Boulder City is a city in
Clark CountyClark County is a county located in Southern Nevada.The county had a population of 1,375,765 at the 2000 census, and a 2008 estimated population of 1,996,542, making it the most populous county in Nevada. It contains the city of Las Vegas, the state's most populous city. Las Vegas has been the...
,
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is approximately from the
City of Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
. As of the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
the population was 14,966, with a 2006 estimated population of 15,005.
Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibits gambling.
History
Boulder City was originally built in 1932 by the Bureau of Reclamation as housing for workers who were building
Hoover DamHoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete...
(the original name of the dam was Boulder Dam). It was designed by landscape architect
Saco Rienk DeBoerSaco Rienk DeBoer , was a landscape architect and civic planner. He was the official Landscape Architect of Denver from 1910 to 1931. He also designed the planned community of Boulder City, Nevada.As a landscape architect, S R DeBoer designed dozens of city parks and hundreds of private gardens...
. Alcohol sales, membership in unions and all forms of gambling were prohibited in the city. The Bureau did not relinquish control of the city until 1958. Boulder City was officially incorporated on January 4, 1960, and the city council selected pharmacist Robert N. Broadbent as the first mayor.
The city charter, approved by the residents, prohibited gambling within the city limits. This provision still exists, making Boulder City one of only two locations in Nevada where gambling is illegal (the other is the town of
PanacaPanaca is a town in eastern Lincoln County, Nevada, on State Route 319, about 1 mile east of U.S. Route 93, near the border with Utah. Its elevation is 4,729 feet .-History:...
). The
Hacienda Hotel and CasinoThe Hacienda Hotel and Casino replaced the old Gold Strike Hotel and Casino which was destroyed by fire on 16 June 1998 ..The hotel is located outside the city limits of Boulder City, Nevada, which does not allow gaming, and is on a parcel of private land within the boundaries of the Lake Mead...
, which has a Boulder City mailing address, is located on a parcel of private land within the boundaries of the
Lake Mead National Recreation AreaLake Mead National Recreation Area is located in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The centerpieces of the National Recreation Area are its two large reservoirs: Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. These lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while the surrounding desert rewards...
, and is not within city limits.
The other casino on the other end of town is the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino, which has a Boulder City phone prefix, but is in the nearby city of Henderson, NV.
Alcohol sales were permitted in 1969.
The 6th Best Place to Retire
In 2009,
MoneyMoney is a Time Inc. personal finance magazine. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement. It is...
magazine ranked Boulder City 6th in its annual list of the top 25 places to retire in the United States, which was based on affordable housing, medical care, tax rates and arts and leisure. --Slurpeebender
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.01%) is water. This ranks Boulder City as the largest city in Nevada by land area and
35th in the country, but gives it a low density rate of only about 78 people per square mile.
Boulder City maintains strict controls on growth, limited to 120 single- or
multi-family residentialMulti-family residential is a classification of housing where multiple separate housing units for residential inhabitants are contained within one building...
building permits for new construction per year. Hotels are also restricted to no more than 35 rooms. These restrictions are defined in the
city code Chapter 11, Section 41.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 14,966 people, 6,385 households, and 4,277 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 73.9 people per square mile (28.5/km²). There were 6,979 housing units at an average density of 34.4/sq mi (13.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.54% White, 0.71% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.34% of the population.
There were 6,385 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,523, and the median income for a family was $60,641. Males had a median income of $42,041 versus $30,385 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $29,770. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
The City of Boulder City is a special charter municipality which operates under the council-manager form of government. The City Council comprises five members, including the Mayor, who acts as presiding officer for City Council meetings. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council and executes the policies and directives of the City Council. The most ironic feature of political life in Boulder City is that the current mayor, Roger Tobler, is a libertarian, and yet the town was created by the national government.
Leisure
Boulder City has two municipal golf courses, a city pool, racquetball complex, lighted tennis courts, athletic fields, BMX bicycle track, ample mountain hiking trails, and is only a few miles away from Lake Mead. Nevada's first municipal airport is still in operation today, accommodating private planes, skydiving trips, and scenic aerial tours of Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.
Education
Boulder City's four public schools fall under the jurisdiction of the
Clark County School DistrictThe Clark County School District, , is the 5th largest school district in the United States. It serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Mesquite; plus the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue Diamond, Logandale,...
. Boulder City High School serves grades nine through twelve and has an average enrollment of 700-750 students. The school colors are navy and gold. The school mascot is the eagle. The high school academic and athletic teams compete in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) 3A South Division, with the exception of the mens and womens swimming and diving teams. For aquatic sports, the teams compete in the NIAA 4A division. Elton and Madeline Garrett Middle School serves grades six through eight. The school colors are navy and white. The school mascot is the bobcat. The athletic teams typically play an independent athletic schedule, mostly competing against local private schools with similar student enrollment populations. Martha P. King Elementary School serves grades three through five. The school colors are royal blue and gold. The school mascot is the cobra. Andrew J. Mitchell Elementary School serves grades K through two. The school colors are navy and white. The school mascot is the mustang.
Boulder City also houses a small, satellite campus of the College of Southern Nevada.
Grace Christian Academy
Boulder City is also home of one non-profit private religious elementary school,
Grace Christian Academy, which offers a Christian education for grades kindergarten through six. The school is part of Grace Community Church. --Slurpeebender
Hoover Dam in marketing
The proximity of
Hoover DamHoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete...
to Boulder City is reflected in many of the businesses in the historic Downtown district, which is home to the Boulder Dam Hotel, home of the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum (the hotel is named after the dam's former name). The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce has used the slogan "Best City By A Dam Site" in promotions, and the city hosts an annual festival of short subject films dubbed "
The Dam Short Film FestivalThe Dam Short Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Boulder City, Nevada, typically in early February. Lee Lanier and Anita Lanier are the original co-founders of the festival. The festival is currently run by the Dam Short Film Society, a non-profit Nevada corporation...
".
Points of interest
- Alan Bible Botanical Garden
The Alan Bible Botanical Garden is a desert botanical garden located at the Alan Bible Visitor Center, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City, Nevada, USA...
- Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete...
- Lake Mead
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by Hoover Dam, it extends 112 mi behind the dam, holding approximately 28.5 million acre feet...
- Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park
Notable residents
- May 1998 Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine, founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with a presence in nearly every medium. Playboy is one of the world's best...
playmate Deanna BrooksDeanna Brooks is an American glamour model and actress who was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in May, 1998...
was born in Boulder City in April 1974.
- Boulder City residents Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr. is an American actor and musician and son of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.-Early life:...
and his wife Amy are the owners of the Boulder Theatre, a former cinema converted into a live theatre, which is home to the Boulder City Ballet Company.
- Inventor and politician Paul C. Fisher
Paul C. Fisher was an American inventor and politician. He invented the Fisher Space Pen. He held the patent for this invention, which is the most lucrative in the history of pens. -The Fisher Space Pen:...
(1913-2006) was the founder of the Fisher Spacepen Co., located in Boulder City.
External links