# Paradise, Nevada
**Paradise** is an unincorporated town in [Clark County, Nevada](https://www.edgepedia.org/clark-county-nevada), immediately south and east of the city of Las Vegas, best known as the location of most of the [Las Vegas Strip](https://www.edgepedia.org/las-vegas-strip), the [University of Nevada, Las Vegas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-nevada-las-vegas) (UNLV), and Harry Reid International Airport, none of which lie within Las Vegas city limits.[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) With a 2020 census population of 191,238, it is one of the most populous unincorporated communities in the United States.[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Unincorporated town (Clark County township) and census-designated place; no mayor, city council, or city government[3](https://zoning.buildingclub.info/nevada/paradise/building-permits) |
| Formed | December 8, 1950, by action of the Clark County Commission to block Las Vegas's annexation of the Strip[4](https://legalclarity.org/history-of-vegas-from-railroad-stop-to-entertainment-capital/) |
| Population | 191,238 (2020 census); 223,167 (2010 census)[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220) |
| Land area | 42.40 square miles (2020); 46.72 square miles (2010)[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220) |
| Boundaries | Sahara Avenue to the north, Decatur Boulevard to the west, Nellis Boulevard to the east, Cactus Avenue to the south[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) |
| Major landmarks | Las Vegas Strip resorts, UNLV, Harry Reid International Airport[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) |
| Governance | Clark County Commission acts as the local governing body; the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department provides policing[5](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/jul/12/las-vegas-vs-clark-county-there-are-differences-be/) |
## Origin: blocking annexation
Paradise was created in 1950 as a defensive act by the casino industry. In 1950, after Las Vegas mayor Ernie Cragin sought to annex the Strip so the city could claim its tax income, a group of casino proprietors headed by Gus Greenbaum of the Flamingo persuaded the Clark County Commission to establish Paradise as an unincorporated town on December 8, thwarting the annexation effort.[4](https://legalclarity.org/history-of-vegas-from-railroad-stop-to-entertainment-capital/) Casinos built outside the city limits in county territory avoided municipal fees and taxes, a pattern that shaped where the major resorts of the 1950s were placed.[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) The Review-Journal credits the name with a history dating to the turn of the 20th century, and notes that at the time of the township's formation the area was home to more farmers than tourists.[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) • [6](https://www.reviewjournal.com/?p=475075)
The annexation fight did not end there. In 1975, Nevada passed a law that would have incorporated Paradise into the city of Las Vegas, but the Nevada Supreme Court later deemed it unconstitutional.[5](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/jul/12/las-vegas-vs-clark-county-there-are-differences-be/) Paradise remains unincorporated, and the county's hold on the Strip gives the Clark County government unusual weight: as one observer told the *Las Vegas Sun*, "the county has the Strip, that gives the county government so much more power than frankly any other body in the state of Nevada."[5](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/jul/12/las-vegas-vs-clark-county-there-are-differences-be/)
## Government and services
Because Paradise has no municipal government, the Clark County Commission functions as its city council; residents of unincorporated areas cannot raise concerns at a Las Vegas City Council meeting, and the commission is the equivalent of their city council.[5](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/jul/12/las-vegas-vs-clark-county-there-are-differences-be/) Clark County, which operates as a "city" government for about 1 million residents in the urban unincorporated areas, provides the traditional urban services.[7](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/residents/about_clark_county/)
Paradise is one of several unincorporated townships in the [Las Vegas Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/las-vegas-valley), alongside Winchester, Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, Whitney, and Enterprise, that were formed under a similar model.[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/) • [8](https://sites.utexas.edu/planningforum/wp-content/uploads/sites/5170/2021/03/planningforum_volume16.pdf) If unincorporated Clark County were a city, it would be the largest city in Nevada.[9](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/82nd2023/Exhibits/Assembly/GA/AGA94C.pdf)
## Landmarks and economy
The township contains the resort corridor commonly called the Las Vegas Strip. Almost every major casino-resort, including MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, The Venetian, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, Aria, and Cosmopolitan, sits in unincorporated Clark County rather than within any incorporated city.[3](https://zoning.buildingclub.info/nevada/paradise/building-permits) The county's 2021 recovery plan identifies Paradise as the location of "the famous Las Vegas Strip" within the unincorporated towns of the Las Vegas Valley.[10](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/adobe/assets/urn%3Aaaid%3Aaem%3A8df1f475-80f4-4a7e-8b59-391f962d535b/original/as/clark-county-2021-recovery-plan-performance-report.pdf)
Other institutions followed the Strip. In 1957, the Nevada Board of Regents founded what became UNLV on Maryland Parkway in Paradise.[11](https://mannykess.com/district-e/history/) In 1959, the convention center opened on Paradise Road, just east of the Strip, a political decision that favored the corridor as larger conventions brought visitors who booked rooms in nearby hotels.[12](https://www.perlego.com/book/2088872/sun-sin-suburbia-the-history-of-modern-las-vegas-revised-and-expanded-pdf) [Harry Reid International Airport](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-reid-international-airport) also lies within the township.[1](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/)
The resort economy is visible in the census figures: total accommodation and food services sales in Paradise were $21,663,476 thousand (about $21.7 billion) in 2022, against total retail sales of about $9.5 billion.[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220)
## Population and demographics
Paradise's census population fell from 223,167 in 2010 to 191,238 in 2020, while its land area shrank from 46.72 to 42.40 square miles as boundaries were redrawn.[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220) The American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimate puts the population at 183,959, with a density of 4,338.2 people per square mile.[13](https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US3254600-paradise-nv/)
The community is diverse and heavily foreign-born. Per the 2020-2024 ACS period, 26.1 percent of residents are foreign-born, 38.4 percent speak a language other than English at home, and Hispanic or Latino residents make up 36.8 percent of the population.[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220) Median household income was $59,190 (in 2024 dollars), and 17.6 percent of residents lived in poverty, figures well below the metro area's median household income of $80,028 and poverty rate of 12.1 percent.[2](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220) • [13](https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US3254600-paradise-nv/)
## Name and identity
Residents and businesses use "Las Vegas" as a mailing and marketing address even though the properties lie in Paradise, and the county adopted the "Las Vegas" name for the Strip and its business and residential areas.[14](https://explore.vintagelasvegas.com/timeline.html)
## References
1. [The origins of Paradise in Las Vegas, Las Vegas Review-Journal (September 23, 2024)](https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/the-origins-of-paradise-in-las-vegas-3174948/)
2. [U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Paradise CDP, Nevada](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paradisecdpnevada/POP060220)
3. [Paradise, Nevada Building Permits, Zoning Guide by Building Club](https://zoning.buildingclub.info/nevada/paradise/building-permits)
4. [History of Vegas: From Railroad Stop to Entertainment Capital, LegalClarity](https://legalclarity.org/history-of-vegas-from-railroad-stop-to-entertainment-capital/)
5. [Las Vegas vs. Clark County: There are differences between living in city limits and unincorporated county land, Las Vegas Sun (July 12, 2019)](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/jul/12/las-vegas-vs-clark-county-there-are-differences-be/)
6. [Town of Paradise earned name during early era of prosperity, Las Vegas Review-Journal](https://www.reviewjournal.com/?p=475075)
7. [Living and Working In Clark County, Clark County official site](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/residents/about_clark_county/)
8. [Planning Forum, Volume 16, University of Texas at Austin](https://sites.utexas.edu/planningforum/wp-content/uploads/sites/5170/2021/03/planningforum_volume16.pdf)
9. [Clark County exhibit, 82nd Session of the Nevada Legislature (2023)](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/82nd2023/Exhibits/Assembly/GA/AGA94C.pdf)
10. [Clark County 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/adobe/assets/urn%3Aaaid%3Aaem%3A8df1f475-80f4-4a7e-8b59-391f962d535b/original/as/clark-county-2021-recovery-plan-performance-report.pdf)
11. [How District E Grew: A Sourced History of the East Las Vegas Valley](https://mannykess.com/district-e/history/)
12. [Geoff Schumacher, *Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas*](https://www.perlego.com/book/2088872/sun-sin-suburbia-the-history-of-modern-las-vegas-revised-and-expanded-pdf)
13. [Paradise, NV, Profile data, Census Reporter (ACS 2024 1-year)](https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US3254600-paradise-nv/)
14. [Las Vegas Timeline: A Visual History of Las Vegas and Clark County, Vintage Las Vegas](https://explore.vintagelasvegas.com/timeline.html)
15. [2 to vie in November to become Las Vegas mayor, Associated Press (June 12, 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/da23d29cf26b798af481e71ab16df849)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Villages, hamlets, and rural localities › Villages and rural localities of the Americas › US unincorporated communities*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license