Whitney (formerly East Las Vegas) is an

unincorporated town An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Clark County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States. The population was 38,585 at the 2010 census.

Background

Stowell E. Whitney, a dairy farmer from

Bunkerville, Nevada Bunkerville is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place of Bunkerville (which may not coi ...

, purchased a ranch in the area in the 1910s. The town of Whitney was established in 1931, when Whitney subdivided his ranch due to the construction of the

Boulder Highway State Route 582 (SR 582) is a major highway in the Las Vegas Valley. The highway is the former route of U.S. Route 93 (US 93) and US 95 (and, historically, US 466) before they were moved to the current freeway alignment sha ...

. Much of this land is now within

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

city limits. He didn't attract many buyers, since this took place during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. A Whitney post office was opened the following year. The town was officially founded in 1942 by the

Clark County Commission The Clark County Commission is the governmental organization that governs and runs Clark County, Nevada, providing services to the unincorporated areas. Its offices are located at the Clark County Government Center in Downtown Las Vegas. The commi ...

, and that year Whitney was given official borders. The town was renamed as East Las Vegas in 1958, in response to a petition signed by almost all the residents. The name was changed back to Whitney in 1993. Prior to the 1970s, Whitney was one of a few small communities between

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 ...

and Henderson along Boulder Highway (which was

US 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln Coun ...

US 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 begins in San Luis, ...

and US 466 at the time). Whitney Elementary School was a converted barracks. It housed grades from first to seventh until the 1960s; after that, seventh-graders were moved to Henderson Junior High. In the early years, the town's post office was operated by John and Nellie Bunch, owners of much of the Whitney property and surrounding areas. The town consisted of three streets running east and west: Whitney Avenue, Keenan Avenue, and Missouri Avenue. Cross streets running north and south were 1st Street, 2nd Street, and 3rd Street. Older students attended

Basic High School Basic Academy of International Studies also known as Basic Academy and Basic High School, is a public high school with an embedded magnet high school that is part of the Clark County School District. It was the first high school in Henderson, Ne ...

in Henderson. In the early 1990s, the outward growth of development in Las Vegas and Henderson, as well as the construction of the

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) ...

bypass of Whitney, had a negative effect on businesses in the area. Business began to recover in the 2000s. The area has seen several new housing developments on vacant land. It is home to

Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium (formerly the Las Vegas Silver Bowl) is a football stadium in the western United States, located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas Valley. It honors Sam Boyd (1910–1993), a major figure in the hote ...

(formerly Las Vegas Stadium, Las Vegas Silver Bowl, and Sam Boyd Silver Bowl), the former home venue of the

UNLV Rebels The UNLV Rebels are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision for college football) as a member of the Mountain West Confer ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

team.

Geography

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

(CDP) of Whitney (which may not coincide exactly with the town boundaries) has a total area of , all of it land.

Government

As an unincorporated town, Whitney is directly managed by the Clark County Commission. Federally, it is split between the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts, but with redistributing will be in the 1st congressional district entirely in 2023, represented by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Dina Titus Alice Costandina Titus (born May 23, 1950) is an American political scientist and politician who has been the United States representative for since 2013. She served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011, when she was defeated by Joe ...

. In state politics, it is part of

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

District 7, represented by

Roberta Lange and

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

District 18, which is represented by Democrat Venicia Considine.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 18,273 people, 7,090 households, and 4,502 families living in the CDP. The population density was . There were 7,849 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 72.24% White, 6.82% African American, 1.11% Native American, 3.81% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 11.04% from other races, and 4.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.29%. Of the 7,090 households 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 27.8% of households were one person and 6.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males. The median household income was $36,536 and the median family income was $41,504. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $23,988 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,969. About 8.2% of families and 9.7% 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 13.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links