Moapa Valley, Nevada
Location of Moapa Valley in Clark County, Nevada
Coordinates: 36°34′28″N 114°27′29″W / 36.57444, -114.45806
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Area
- Total	43.7 sq mi (113.2 km²)
- Land	43.6 sq mi (112.8 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
Elevation	1,335 ft (407 m)
Population (2007)
- Total	8,260
- Density	159.8/sq mi (61.7/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
FIPS code	32-47880
GNIS feature ID	1867349

Moapa Valley is a valley and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The valley is about 40 miles long and lies roughly northwest to southeast. The Muddy River, formerly called the Moapa River, originates from warm artesian springs and flows through the valley before emptying into Lake Mead. The towns of Moapa, Logandale and Overton are located in the valley. Logandale is about 12 miles southeast of Moapa and Overton is about 5 miles southeast of Logandale. Prior to the creation of Lake Mead, Moapa Valley also included the town of St. Thomas. It was abandoned in 1938 due to the rising lake level. The population of the census-designated place, which does not include Moapa, was 48,784 at the 2000 census, and was estimated to be 69,260 in 2007.

Geography

From Moapa Valley, looking east towards the Mormon Mesa

Moapa Valley is located at 36°34′28″N, 114°27′29″W (36.574536, -114.457940).^[1]

Has an elevation on 1,265 ft. above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 43.7 square miles (113.2 km²), of which, 43.6 square miles (112.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 5,784 people, 1,934 households, and 1,525 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 132.7 people per square mile (51.3/km²). There were 2,213 housing units at an average density of 50.8/sq mi (19.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.41% White, 0.24% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 4.34% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.09% of the population.

There were 1,934 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,942, and the median income for a family was $47,575. Males had a median income of $42,348 versus $26,442 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,696. About 5.7% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Moapa Valley was originally settled by the Anasazi people around 350 B.C. Around 500 A.D., farming supplanted hunting as the major food source for the people known as "Basketmakers". It was also around this time that the art of pottery was introduced. By 600 A.D. the people, now known as "Puebloans", began building their dwellings above ground, using wood and brush plastered with Adobe. Farming was a well-established practice with corn, beans, squash, and cotton being the primary crops. The Puebloans also hunted Mule deer, desert big horn sheep, rabbits, and rodents using the bow and arrow.

Around 1000 A.D. Southern Paiutes moved into the Moapa Valley area. The Paiutes were hunter-gatherers who did not utilize agriculture as a primary source of subsistence. They lived in temporary brush dwellings and practiced a style of pottery that was inferior to the methods used by the Anasazi. The Paiutes and Anasazi people coexisted with little effort in the valley.

Sometime around 1150 A.D., the Anasazi abandoned Moapa Valley possibly due to a drought which gripped the Desert Southwest during that time. When the first European settlers arrived, the Paiutes were relocated to a reservation north of Moapa where they continue to live today.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

• Olson, Kathryne & Pat Olson. (1985). Nevada's Lost City: A Treasure Trnijnjkn o.lim kl, ove of Mystery. The Nevada Humanities Committee.
• UNLV - Anthropology Department

External links

• Moapa Valley, Nevada is at coordinates 36°34′28″N 114°27′29″W / 36.574536, -114.45794 (Moapa Valley, Nevada)Coordinates: 36°34′28″N 114°27′29″W / 36.574536, -114.45794 (Moapa Valley, Nevada)
• Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce
• The Lost City Museum

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Clark County, Nevada
County seat: Las Vegas
Cities	Boulder City | Henderson | Las Vegas | Mesquite | North Las Vegas
CDPs	Blue Diamond | Bunkerville | Cal-Nev-Ari | Enterprise | Goodsprings | Indian Springs | Laughlin | Moapa Town | Moapa Valley | Mount Charleston | Paradise | Sandy Valley | Searchlight | Spring Valley | Summerlin South | Sunrise Manor | Whitney | Winchester
Unincorporated communities	Arden | Cactus Springs | Cottonwood Cove | Glendale | Jean | Logandale | Mountain Springs | Nelson | Overton | Primm | Sloan