Henderson

History

In the fall of 1917, manganese ore along with other metals were found at the site of the Three Kids Mine, a now-defunct mine adjacent to the Lake Las Vegas area northwest of Boulder City and southeast of Las Vegas. Mining would continue intermittently until the mine was officially closed in 1961. Instead, there were clusters of Hoovervilles scattered throughout the area with a variety of names. Pittman, the most prominent settlement of what would become Henderson, still exists today —though not incorporated nor a city—was the most prominent of the settlements and is currently known, many of which remain neighborhood names today. In an effort to supply the Allies in World War II, the federal government needed vast quantities of magnesium for the war. Mined from Gabbs, Nevada, the ore needed to be processed in order to produce a variety of critical war materials, such as airplane engines, fuselages, and incendiary munitions casing. The area was chosen to build a two-mile long industrial complex to house the company chosen to run the operation, Basic Magnesium Incorporated (BMI), which would go on to have a massive impact on the development of Henderson. The War Department identified the area as being ideal for military industrial manufacturing. The area was at least 250 miles from the coast in between the McCullough Hills and River Mountains, protecting the area from low-altitude aircraft attacks. The area is also roughly halfway between the railroad line connecting Las Vegas to Los Angeles and Salt Lake and the Hoover Dam's water and electricity. In September 1941, around 2,700 workers began construction of the BMI complex in order to complete it in just 11 months. When the plant opened in February 1942, around 15,000 people would come from around the country to…

Geography

Henderson is about southeast of Las Vegas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is in the Mojave Desert with wildlife and vegetation typical of the Mojave, situated in the Las Vegas Valley drainage basin at the northern end of the McCullough Range in the southeast quadrant of the Las Vegas Valley.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  19,155
• Verdin

  Auriparus flaviceps (Sundevall, 1850) · Aves
  17,981
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  15,094
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,077
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15,060
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  13,547
• Gambel's Quail

  Callipepla gambelii (Gambel, 1843) · Aves
  13,214
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  12,744

Largest nearby schools

• Coronado HS
  High · Henderson · 3,365 students · 27.1:1 ratio
• Liberty HS
  High · Henderson · 3,240 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• NV Learning Academy J-SHS
  High · Las Vegas · 3,137 students · 21.5:1 ratio
• Las Vegas HS
  High · Las Vegas · 2,737 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• Green Valley HS
  High · Henderson · 2,617 students · 23:1 ratio
• Basic Academy of Int'l Studies HS
  High · Henderson · 2,605 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Del Sol Academy of Performing Arts HS
  High · Las Vegas · 2,511 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Foothill HS
  High · Henderson · 2,383 students · 22.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.75 — 2026-06-04
  11 km NW of Summerlin South, Nevada
• M 2.64 — 2025-10-07
  20 km SW of Primm, NV
• M 3.3 — 2025-06-05
  24 km ENE of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
• M 2.7 — 2025-05-17
  9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
• M 2.9 — 2024-08-15
  9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
• M 2.9 — 2024-08-14
  9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada