Residents of the Las Vegas Valley may have been surprised to hear national news reports of ballots being intentionally set on fire in Clark County in the days leading up to Election Day. However, it turns out that the Clark County in question is actually located in Washington state, not Nevada.
Nevada’s Clark County, named after Sen. William Andrew Clark, is actually the most populous of the dozen Clark counties in the United States. Sen. Clark is known for establishing a railroad that connected Los Angeles with Salt Lake City, leading to the development of downtown Las Vegas.
The other Clark counties in the US are named after George Rogers Clark, a Revolutionary War general, and/or William Clark from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. These counties, ranging in population from Nevada’s 2.3 million to Idaho’s 801, are scattered across the country and have varying origins for their names.
With a population of over 2.3 million people, Clark County, Nevada, is not only the most populous of the Clark counties but is also the 11th most populous county in the nation. The confusion over the different Clark counties highlights the rich history and diversity of the United States.
For more information, contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
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