Nevada has a new second-biggest city

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 1999 | 11:41 a.m.

It's official -- sort of.

According to "very preliminary" figures from the State Demographer's Office, Henderson has become the second-largest city in Nevada, beating out third-place finisher Reno by a slim margin of 120 souls.

In the short run it means little more than bragging rights for the fast-growing burb south of Las Vegas. In the long term, however, it means more tax revenue will flow into the city.

The number comes as no surprise to those tracking the growth of the city. The U.S. Census Bureau has ranked Henderson as the fastest-growing city in the country.

"I think it's about time," said Mike Hair, owner of Aspen Creek Landscape in Henderson. "Growth in Henderson business has been amazing. I came here with a beat-up truck and a wheelbarrow and it just took off from there."

According to numbers from the demographer's office, as of July 1, 1999, Henderson had 177,030 people, up from 159,380 a year earlier. Reno had 176,910, up from 165,940.

Those weren't the only cities growing quickly in the state, said Rex Massey, the interim state demographer. Clark County continued its meteoric growth, from 1,255,200 to 1,343,540, while Washoe County in the north grew from 311,350 to 323,670.

The city of Las Vegas grew from 441,230 to 465,050, and North Las Vegas grew from 106,660 to 117,250. Probably the fastest growing sizable community in the state was Pahrump in Nye County, which grew from 20,080 to 22,430 -- above 10 percent in the space of a year.

Massey said absent some short-term fluctuation in the numbers, it is unlikely that Reno will overtake Henderson to be the second-largest city in the state. The pace of growth, at 7 percent for Clark County, is simply greater than for Reno. Reno's Washoe County had a growth rate of about 4 percent over the last year.

"What could we do it? Nothing," said June Stansbury, owner of Stansbury Travel in Reno. "You're going to have your own state down there. We'll keep Nevada."

That trend in the south is the key to Henderson's growth, said Brian Kaiser, an analyst with the Small Business Development Center at the University of Nevada, Reno, which helps prepare the population estimates. "Henderson itself is not really divisible from Vegas, so that area is just growing faster," he said.

But for city officials in Henderson, the latest milestone represents a triumph of a vision for growth that largely depends on "master-planned communities."

Comprising tens of thousands of homes and apartments on thousands of acres, one of the first such communities in the country was Henderson's Green Valley. Built by the American Nevada Corp., a Greenspun company, Green Valley has provided a blueprint for other master-planned communities in the Las Vegas Valley and nationwide. The Greenspuns also publish the Las Vegas Sun.

"Clearly the master-planned communities have played an extremely important role in the way we have grown," Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson said. But the real attraction for people to the area have been the amenities that the city requires as part of the community-development package.

Henderson requires developers to make land available for, and sometimes to construct, parks, schools, libraries and centers for city services, such as fire and police protection.

"Those development standards are what is attracting the people to the product that is available out here," Gibson said.

The start of Green Valley construction in the late 1970s was "really the impetus for the growth of Henderson," said Terry Zerkle, assistant city manager. "I see that continuing into the future ... Henderson has placed a lot of emphasis on growing with master-planned communities."

Zerkle said that although it's "nice to see the city getting such good press" as a result of the new figures, the short-term impact isn't huge.

The difference between Reno and Henderson "is so infinitesimally small that there is not a significant change in the benefits that would flow back to Henderson," Zerkle said.

Much more important will be the census figures that the federal government will collect next year, he said. Those figures are expected to give Southern Nevada another seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and bring federal tax dollars back to the region.

"I really think the census numbers are the ones we really have to wait for," Zerkle said.

With growth come challenges. Gibson said Henderson faces the same challenges that confront Clark County.

Most pressing of all are the twin problems of traffic congestion and air-quality problems, he said. Only about 12 percent of Henderson's workforce works in the city; most commute to jobs in Las Vegas, he said.

That means regional efforts to improve the transportation system -- or at least keep pace with the growing demand -- need to continue. It also means that the city has to work with other governments in the region to address air quality, since the federal government could stop highway development if air quality isn't adequately addressed.

But Gibson is confident that the city and region can address those issues and continue to grow.

"We're not going to compromise quality," Gibson said. "I think the people who are moving here, and will continue to move here, will make the decision that it's worth it, so we will continue to see growth."

That's a trend Jan McWhirter, owner of Tempting Treasures by Jan, a candy and cake supply shop in Henderson, is happy to see. "It's good for our business," she said. "My business has increased 10 to 12 percent this year...It's bringing more people to Henderson, (and) they're shopping more."

And for those who would rather not have the growth, they'll take Reno.

"I lived in Vegas for a couple of years," said Reno resident Genie Kocher owner of Echo Upscale Resale, and she appreciates the small-town atmosphere of her new home. "I don't mind Henderson passing us by. Let them stay down there."

Sun reporter Shaunta Grimes contributed to this report.