A (Brief) History of Summerlin
Happy Friday everyone!
For a little more light hearted fun today, I figured I would put together a (brief) history of Summerlin, and maybe some facts that people did not know about!
The history of Summerlin goes back to 1952, when Howard Hughes purchased roughly 25,000 acres in a thought of moving some of his Business to Nevada. The cost was $3,000,000, which was a lot of money back then, but even the cost per acre was a steal, considering the city of Las Vegas was at that point, quite a distance from the land. The business operations never moved to Nevada, and the land sat for decades.
In fact, it sat for close to 40 years, until in 1988, the project, Summerlin, was announced. The name originates from Howard Hughes’ Grandmother, Jean Amelia Hughes. So, 36 years after the land was purchased, plans started to originate to put together a Master Planned Community, full of residential and commercial opportunities in the expanding Las Vegas Valley.
Two years later saw the next significant landmarks, with the construction and opening of Summerlin Parkway which drastically cut down driving times to serve the new community and the center of the city. Funny tidbit of Summerlin Parkway. As the road was constructed and completed with little to no development completed, the Parkway was known to many as “The Road to Nowhere”. Boy, has that changed in 30 years!
Today, Summerlin is home to more than 20 Villages, which are specific areas of Summerlin with common themes. Many of the Villages are fully built out, but some of them are still building, and there is even room for Future Villages. The first Village was The Hills, located North of Summerlin Parkway in 89134, and it opened for business in 1990, 30 years ago. Much of the infrastructure, including the widely renown parks and open spaces, were completed prior to the first residents moving in. The first move-in of a Summerlin resident was in 1991!
Following the first move-in, development skyrocketed, and we saw golf courses, including TPC Summerlin start to be built. In 1996, Tiger Woods won his first PGA Tour event on this course, the year before he won The Masters for the first time!
By 1992, additional Villages were started, including the Pueblos. Fun fact; the Pueblos is the ONLY village that is officially part of Summerlin that is in the 89128 Zip Code! Many people do not realize this is officially Summerlin. Also, in 1992, after just a few years in existence, and just the year after the first residential move-in, Summerlin is named the #1 Master Planned Community, in terms of Sales, in the United States.
More years, and more developments happen, with Summerlin continuing to dominate the national landscape in terms of Community Sales. From 1996 - 2007 in the Top 10 Nationally in terms of Home Sales, and many years finishing #1 overall. In 1996, Summerlin saw Summerlin Hospital open followed a year later by Summerlin’s first Public High School, Palo Verde High School.
The years continue, and so do the accolades and achievements, both locally and nationally. Summerlin becomes the poster child of Master Planned Communities and even is featured in the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. in 2012! While it did not see a lot of new construction during the Great Recession from 2008-2012, it remained in the eyes of the public with other public projects in terms of desert living efficiencies.
Fast forward to recent time, Summerlin finished #3 Nationally in terms of home sales in 2019. Thinking about this one step further; a Master Planned Community that was 29 years old still finished in the Top 3 in terms of new sales in the nation! Wow! This year, the National Association of Homebuilders awarded Summerlin the Master Planned Community of the year, in its 30th year of existence. This is TRULY remarkable.
Summerlin has been around 30 years, and continues to impress and redefine desert living, serving as a Model community for the rest of the country. And with more than 6,000 acres still to build, Summerlin is in it for the long haul!
What do you love about Summerlin?
Want more information? Data and info provided by Summerlin here.
-GZ