West Wendover, Nevada

History

West Wendover began to develop in the 1930s and 1940s with the introduction of legalized gambling in the State of Nevada. William "Bill" Smith founded a small cobblestone service station that provided a needed rest to weary travelers crossing the desert terrain of western Utah and eastern Nevada. Today this facility is known as the Wendover Nugget. It wasn't until December 2001, when the former State Line Casino and Hotel came under new ownership, did this long-standing organization lose its place as the oldest continually operated gaming license for a casino in the State of Nevada; over 66 years.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, West Wendover began to emerge as a destination resort. Additional business arrived constructing more casinos, hotels and other service establishments as well as recreational venues such as the Toana Vista Golf Course. As growth continued to spiral up, the citizens of West Wendover, Nevada, then a township of Elko County, elected to incorporate under self-rule. On July 1, 1991, the city of West Wendover, Nevada, came into existence. Amber S Holt named the city seal of West Wendover encouraging people to, "Come Grow With Us."

In October 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation moved West Wendover out of the Pacific Time Zone due to the strong economic ties between West Wendover and neighboring Utah. This made the city of West Wendover the only portion of Nevada legally in the Mountain Time Zone. The unincorporated towns of Jackpot, Jarbidge, Mountain City, and Owyhee in northern Elko County also observe Mountain Time, but only on an unofficial basis.

West Wendover has thrived under a lucrative gambling industry in Nevada, which has generated tax revenue for city services and better schools. Meanwhile, just footsteps away, Wendover, Utah has decayed with almost no business tax base. Residents in both cities have voted to annex Wendover into Nevada, saying they are one community that has been divided for too long. Some politicians in both the State of Utah and the State of Nevada have endorsed the idea. However, the politicians in Wendover, Utah, placed a permanent halt to the annexation process through a vote on November 15, 2006. The motion made was to halt the annexation process. The vote was a tie with two Council Members voting to halt the process and two Council Members supporting the continuation of the process. The tie vote was broken up by a vote of Wendover, Utah Mayor Brett Shelton who voted to discontinue the annexation process. Previously, West Wendover had decided to halt any further work after Wendover, Utah, indicated they were going to discuss and make a decision on proceeding. Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution requires that any change in state boundaries be approved by the U.S. Congress as well as by the two state legislatures.

Geography

West Wendover is located at 40°44′22″N 114°4′11″W (40.739512, -114.069796).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 sq mi (19 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census West Wendover had a population of 4,410. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 61.7% Hispanic or Latino, 33.8% non-Hispanic white, 0.3% non-Hispanic black, 1.2% non-Hispanic Native American, 1.3% non-Hispanic Asians, 0.7% non-Hispanic Pacific Islanders, 0.2% non-Hispanics reporting some other race and 4.1% reporting two or more races.

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,721 people, 1,363 households, and 1,046 families residing in the city. The population density was 629.8 people per square mile (243.0/km²). There were 1,626 housing units at an average density of 216.9 per square mile (83.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.96% White, 0.68% African American, 2.27% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 22.75% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.85% of the population.

There were 1,363 households out of which 55.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.46 and the average family size was 3.97.

In the city, the population was spread out with 39.0% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 109.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,116, and the median income for a family was $34,297. Males had a median income of $23,281 versus $18,105 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,013. About 17.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

West Wendover has five main casino hotels: