Lethal Weapon 4 ''Lethal Weapon 4'' is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li (in his international film debut). It is the fourth insta ...

'' used Interstate 215 as a filming location. *A scene in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' Diamonds Are Forever'' in which Bond (

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

) is nearly cremated alive was filmed at Palm Mortuary's Henderson location. Later in the movie, he is dumped into a pipeline, which was filmed near Lake Mead Boulevard. The construction office for the Lake Mead to Las Vegas water pipeline was there during the building of the pipeline and the filming of the movie. *''

America's Sweethearts ''America's Sweethearts'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Joe Roth and written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan. It stars Julia Roberts, Crystal, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Seth Gre ...

'', starring

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...

and

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

, featured many scenes filmed at Lake Las Vegas. *''

Paranormal Activity 4 ''Paranormal Activity 4'' is a 2012 American Found footage (film technique), found footage supernatural horror film, directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost and written by Christopher Landon (filmmaker), Christopher Landon from a story by Cha ...

'' takes place at the home of a wealthy family in Henderson.

Select points of interest

Acacia Demonstration Gardens The Acacia Demonstration Gardens is a public park in Henderson, Nevada that features many examples of how to landscape in a dry desert climate.City of Henderson. "Acacia Demonstration Gardens".http://www.cityofhenderson.com/parks/parks/acacia_d ...

* Anthem Country Club * Ascaya * Black Mountain Recreation Center * Clark County Heritage Museum *

The District at Green Valley Ranch The District at Green Valley Ranch is a mixed-use development in Green Valley Ranch, a neighborhood in the city of Henderson, Nevada. It is located east of the Green Valley Ranch hotel-casino, and includes retail, restaurant, office, and residenti ...

Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden is a botanical garden located at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory in Henderson, Nevada, Henderson, Nevada. The garden, and the factory itself, are open to the public with no admission charge. The garden, like the ...

Ethel M Chocolate Factory The Ethel M Chocolate Factory is a chocolate factory in Henderson, Nevada, founded by Forrest Mars Sr. It produces gourmet chocolate for all of the Ethel M and Ethel's brand chocolates. The factory was named after the mother of Forrest Mars Sr ...

Galleria at Sunset Galleria at Sunset (informally referred to as Galleria Mall) is an indoor shopping mall at 1300 West Sunset Road in Henderson, Nevada. It is owned by Forest City Enterprises and Queensland Investment Corporation, and managed by Forest City. Plans ...

Resort, Spa, and Casino * Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Water Reclamation Facility * Henderson International School * Henderson Pavilion Concert Theater and Recreational Plaza *

* Lamborghini Las Vegas *

M Resort M Resort Spa Casino is a boutique hotel, spa, and casino in Henderson, Nevada. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment. The property includes a casino and a 16-story tower with 390 rooms. The M Resort i ...

* Montelago Village and Boutiques *

Nevada State College Nevada State College (NSC) is a public college in Henderson, Nevada. It is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education and opened on September 3, 2002, as Nevada's first state college. Its main campus is located on a site in the southern foo ...

* Ravella at

Rio Secco Golf Club Rio Secco Golf Club is a public golf course located in the Seven Hills neighborhood of Henderson, in the Las Vegas Valley. The course has hosted the annual Tiger Woods Jam and other charity and competitive events including the VegasGolfer Pro Sho ...

* Roma Hills * Seven Hills Estates * Sunset Station * Veteran's Wall *

Water Street District The Water Street District, a large part of downtown Lock Haven in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is a historic district added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1973. The district includes the city's entire central business ...

* Westin Resort at

* Wildhorse Golf Club

Hiking trails

Henderson has more than of trails.

Government

The city received its charter from the

Nevada State Legislature The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, the Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house, the Senate, with 21. With a total of 63 seats, the Legislature is the third-smallest bicameral state legislature in ...

in 1953, formally incorporating the city with a council/manager form of government. Henderson is divided into four wards. A mayor and four council members are elected citywide, but no more than one council member are allowed to reside in each ward.

Lorna Kesterson Lorna J. Kesterson (December 30, 1925 – January 16, 2012) was an American journalist, newspaper editor and politician. She served as the first female mayor of the city of Henderson, Nevada, for two consecutive four-year terms from 1985 to 199 ...

was elected as Henderson's first female mayor, serving two terms until 1993. Fire prevention services are provided by the

Henderson Fire Department The Henderson Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Henderson, the second largest city in Nevada with 279,226 residents spread out over . USAR Task Force The HFD is a ...

and police services by the

Henderson Police Department The Henderson Police Department (HPD) is the police department of the City of Henderson in Clark County in southern Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Ida ...

2013 Americans with Disabilities Act settlement

In 2013, the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

(DOJ) announced it had reached a cooperative settlement agreement with the city of Henderson under the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

(ADA). The DOJ received complaints by individuals who are deaf that officers for the city of Henderson did not provide them with qualified sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids and services when needed for effective communication. One of the complainants was arrested and detained for two days in the Henderson

detention facility A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

, while the other was an alleged

crime victim In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

. During its investigation into the allegations, the department inquired whether the city of Henderson would be interested in resolving the matter voluntarily. The city expressed its full commitment to ensure compliance with the ADA. Under the settlement, the city of Henderson will pay $35,000 to the complainants. The city agreed to provide

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

interpreters, usually within an hour of a person's request to law enforcement officers. Henderson also agreed to modify its handcuffing policies for people who use sign language or hand writing to communicate, and to adopt other policies consistent with the ADA.

Education

The

Clark County School District The Clark County School District (CCSD) is a school district that serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City; as well as the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue D ...

provides elementary and secondary public education. Henderson is the location for 29 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and nine high schools. Five of the nine high schools are public schools, being

Basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...

Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...

, Green Valley,

Foothill Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...

, and

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. The remaining four are private college preparatory schools, including the

Henderson International School Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Vall ...

. A tenth high school, Silverado High School, also serves parts of Henderson but is in the unincorporated Clark County (

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

Findlay College Prep

Findlay Prep was a

high school basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

program sponsored by the Henderson International School. Henderson International School – a private preparatory school owned by Meritas – hosted Findlay College Prep. Since its creation in 2006 by businessman Cliff Findlay, its dozen students comprised the school's only high school students.Abramson, Mitch
"Former Knick Jerome Williams coaches Findlay Prep, one of country's top high school basketball teams."
''

Daily News (New York) The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'', 5 October 2013. Retrieved on 24 May 2015. Findlay has had several McDonald's All-Americans and alumni playing in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA).

Colleges and universities

Henderson is home to several colleges and universities.

, a baccalaureate college in the

Nevada System of Higher Education The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE, formerly the University and Community College System of Nevada or "UCCSN") is a state government unit in Nevada that oversees its public system of colleges and universities. It was formed in 1968 to ove ...

. The

Roseman University of Health Sciences Roseman University of Health Sciences is a private university focused on healthcare and located in Henderson, Nevada. It has a second campus in South Jordan, Utah. It was founded by Dr. Harry Rosenberg, enrolled its first class in January 2001, and ...

, a private university which awards degrees in nursing, pharmacy, and business, is in Henderson. The

College of Southern Nevada The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada Syst ...

, a community college based in

, maintains a branch campus in Henderson. California's

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. Some national universities are associated with national cultural or po ...

Touro University Nevada Touro University Nevada (TUN) is a private university in Henderson, Nevada. It is part of the Touro College and University System. Touro University Nevada is a branch campus of its sister campus Touro University California. History Touro Univer ...

and

Devry University DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...

also maintain a campus in Henderson. Several for-profit colleges also operate in the city, including the International Academy of Design & Technology (Henderson campus closed in 2016),

The Art Institute of Las Vegas The Art Institute of Las Vegas was a for-profit college in Henderson, Nevada. It was founded in 1983 as The Interior Design Institute and was later known as The Design Institute. It was renamed The Art Institute of Las Vegas in 2001 when it was p ...

, and

Everest College Everest College was a system of colleges in the United States, and with Wyotech, made up Zenith Education. It was until 2015 a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario, owned and operated by Corint ...

Library

Henderson has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Henderson District Public Libraries.

Sports

Henderson is home to the headquarters of the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

. In February 2018, the then

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

(who in 2017 announced they would relocate to Las Vegas in time for the 2020 NFL season) announced the signing of a deal for 55 acres of land near

Henderson Executive Airport Henderson Executive Airport is a public use government airport located in Henderson, Nevada, 13 miles south of Las Vegas, in Clark County, Nevada. The airport is owned by the Clark County Commission and operated by the Clark County Department of ...

, on which the team's executive offices and practice facility were built. The

Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit healthcare system and is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West of the United States. Intermountain Healthcare provides ambulatory and acute health services, along with other medi ...

Performance Center opened in June 2020. Henderson is scheduled to be home to the headquarters of the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conferenc ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

. In February 2021, ground was broken for a Aces facility next to the Raiders facility. The 50,000 square foot facility will house the Aces’ practice facility, offices, training room, weight room, hydrotherapy space, physical therapy area, locker rooms, a lecture hall, player and alumni lounges, and an on-site day care center and is expected to be completed by March 2023. The

Henderson Silver Knights The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Henderson, Nevada, that began play in the 2020–21 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays its home games at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. The tea ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

play in a 6,000-seat arena, the

Dollar Loan Center The Dollar Loan Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Henderson, Nevada. Built on the site of the former Henderson Pavilion, it is the home of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League, the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor ...

in Henderson. The arena is also home to the

Vegas Knight Hawks The Vegas Knight Hawks are a professional indoor football team based in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. A member of the Indoor Football League (IFL), the Knight Hawks began play in 2022 at Dollar Loan Center. The Knight Hawks are owne ...

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams amon ...

, and the

NBA G League Ignite The NBA G League Ignite is a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League. Based in Henderson, Nevada, the team was designed to play exhibition games outside the G League's traditional scheduling as part of a one-year development program for e ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

Minor professional teams

Media

Newspapers

*''

Las Vegas Review-Journal The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area. The ''Review-Journal'' ...

'' *''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily Subscription business model, subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays ...

'' *''Green Valley View'' *''The Henderson Press''

Television

KVVU-TV KVVU-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Henderson, Nevada, United States, serving the Las Vegas area as an affiliate of the Fox network. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios at the Broadcast Center on West Sunse ...

(channel 5) is the Las Vegas Valley's

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

affiliate and licensed to Henderson, and is based from studios on the northwest side of the city.

Transportation

The city is served by

RTC Transit RTC Transit is the name of the bus system in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Clark County, Nevada. It is a subsidiary of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. While it services most of Clark County with regularly schedu ...

(formerly Citizens Area Transit/CAT) with its network of bus routes which run throughout the

. Henderson is served by four major highways: Henderson Black Hills and ( State Route 582), which is the main thoroughfare connecting with Las Vegas and

Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of on ...

; Lake Mead Parkway ( State Route 564);

Interstate 515 Interstate 515 (I-515) is a spur route of Interstate 15 in Nevada, I-15 in the US state of Nevada that runs from the junction of Interstate 11, I-11, Las Vegas Beltway, I-215, and Nevada State Route 564, State Route 564 (SR 564) ...

and Interstate 215. State Route 146, also known as Saint Rose Parkway, connects

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border i ...

near Sloan with Interstate 215 in Green Valley. This stretch is formally a part of Lake Mead Parkway which is a direct link to Henderson for motorists traveling in and out of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. The city of Henderson has a low percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 2.8 percent of Henderson households lacked a car, and increased to 5 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Henderson averaged 1.74 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8. Henderson is home for the

. The main airport for the metropolitan area is

Harry Reid International Airport Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...

, northwest of Henderson. Street numbering is different within the city of Henderson than with the rest of the Las Vegas Valley. The center of Henderson lies within the intersection of Water Street and Lake Mead Parkway. The Henderson Police Department for years referred to Lake Mead Parkway (and its former name Lake Mead Drive) as "146", while Boulder Highway is often referred as "93", its former highway designation. The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

serves Henderson over a branch line originally built to support construction of

. The final few miles of the line, owned by the U.S. Government, were abandoned after the dam was completed. The line still extends to

; in 1985, the state purchased the section east of appropriately I-515, with the

Nevada Southern Railroad Museum The Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City is a railroad museum in Boulder City, Nevada which is an agency of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The railway is located on the tracks that were installed to support constructio ...

operating excursion trains over the easternmost seven miles (11 km).

Notable people

The following is an incomplete list of notable Henderson residents: *

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

(born 1977), electro-house musician, record producer, DJ and music executive *

Erica Blasberg Erica Paige Blasberg (July 14, 1984 – May 9, 2010) was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She attended the University of Arizona, and was the country's number 1 ranked college player as a freshman. She won the 2004 Lac ...

(1984–2010), LPGA golfer *

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

(born 1967), singer *

Lisa Cano Burkhead Lisa Cano Burkhead (born 1970/1971) is an American educator and politician serving as the 36th lieutenant governor of Nevada. She was nominated by Governor Steve Sisolak to replace Kate Marshall in December 2021. Prior to serving as lieutenant gov ...

, 36th

Lieutenant Governor of Nevada The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...

Glen and Les Charles Glen Gerald Charles (born February 18, 1943) and Les Charles (born March 25, 1948) are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for ''Taxi'' and '' Cheers''. Early life and careers The Charles brothers attended University o ...

, creators of ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'' and ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'' *

Andrew Cherng Andrew Cherng (; pronounced ''Chur-ng''; born April 1948) is a Chinese-born American billionaire restaurateur. He is the founder and chairman of Panda Restaurant Group, based in Rosemead, California. He is the co-founder and chief executive offic ...

(born 1948), founder of

Panda Express Panda Express is an American fast food restaurant chain that serves American Chinese cuisine. With over 2,200 locations, it is the largest Asian-segment restaurant chain in the United States, where it was founded, and is mainly located in North ...

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

(1925–2010), actor *

Phyllis Davis Phyllis Ann Davis (July 17, 1940 – September 27, 2013) was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She co-starred on the 1978–1981 dramatic detective series ''Vega$ as'' Beatrice Travis, office manager and girl Friday for th ...

(1940–2013), film and television actress *

Hailey Dawson Hailey Dawson (born March 2, 2010) is an American girl who is the first person to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Born with Poland syndrome, she is missing three fingers on her right hand and has an ...

(born 2010), girl with

3D-printed 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...

robotic Robotics is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist human ...

hand *

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...

(born 1959), Scottish singer and actress *

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...

(born 1959),

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

artist and reality television personality *

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his w ...

(born 1981), vocalist for

The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...

Joey Gallo Joseph Nicholas Gallo (born November 19, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Do ...

, professional baseball outfielder *

Jeff Gillan Jeffrey Scott Gillan (born June 1, 1957) is an American journalist and TV news anchor. Education Gillan attended college in Washington, D.C., receiving his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his master's degree in journalism and ...

(born 1957), journalist *

Greg Haugen Greg Lee Haugen (born August 31, 1960) is a retired American boxer. Haugen was champion at both the lightweight and light welterweight classes. He trained under Jim Montgomery. Haugen turned pro in 1982 and won his first 17 fights before challen ...

(born 1960), three-time world champion boxer *

Joe Heck Joseph John Heck (born October 30, 1961) is an American physician and politician who served as the United States representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2017. Heck is a United States Army major general and a board-cer ...

(born 1961),

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, and

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Republican nominee for

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in Nevada *

Iris Kyle Iris Floyd Kyle (born August 22, 1974) is an African-Indian American professional female bodybuilder. She is currently the most successful female professional bodybuilder ever with seventeen titles including ten overall Ms. Olympia wins (the m ...

(born 1974), professional female bodybuilder *

Pierre Omidyar Pierre Morad Omidyar (born Parviz Morad Omidyar, June 21, 1967) is a French-born Iranian-American billionaire. A technology entrepreneur, software engineer, and philanthropist, he is the founder of eBay, where he served as chairman from 199 ...

(born 1967), CEO and founder of

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

Jermaine O'Neal Jermaine Lee O'Neal Sr. (born October 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. The center–power forward had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high sch ...

(born 1978),

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player *

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

(born 1959), singer, doll designer, and talk show host *

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...

(born 1977),

player *

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

(1939–2021), retired

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Jacky Rosen Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen (née Spektor; born August 2, 1957) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congression ...

(born 1957),

* Nia Sanchez (born 1990),

Miss Nevada USA The Miss Nevada USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Nevada in the Miss USA pageant. While Nevada did well in the early years of the Miss USA pageant, they only placed once from 1987 to 2000. This str ...

2014,

Miss USA 2014 Miss USA 2014 was the 63rd Miss USA pageant, held at the Raising Cane's River Center Arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 8, 2014. All fifty states and the District of Columbia competed. The preliminary competition was not webcast live for t ...

and 1st runner-up

Miss Universe 2014 Miss Universe 2014 was the 63rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the FIU Arena in Florida, United States on January 25, 2015. This was the first time in the history of the competition that the pageant was not during the year the title was awarded ...

David Sklansky David Sklansky (born December 22, 1947) is an American professional poker player and author. An early writer on poker strategy, he is known for his mathematical approach to the game. His key work ''The Theory of Poker'' presents fundamental pr ...

(born 1947), professional poker player/author *

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

(born 1966), retired heavyweight boxer and television personality *

Nancy Walton Laurie Nancy Walton Laurie (born May 15, 1951) is an American heir to the Walmart fortune. She is also a businesswoman and a philanthropist. Early life Nancy Walton was born on May 15, 1951. She is the younger daughter of Bud Walton, the brother and bus ...

(born 1952), daughter of

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

co-founder

James "Bud" Walton James Lawrence "Bud" Walton (December 20, 1921 – March 21, 1995) was the brother of Sam Walton and co-founder of Walmart. Biography Early life Walton was born to Thomas Gibson Walton and Nancy "Nannie" Lee Lawrence Walton on December 20, 19 ...

Chumlee Austin Lee Russell (born September 8, 1982), better known by his stage name Chumlee, is an American businessman and reality television personality, best known for his appearances on the History Channel television show ''Pawn Stars'', which depi ...

(full name Austin Lee Russell, born 1982), star of History Channel TV show

Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...

* Mary Wilson (1944–2021), singer

References

External links

City of Henderson official website
{{Authority control 1941 establishments in Nevada Cities in Clark County, Nevada Cities in the Mojave Desert Las Vegas Valley Populated places established in 1941 Cities in Nevada