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What’s In A Name
Cal-Nev-Ari and Paradise, Nev. By RAY BALOGH | The Municipal Not all unincorporated towns are created equal. In fact, Cal-Nev-Ari and Paradise, Nev. could hardly differ more.
Most of the famous Las Vegas Strip lies in Paradise, not Las Vegas, as does McCarran International Airport and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. (Photo by Lucky-photographer) A dirt airstrip was the first improvement that drew visitors, mostly recreational pilots, to the desert community of Cal-Nev-Ari, Nev. (Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Cal-Nev-Ari Cal-Nev-Ari (pronounced Cal-Nev-Air) is a small census-designated place located near where the southern spear of Nevada terminates at the geographic tangent of California and Arizona. Its current population of 111 is less than half the 2010 census count, and barely one-third its residency of 350 people a handful of years ago. The community was founded in 1965 by Slim and Nancy Kidwell, avid private pilots who were looking to create a town for kindred spirits, complete with backyard hangars, a central airstrip and a fly-in casino. They petitioned the U.S. government for a deed to a 640-acre parcel that included a long-abandoned emergency airfield carved in the Mojave Desert for Gen. George Patton’s World War II training complex. After demonstrating their ability to meet the government’s requirements for the transfer of ownership — developing a water source and growing a beneficial crop — they received the deed and commenced developing the town. The Kidwells first laid the infrastructure for a mobile home park and service station. Next came the casino — opened March 16, 1968 — followed by a restaurant, bar, 10-room hotel and RV park. They sold one-acre and half-acre lots, and more than 100 private residences sprang up. Since Cal-Nev-Ari’s founding, the Kidwells have owned all the public spaces and businesses and have been the town’s only employer. Slim Kidwell passed away in 1983, and Nancy subsequently married Ace, Slim’s son from a previous relationship. Ace died in 2011 14 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021
and Nancy put the town up for sale in 2016. The asking price is $8 million, and several entrepreneurs have shown interest, hoping to develop the town and an adjoining 520 acres of undeveloped land into a retirement community or marijuana resort. Paradise Paradise, with a population of 235,087, is the most populous unincorporated town in the United States. Located adjacent to Las Vegas, it is largely unheard of, reposed in the shadow of the socalled Neon Capital of the World. But that is exactly how the Clark County Commission, which governs Paradise, wants it. To be annexed by Las Vegas would result in significantly higher taxes, and residents have successfully protested several attempts at a municipal takeover. In 1975 the state’s legislative attempt to incorporate Paradise was ruled unconstitutional by the Nevada Supreme Court. Paradise was formed on Dec. 8, 1950, and extends from the southern city limits of Las Vegas three more miles to the south. Paradise contains the most tourist attractions in the area. In fact, one could land at McCarren International Airport; visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; ride the Las Vegas monorail; and dabble in the various entertainments up and down the Las Vegas strip — and not once set foot inside Sin City. Even today, owners try to build their casinos within Paradise’s geographical limits to avoid paying higher taxes. Paradise is home to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League, the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association. The town started with a strip of land one mile wide and four miles long and has since expanded across a 54-square-mile area. All of its utilities and government services are provided by the county. For more information, visit www.clarkcountynv.gov.
