Las Vegas Home Sales
Las Vegas Real Estate Agents Jeff & Kelly Stafford
Henderson, NV Area Guide
Henderson, adjacent to the southern portion of metropolitan Las Vegas, is the second largest city in the state of Nevada. While “Sin City” is famous throughout the world for its gambling, fine dining and shopping, Henderson is the virtue to the city made famous for vice. Like metropolitan Las Vegas, Henderson is a fast-growing area for both retirees and new families alike. Henderson offers all the conveniences and luxuries of city life while upholding a slower pace and greater quality of life than one might experience as a dedicated city-dweller. Located in an arid basin of the Mojave Desert’s floor, Henderson enjoys abundant sunshine year-round and is typified by its sub-tropical arid climate. Henderson is a cultural “melting pot”, with its retail and restaurant industries fueled by the tourism, conventions and attractions of the city nearby. The economy of Henderson, however, is not as centrally dependent on the hospitality industry; Henderson is home to the Henderson Executive Airport and a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad built to support the construction of the Hoover Dam in nearby Boulder City. As such, the economy of Henderson benefits from, but is not dependent on, tourist traffic through metropolitan Las Vegas. In Henderson, piloting and military personnel are as important as hospitality and construction. In addition to the numerous casinos, rotating calendar of entertainment showcases and conventions held within the city limits of Las Vegas, Henderson has ample offerings of its own. With a history as colorful as the neon signs of the Las Vegas strip and as multi-textured as the desert landscape surrounding it, Henderson offers residents a dual experience to enjoy at their leisure. Here, residents enjoy art as well as entertainment, culture in addition to glamour, and peaceful solitude in nature to buffet the fast pace of the glittering strip casinos. Henderson is a community that appreciates and upholds small-town values while benefiting from big-city efficiencies and a more cosmopolitan world view. Henderson is the fusion of glamour and simplicity, whose city slogan proclaims, "Henderson--a Place to Call Home".
History
Henderson as it is today emerged in the 1940’sand historically considers itself to be “born in America’s defense”. Henderson urbanized in order to provide the United States with magnesium, the “miracle metal” necessary during World War II. Thus, Henderson, officially incorporated in 1953, shares a common history with metropolitan Las Vegas. The region first hosted European travelers during the early 19th century as they followed the Old Spanish Trail north from Texas. During this time, Nevada’s landscape was proliferated by artesian wells, which supported many green areas and meadows (vegas, in Spanish; hence the name Las Vegas). Following annexation in 1855, the area was briefly home to Mormon settlers and a frequent stopover point for travelers of the “Mormon Corridor”, a well-travelled route between Salt Lake City and San Bernardino, CA. Las Vegas was abandoned by the Mormon settlers during the Utah War of 1857; subsequently, it was incorporated as a city in 1911, after which it became a popular railroad town in the early days of America’s rail system. As the railways of the United States expanded, Las Vegas became less of an important destination until the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam and the formation of Lake Mead, both of which drew tourist traffic into the area. The legalization of gambling in 1931, however, is where Las Vegas enjoyed a “rebirth” into its second, now-famous incarnation. A historical fact that is as eccentric as the city itself is that simultaneous to its urbanization and development as a destination for gambling and entertainment, the area was also enjoying significant growth and development from an influx of the scientific and military communities. The Manhattan Project and its scientists and staff brought nearly as much major development to Las Vegas as the casinos and shows eventually would. In 1941, northern neighbor North Las Vegas became the home of Nellis Air Force Base, bringing military personnel and their families to the Henderson and Las Vegas area. Historically, Las Vegas and Henderson have always been cities where the high-brow and low-brow commingle easily and effortlessly, and tumbleweeds end up putting down roots. The diversity of the city, its attractions and its residents blend together, building these glittering cities in the midst of a desert.
 Parks and Recreation
When visiting the burgeoning city of Henderson, President John F. Kennedy predicted that it would become a “city of destiny” in southern Nevada. Half a century later, the city that was nearly sold as war surplus property after the immediate necessity for magnesium during wartime subsided has truly lived up to the prediction. Parks and recreation are as plentiful in Henderson as the casinos and shows that greater metropolitan Las Vegas is known for. Henderson is home to literally dozens of parks, with a range as wide and diverse as the entertainment choices are in its downtown area. Henderson offers its residents the simple joys of nature and outdoor recreation in its well maintained system of parks, many of which have incorporated the use of xeriscaping, adding lush greenery to the otherwise arid desert of their location. Henderson’s park system is accredited through Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), and offers Henderson residents a variety of classes, workshops and events at their seven recreational centers (including a recreational center geared towards active seniors), eleven aquatic parks and facilities and fifty-two neighborhood and community parks. From dog parks to skate parks, splash pads to lighted sport areas, there’s a Henderson park for whatever you’re in the mood to do, indoors or out.
Hiking, biking or boating at Lake Mead, Henderson residents aren’t bound to have to travel into the city to have an adventure. Explore history at Henderson’s Veteran’s Memorial Wall to learn more about the city “born in America’s defense”. Henderson also has the distinction of being home to the only scenic bird preserve in Nevada. Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (Mt. Charles) offers seasonal hiking programs for novice and experienced hikers alike; mountain bikers find their bliss in nearby Boulder City’s internationally renowned Bootleg Canyon Trail system. Or experience the geological wonder of red sandstone formations at the Valley of Fire State Park. In nearby Las Vegas, Henderson residents and visitors can experience the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, (Las Vegas Zoo), in which over 150 species of plant and animal are housed. Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park and Floyd Lamb State Park are also located within a handy distance. Henderson visitors and residents can also choose to explore the unique geological wonders of the Mojave Desert at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, where they can enjoy hiking the trails, mountain biking, rock climbing, road biking, horseback riding, or observing nature in the visitors center or picnic areas available. The Hoover Dam Bypass is also a must-see local attraction. To learn more about these, and many other Henderson and Las Vegas parks, recreation or outdoor activities available, please visit:
City of Henderson Parks and Recreation
Henderson Happenings
City of Henderson Department of Culture and Tourism Outdoor Itineraries
Valley of Fire State Park
Spring Mountain National Recreation Area
Bootleg Canyon Trails
Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Hoover Dam Bypass
Red Rock National Conservation Area
The Las Vegas Springs Preserve
City Of Las Vegas
Nevada Commission on Tourism
 Attractions and Activities
Las Vegas is famous for the staggering amount of choices it presents its visitors with regard to attractions, events, and leisure. There are so many diverse activities that one could spend a lifetime there and still not see everything. Casinos, music events, shows and conventions are what the city has become world-famous—and infamous!—for. Residents of and visitors to Henderson are offered the best of both worlds—the opportunity to explore the luxuries of the city, while maintaining a suburban distance from the problems city dwellers face. Henderson has a number of its own attractions, including an impressive amount of golfing ranges, both public and private, for residents and visitors who prefer the glamour of outdoor sporting to bright lights. Henderson is a city of symmetry and balance, offering a quieter, yet equally wide range of attractions outside of the famous Las Vegas strip.
All of the attractions, amenities, luxuries and conveniences of Las Vegas are less than thirty minutes away if you choose; or, if a slower pace and an oasis from city living is what you prefer, Henderson is light years away from the stress of the city. Parks, nature and outdoor activities abound, but for those whose tastes run to the quieter leisure experience, fine dining and shopping are bountiful in Henderson’s Water Street district and beyond. For every taste and price, there is a unique experience waiting to be uncovered. For those who enjoy the night life but whose tastes are more epicurean in the daylight hours, consider some of the other attractions that Henderson offers. Bonnie Springs Old Nevada, cowboy trail tours and the Eldorado Canyon Mine Tour all offer a glimpse into old-West Nevada; for contemporary southern Nevada, explore any of Henderson’s galleries, museums, or absorb The Bard at a “Shakespeare in the Park” performance. To learn more about events, activities and attractions in Henderson and its neighboring cities, please visit any of the following websites:
City of Henderson Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism
Art and Cultural Attractions of Henderson
Henderson Dining Guide
Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours
Imagine Vegas Sightseeing Tours
Bonnie Springs Ranch
Fremont Street Experience
Nevada Commission on Tourism
Official Las Vegas Tourism
 Events
Neighboring the city that is host to a myriad of guests ranging from music, to dance to performance and genre-specific conventions, the events calendar in Henderson is like that of greater metropolitan Las Vegas: ever-changing, constantly rotating to offer our visitors and residents the most exciting variety of events possible. For a complete, up-to-date calendar of what’s happening in Henderson and metropolitan Las Vegas, please visit any of the previously listed websites, or visit:
City of Henderson Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism
City of Henderson “Happening Now” Calendar
Henderson Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism Events Calendar
Henderson Calendar of Special Events
Official Las Vegas Tourism
City Of Las Vegas
Nevada Commission on Tourism
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
Las Vegas Tourism Bureau
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