Editing West Wendover, Nevada

{{short description|Place in Nevada, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = West Wendover
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = A Young City... An Old History,<ref name="official">{{cite web|url=http://www.westwendovercity.com/|title=Official City Website|publisher=Westwendovercity.com|access-date=September 12, 2013}}</ref> Where the West Begins<ref name="West Wendover, NV 2011">{{cite web | title=Wendover Will History Page | website=West Wendover, NV | date=2011-09-20 | url=https://www.westwendovercity.com/government/wendover-will/wendover-will-history-page | access-date=2022-08-27}}</ref>
| motto              = Come Grow with Us<ref name="official"/>
<!-- Images -->| image_skyline      = 2013-07-04 14 10 07 View of West Wendover in Nevada from a hill to the west.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = West Wendover, Nevada viewed from a hill west of town
| image_flag         = Flag of West Wendover, Nevada.gif
| image_seal         = WestWendoverNVseal.png
| image_map          = Elko County Nevada Incorporated and Unincorporated areas West Wendover Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location of West Wendover, Nevada
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = Nevada#USA
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Nevada}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Nevada|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Elko County, Nevada|Elko]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 19, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 19.37
| area_land_km2      = 19.37
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi   = 7.48
| area_land_sq_mi    = 7.48
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00
<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 4512
| population_density_km2 = 232.97
| population_density_sq_mi = 603.37
<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;7
| timezone_DST       = MDT
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;6
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 4524
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|44|52|N|114|04|42|W|region:US-NV|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 89883
| area_code          = [[Area code 775|775]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 32-83730
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2412232<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2412232}}</ref>
| website            = {{Official website|http://www.westwendovercity.com/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''West Wendover''' is a small city in [[Elko County, Nevada|Elko County]], [[Nevada]], United States. The population was 4,512 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. It is part of the [[Elko, Nevada|Elko]] [[Elko, Nevada micropolitan area|micropolitan area]]. West Wendover is located on the eastern border of Nevada and the western edge of the [[Great Salt Lake Desert]] and is contiguous with [[Wendover, Utah|Wendover]], [[Utah]], with which it is sometimes confused. It is home to five [[casino]]s and a cannabis dispensary which attract many visitors from neighboring Utah,<ref name="NBCNews2020">[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deep-trump-country-nevada-s-first-openly-gay-latino-mayor-n1249023 Deep in Trump country, Nevada's first openly gay, Latino mayor leads a blue-leaning city], nbcnews.com, 29-11-2020</ref> where both casino gambling and non-medical cannabis are illegal. [[Interstate 80 in Nevada|Interstate 80]] runs just north of the cities, while [[Interstate 80 Business (West Wendover, Nevada–Wendover, Utah)|Interstate 80 Business]] (Wendover Boulevard) runs through the two cities.

==History==
[[File:USAAF Monument in West Wendover, Nevada.jpg|left|thumb|upright|United States Army Air Force Monument in West Wendover]]
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 for travelers crossing the desert terrain of western Utah and eastern Nevada. Today this facility is known as the [[Wendover Nugget]]. It held the record as the oldest continually operated gaming license for a casino in the State of Nevada for over 66 years, until December 2001, when the former State Line Casino and Hotel came under new ownership.

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."<ref>{{cite web|title=West Wendover: Visitor's Guide: Historical|date=December 30, 2012|url=http://www.westwendovercity.com/visguide/historical.php|access-date=October 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091234/http://www.westwendovercity.com/visguide/historical.php|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In October 1999, the [[United States Department of Transportation|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2013-title49-vol1/pdf/CFR-2013-title49-vol1-part71.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714184733/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2013-title49-vol1/pdf/CFR-2013-title49-vol1-part71.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=live |title=CFR 2013 Title 49 Volume 1 Part 71 STANDARD TIME ZONE BOUNDARIES |work=www.gpo.gov |access-date=2014-07-05}}</ref> The communities of [[Jackpot, Nevada|Jackpot]], [[Jarbidge, Nevada|Jarbidge]], [[Mountain City, Nevada|Mountain City]], and [[Owyhee, Nevada|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.

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, but the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] resolution permitting Wendover to leave Utah and join Nevada was stalled in the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] in 2002 and did not become law.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/2054/actions?KWICView=false |title=Actions - H.R.2054 - 107th Congress (2001-2002): To give the consent of Congress to an agreement or compact between Utah and Nevada regarding a change in the boundaries of those States, and for other purposes. |website= Congress.gov |date=12 June 2002 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref> 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 as to whether or not they would proceed.<ref>{{cite news|title=West Wendover puts off decision |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Deseret News |date=March 8, 2006 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060308/ai_n16165463 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406022748/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060308/ai_n16165463 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2008 }}</ref> [[Article Four of the United States Constitution|Article IV]], Section 3 of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]] requires that any change in state boundaries be approved by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] as well as by the two state legislatures.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article IV|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiv#section3|work=U.S. Constitution|publisher=Cornell University Legal Information Institute|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref>

In December 2019, West Wendover's first recreational [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] dispensary opened. Because non-medical cannabis is illegal in bordering Utah, the dispensary mainly serves Utah residents visiting the town.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200103100822/https://kutv.com/news/local/utahns-buying-pot-from-new-west-wendover-shop-will-probably-break-the-law Utahns buying pot from new West Wendover shop will probably break the law]</ref>

==Geography==
West Wendover is located at {{Coord|40|44|22|N|114|4|11|W|type:city}} (40.739512, -114.069796).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|7.5|sqmi|abbr=on}}, all land.
{{Clear}}

===Climate===
Wendover and West Wendover have a [[Desert climate#Cold desert climates|cool arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BWk'') with hot summers, freezing winters, and substantial [[Diurnal temperature variation|diurnal temperature ranges]]. The cities’ location east of the [[Ruby Mountains]] makes them the driest in the Great Basin, averaging only {{convert|4.58|in|mm|0|disp=or}} of precipitation per year, or about half that of nearby [[Ely, Nevada|Ely]] or [[Elko, Nevada|Elko]]. It affects snowfall even more dramatically: Wendover and West Wendover average only {{convert|5.5|in|m|2|disp=or}} of snow, one-eighth to one-tenth the snowfall of the two nearby county seats. 
{{Weather box
|location=West [[Wendover Air Force Base]]
|single line=Y'
|width=auto
|collapsed = yes
|Jan record high F= 64
|Feb record high F= 80
|Mar record high F= 81
|Apr record high F= 92
|May record high F= 103
|Jun record high F= 105
|Jul record high F= 112
|Aug record high F= 110
|Sep record high F= 103
|Oct record high F= 90
|Nov record high F= 78
|Dec record high F= 65
|year record high F=
|Jan high F= 35.8
|Feb high F= 42.9
|Mar high F= 53.1
|Apr high F= 62.5
|May high F= 72.7
|Jun high F= 82.9
|Jul high F= 92.5
|Aug high F= 89.9
|Sep high F= 78.9
|Oct high F= 63.7
|Nov high F= 47.6
|Dec high F= 37.0
|year high F=
|Jan low F= 18.7
|Feb low F= 24.4
|Mar low F= 32.0
|Apr low F= 40.1
|May low F= 49.4
|Jun low F= 58.4
|Jul low F= 67.0
|Aug low F= 64.4
|Sep low F= 53.3
|Oct low F= 41.3
|Nov low F= 28.9
|Dec low F= 20.5
|year low F=
|Jan record low F= -16
|Feb record low F= -12
|Mar record low F= 8
|Apr record low F= 19
|May record low F= 26
|Jun record low F= 31
|Jul record low F= 43
|Aug record low F= 36
|Sep record low F= 28
|Oct record low F= 18
|Nov record low F= 5
|Dec record low F= -18
|year record low F=
|Jan precipitation inch= 0.28
|Feb precipitation inch= 0.28
|Mar precipitation inch= 0.37
|Apr precipitation inch= 0.48
|May precipitation inch= 0.72
|Jun precipitation inch= 0.51
|Jul precipitation inch= 0.25
|Aug precipitation inch= 0.34
|Sep precipitation inch= 0.34
|Oct precipitation inch= 0.47
|Nov precipitation inch= 0.29
|Dec precipitation inch= 0.25
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan snow inch = 1.6
|Feb snow inch = 1.4
|Mar snow inch = 0.5
|Apr snow inch = 0.2
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.1
|Nov snow inch = 0.4
|Dec snow inch = 1.3
|source 1 = <ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ut9382
|title=WENDOVER USAF AUX FLD, UTAH (429382)
|access-date=June 5, 2016
|publisher=Western Regional Climate Center }}</ref>
|date=June 2016
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Text of monument, WW, NV.jpg|thumb|upright|Quote from [[Harry S. Truman]] on USAAF Monument]]
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1990= 2007
|2000= 4721
|2010= 4410
|2020= 4512
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

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]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-05-14|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 4,721 people, 1,363 households, and 1,046 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|629.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,626 housing units at an average density of {{convert|216.9|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 70.96% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.68% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.27% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.59% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 22.75% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.71% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|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.

==Education==
Its school district is the [[Elko County School District]].

West Wendover has a [[public library]], a branch of the Elko-Lander-Eureka County Library System.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://publiclibraries.com/state/nevada/ | title=Nevada Public Libraries | publisher=PublicLibraries.com | access-date=14 June 2019}}</ref>

==Casino industry==
West Wendover has five main [[casino]] [[hotel]]s:

* [[Red Garter Casino|Red Garter]]
* [[Wendover Nugget]]
* [[Rainbow Wendover|Rainbow]]
* [[Peppermill Wendover|Peppermill]]
* [[Montego Bay Resort|Montego Bay]]

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Nevada}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.westwendovercity.com/}}
* [http://www.elkocountynv.net/ Elko County website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100717013243/http://www.elkocountylibrary.org/wendoverbranch.htm West Wendover Branch Library]
{{wikivoyage inline|Wendover (Utah/Nevada)|West Wendover}}

{{Geographic Location
|Centre=West Wendover
|North={{Flag icon|Idaho}} [[Oakley, Idaho|Oakley]]
|Northeast=''[[Bonneville Salt Flats]]''
|East={{Flag icon|Utah}} [[Wendover, Utah|Wendover]]
|Southeast={{flagdeco|Utah}} [[Dugway Proving Ground]]
|South=[[Ely, Nevada|Ely]]
|Southwest=''[[Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge]]''
|West=[[Elko, Nevada|Elko]]
|Northwest=[[Wells, Nevada|Wells]]
}}
{{Elko County, Nevada}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:West Wendover, Nevada| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Elko County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Cities in Nevada]]
[[Category:Elko, Nevada micropolitan area]]