Pahrump, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 24,631 people, 10,153 households, and 7,127 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 82.7 people per square mile (31.9/km²). There were 11,651 housing units at an average density of 39.1 per square mile (15.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.02% White, 10.30% African American, 1.29% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 2.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.6% of the population.
There were 10,153 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,860, and the median income for a family was $39,812. Males had a median income of $35,862 versus $21,586 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $17,708. About 7.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Transport
Pahrump is served by the Calvada Meadows AirportCalvada Meadows Airport
Calvada Meadows Airport is a private airport located in Pahrump, Nevada. It was activated in July, 1987. Aircraft must request permission before landing at the airport. There are no instrument approach procedures. Of the of runway, is asphalt; the rest is gravel....
, a private airport. Aircraft must request permission before landing at the airport.
Art Bell
Pahrump is author and radio personality Art BellArt Bell
Arthur W. "Art" Bell, III is an American broadcaster and author, known primarily as one of the founders and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM. He also created and formerly hosted its companion show, Dreamland...
's hometown, although he briefly took up residence in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 2006. He is the founder of the Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
radio talk show, which is mainly about paranormal matters. He still hosts it on some weekends, and formerly owned KNYE
KNYE
KNYE is an American radio station located in Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada. The station plays an eclectic mix of pop music most of the broadcast day. Coast to Coast AM is heard every night from 10pm til 6am...
, the local radio station located in Pahrump.
On the December 28, 2006 broadcast of Coast to Coast AM, Bell announced that he had moved back to Pahrump, but he later returned to the Philippines, where he currently resided until 2011, when he returned to Pahrump. He has always hosted his broadcasts from wherever he has lived.
Ted Binion
A wealthy Las Vegas casino owner, Ted BinionTed Binion
Lonnie Theodore "Ted" Binion was a wealthy U.S. gambling executive and one of the sons of famed Las Vegas casino magnate Lester Ben "Benny" Binion, owner of Binion's Horseshoe...
, buried a large treasure of silver in a secret underground vault in Pahrump. In 1998 Binion died under suspicious circumstances and one of the parties accused of murdering Binion was apprehended while digging up the vault in Pahrump. See Ted Binion article for further details. A book about the Binion murder trial (and Las Vegas poker) is Positively Fifth Street
Positively Fifth Street
Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker is a memoir by Chicago area author James McManus set during the 2000 World Series of Poker....
by James McManus
James McManus
James "Jim" McManus is an American poker player, teacher and writer living in Kenilworth, Illinois.-Poker and Positively Fifth Street:...
.
Ronald Wayne
Pahrump is the home of the third co-founder of Apple ComputerApple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
, Ronald Wayne
Ronald Wayne
Ronald Gerald Wayne founded Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak and the late CEO Steve Jobs but soon gave up his share of the new company for a total of $2,300.-Biography:...
. Wayne now lives a quiet lifestyle in Pahrump selling stamps and rare coins.
Film history
- In the movie Rain ManRain ManRain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
the diner scene and exterior where "Rain Man" himself counts the cards was filmed at a Pahrump bar known for rough fights. - In the film Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
Martians land in Pahrump and announce that they have "come in peace", but after a dove flies overhead they attack and kill the humans gathered there. (The scene was actually shot at Red Lake, Arizona, a dry lake bed some 20 miles outside of Kingman.) - Season 2 of the CBS reality show The Amazing RaceThe Amazing RaceThe Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
featured Pahrump's dry lake bed as its starting point. - Pahrump was featured in the Aaron SorkinAaron SorkinAaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
television drama Studio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
in a two-part episode titled "Nevada Day". Part One aired November 6, 2006, and Part Two was aired a week later on November 13. The scenes, however, were set only in the town jail and a small diner across the street, and the town itself was not featured, implying that Pahrump was a much smaller town than it is. - Pahrump was the site of the episode Motorhead of Criss Angel: MindFreak. Filmed at Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch, the magician made his custom designed LamborghiniLamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
disappear.
See also
- Carpenter CanyonCarpenter CanyonCarpenter Canyon is a canyon on the western side of the Spring Mountains, partially within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, in Clark County, southern Nevada west of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.....
, Carpenter Canyon road leads from Pahrump to Carpenter Canyon and Carpenter Canyon Creek