Whitney is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 38,585 at the 2010 census. Stowell E. Whitney, a dairy farmer from Bunkerville, Nevada, purchased a ranch in the area in the 1910s. The town of Whitney was established in 1931, when Whitney subdivided his ranch due to the c…Whitney is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 38,585 at the 2010 census. Stowell E. Whitney, a dairy farmer from Bunkerville, Nevada, purchased a ranch in the area in the 1910s. The town of Whitney was established in 1931, when Whitney subdivided his ranch due to the construction of the Boulder Highway. Much of this land is now within Henderson city limits. He didn't attract many buyers, since this took place during the Great Depression. A Whitney post office was opened the following year. The town was officially founded in 1942 by the Clark County Commission, and that year Whitney was given official borders. The town was renamed as East Las Vegas in 1958, in response to a petition signed by almost all the residents. The name was changed back to Whitney in 1993.