Summerlin, Nevada

Summerlin is a 23,400 acre (94.6 km²) planned community being built by The Howard Hughes Corporation (now an affiliate of General Growth Properties) in southern Nevada, along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley near the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It includes a variety of land uses, including: residential, commercial, recreational, educational, medical, open space, and religious. As of December 2003, Summerlin's population was 84,350.

History

In the mid 1950s Howard Hughes purchased convert|25000|acre|km2|0 through the 1990s Hughes Tool Company Nevada Operations. The Summa Corporation acquired additional holdings of undeveloped land along the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley. Much of this land was acquired for $0.25/acre ($62/km²) since it was considered to be worthless.

In 1987, Summa Corporation exchanged 5,000 acres (20 km²) of land adjoining Red Rock for 3,000 acres (12 km²) of land that would become Summerlin South.

Summa Corporation began construction of Summerlin, in Summerlin North, in 1990.

In 2004, The Howard Hughes Corporation exchanged more land along the mountains for additional land further into the valley, but adjoining Summerlin South. This was followed in 2005 by approval to annex over 900 acres (3.6 km²) into Summerlin South increasing the total area in Summerlin. 2005 also marked the printing of Summerlin's first newspaper, the Summerlin News.

Summerlin is named after Howard Hughes' grandmother, Jean Amelia Summerlin.

Government

Summerlin lies within two political authorities. The northern portion, north of Charleston Boulevard, is part of the city of Las Vegas. The southern portion, south of Charleston Boulevard, is an unincorporated area of Clark County, Nevada.

Since Summerlin is a planned community it is also managed by several homeowners associations. Summerlin consists of villages like "the Gardens" or "the Vistas". Each village is made up of several developments, some gated and some not. Some communities have their own homeowner associations.

Summerlin consists of several major divisions run by master associations. The county portion is generally a part of "Summerlin South". The northern portion, east of Clark County 215, is mostly "Summerlin North". The northern portion, west of Clark County 215, is "Summerlin West". There is also a village called "Summerlin Centre" which is the area between Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard running from the eastern edge to Clark County 215. The age-restricted communities of Sun City and Siena have their own associations and are not part of the master associations.

Associations and villages

*"Summerlin North"
**The Arbors
**The Canyons
**The Crossing
**The Hills North
**The Hills South
**The Pueblo
**The Trails
*"Sun City Summerlin"
*"Summerlin Centre"
**Summerlin Square
*"Summerlin South"
**South Square
**The Gardens
**The Mesa
**Ridgebrook
**The Ridges Village
**The Willows
*"Red Rock Country Club"
*"Siena"
*"Summerlin West"
**The Paseos
**The Vistas

Recreation

Cycling

Bicycle lanes are provided on most major roads in Summerlin.

Parks

All Summerlin communities have small pocket parks which are maintained by one of the Summerlin associations. All of these parks, not in gated communities, are available to all Summerlin residents. They do not offer activities, but usually provide a scenic place for walkers to stop and rest. The following parks are maintained and operated by the Summerlin Council and offer various activities as listed on their website. [ [http://summerlink.com/amenities/parks/index.html Summerlin Parks List] , Summerlin Council] :

*The Arbors Tennis and Play Park
*Community Park (Two soccer fields)
*Cottonwood Canyon Park
*North Tower Park (Chess tables)
*South Tower Park (Water feature)
*The Crossing Park
*Gardens Park (Community center}
*Oxford Park
*The Pueblo Park
*Ridgebrook Park
*Spotted Leaf Park
*Tree Top Park
*The Trails Park
*Village Green Park
*The Willows Park (Community center, swimming pool)

The following parks are maintained and operated by the City of Las Vegas:
*The Hills Park
*The Summerlin Sports Park
*Bruce Trent Park
*Bettye Wilson Soccer ComplexAll neighborhoods include mini parks that are not listed above. As of mid 2006, there were over 100 parks and 9 golf courses within Summerlin.

Pools

The following pools are maintained and operated by the Summerlin Council:
*The Trails Pool
*The Willows Pool

The following pools are maintained and operated by the City of Las Vegas:
*Pavilion Center Pool

Walking

Many walking trails are provided through the community.

References

*Summerlines, October 2006

External links

* [http://www.summerlin.com/ Summerlin Community web site]
* [http://www.summerlink.com/ Summerlin Council web site]