<Tr> <Th> GNIS feature ID </Th> <Td> 0842060 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.mesquitenv.gov </Td> </Tr> <P> Mesquite is a U.S. city in Clark County, Nevada, adjacent to the Arizona state line and 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15 . As of 2015, the United States Census estimates that the city had a population of 17,496 . The city is located in the Virgin River valley adjacent to the Virgin Mountains in the northeastern part of the Mojave Desert . It is home to a growing retirement community, as well as several casino resorts and golf courses . </P> <P> Mesquite was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1880, who called it Mesquite Flat . The community was finally established on the third attempt after having been flooded out from the waters of the Virgin River . The name was later shortened to Mesquite, and the city was incorporated by Thelma Davis in May 1984 . The community was named for the mesquite timber near the original town site . Mesquite, like nearby Bunkerville, had its origins in farming . The Peppermill Mesquite casino, which opened in the 1970s, drove Mesquite's diversified economy . The city incorporated in 1984 and established a master development plan during the early 1990s . In the mid-1990s, more casinos opened . By 2006, Mesquite was one of the fastest - growing small towns in the United States, though the late - 2000s recession led to the closure of both the Mesquite Star and Oasis (formerly The Peppermill) casinos . </P>

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