Boulder City, Nevada was founded in 1931 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to house workers who were there to construct the Boulder Dam (which was renamed the Hoover Dam in 1947). Originally intended to house 5,000 workers for several years while the dam was being built, the town was thoughtfully laid out with plenty of parks and recreation opportunities and thus earned the early nickname of “Nevada’s Garden City”. Founded during prohibition and with the goal of having productive workers, alcohol was prohibited in Boulder City until 1969 and gambling has never been allowed within the city limits making it look and feel different from any other town I visited during my time in Nevada. The federal government maintained control of Boulder City until 1959 when the town was finally incorporated and the citizens elected their first mayor. Boulder City is a pleasant little community which I really enjoyed. The people were friendly and there were some great bars and restaurants and a surprising amount of live music on offer. I also loved all of the public art around town, especially the statues dedicated to the regular folks who made up the community in the early days. There’s a statue of a woman hanging laundry, one of a man with a shovel and another of the janitor resupplying toilet paper to the public restrooms (an unsung hero if ever there was one). All of the statues in town were tastefully decorated for the upcoming Valentine’s Day during my visit which put a smile on my face. I had a great stay in Boulder City which may be only 45 minutes from downtown Las Vegas, but feels a world apart. I hope you enjoy these photos from Boulder City - The Town that Built the Hoover Dam.
