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Laughlin, Nevada
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Laughlin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,076. Laughlin is a port located on the Colorado River 94 miles (152.3 km) south of Las Vegas. Directly across the river from Laughlin is Bullhead City, Arizona, which has four times the population of Laughlin (approximately 39,000) and supplies much of the workforce.
Laughlin's name comes from Don Laughlin who bought the southern tip of Nevada in 1964 (informally called South Pointe).
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Encyclopedia
Laughlin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,076. Laughlin is a port located on the Colorado River 94 miles (152.3 km) south of Las Vegas. Directly across the river from Laughlin is Bullhead City, Arizona, which has four times the population of Laughlin (approximately 39,000) and supplies much of the workforce.
Laughlin's name comes from Don Laughlin who bought the southern tip of Nevada in 1964 (informally called South Pointe). Laughlin operated the 101 Club in Las Vegas. He opened what would become the Riverside Resort which offered all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents, 12 slot machines and two live gaming tables, and 8 motel rooms -- 4 of which were occupied by Don Laughlin's family. Laughlin wanted to call the community "Riverside" or "Casino" but the Post Office opted for Laughlin instead.
Officially, Laughlin is not incorporated as a municipality. It is governed by the Clark County Board of Commissioners, which receives advice from the appointed Laughlin Town Advisory Board, which in turn is headed by a Town Manager (instead of a Mayor). Police protection is provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), and fire protection by the Clark County Fire Department.
Laughlin is the third most visited casino and resort destination in the state after Las Vegas and Reno, and is one of the top 5 destinations for American RV enthusiasts. The unincorporated township is named for founder Don Laughlin, an Owatonna, Minnesota native who owns the Riverside Resort and Casino.
Laughlin is advertised as a more family-friendly venue than its contemporaries, and as such has a greater emphasis on outdoor and family activities as opposed to the greater glitz and adult entertainment found in Las Vegas or Reno. Many of the casinos that line the Colorado River are linked by an unofficial pedestrian thoroughfare known as the Laughlin Riverwalk.
History
In April 2002, Laughlin was the scene of the River Run Riot, a major fight between two rival California motorcycle gangs, the Hells Angels and the Mongols. Between 70 and 100 gang members were involved in the violence which resulted in three deaths and multiple gunshot and knife injuries.
Geography
Laughlin is located at (35.141554, -114.618512).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 89.5 square miles (231.8 kmē), of which, 88.1 square miles (228.2 kmē) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 kmē) of it (1.55%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,076 people, 3,177 households, and 1,995 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 80.3 people per square mile (31.0/kmē). There were 4,127 housing units at an average density of 46.8/sq mi (18.1/kmē). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.06% White, 2.81% African American, 0.62% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 2.74% from other races, and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.56% of the population.
There were 3,177 households out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.61.
The population is spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,885, and the median income for a family was $40,104. Males had a median income of $27,854 versus $20,973 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,097. About 7.5% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.
Big Bend Water District
Big Bend Water District provides water for Laughlin.
Annual Events
Beginning in 2001, the Tropicana Express Hotel and Casino has been the host for the Talent Quest National Finals. The contest is held in the third week of September, where qualifying singers compete for the top spot in Male and Female Pop/Rock/R&B and Male and Female Country/Western.
New Year's celebrations are often chaotic, since the neighboring town of Bullhead City, Arizona (in the Mountain Time Zone) is one hour ahead of Laughlin (in the Pacific Time Zone). Revelers are known to ring in the new year in Bullhead City, and then cross the river into Laughlin to ring it in again one hour later.
The Laughlin River Run started in 1983 and now is billed as the "West Coast's Largest Motorcycle Event On The Banks Of The Colorado River", with thousands of avid motorcyclist attending annually each spring, usually in later April.
Education
Clark County School District serves Laughlin.
Residents are zoned to Bennett Elementary School (K-5), Laughlin Junior High School (6-8) and Laughlin High School (9-12).
Laughlin in popular culture
In 2007, the television show Viva Laughlin, based on the popular BBC television serial Blackpool, was reformatted to take place in Laughlin, Nevada. The show was broadcast on CBS in the USA, E! in Canada, and the Nine Network in Australia. Reaction to the show was so overwhelmingly negative that all three networks canceled the show after only two episodes.
See also
- Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport
External links
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