NLV outgrowing its reputation

By Mike Trask

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007 | 7:01 a.m.

Not that many years ago, you could point to crime statistics, rundown neighborhoods, crumbling buildings and any number of other factors as evidence of how bad things were in North Las Vegas.

Perhaps nothing underscored that point more vividly than the fact that some in North Las Vegas proposed changing the town's name to escape an image that seemed to be always heading south.

No one is suggesting a name change today, though. Indeed, although typical urban woes remain, particularly in neighborhoods closest to the town's core, years of growth that have made North Las Vegas the country's second-fastest growing city have generated tens of millions of dollars in development that have many proudly shouting out the city's name, not trying to hide it.

"If you guys stop writing that, I don't think anyone would think that," Councilwoman Stephanie Smith said of the city's image problems.

On Thursday Mayor Mike Montandon and other civic leaders will give their take on the "new" North Las Vegas at the annual State of the City event, which this year will emphasize the many dimensions to life in the city.

Outside City Hall, the state of the city - a town once seen as glitzy Las Vegas' black sheep stepchild and that still often lives in the shadows of its neighbors - can be seen from differing viewpoints, from the growing comfortable upper-middle class to the poor living in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.

Covering 82 square miles running from gritty neighborhoods along the Strip to posh suburbs lining the edge of the desert, North Las Vegas has seen its population quadruple since the early 1990s to more than 200,000. Thanks to the master-planned communities north of the Las Vegas Beltway, the city anticipates years of continued blossoming.

The new growth is a sharp contrast to the old North Las Vegas, a place Hunter S. Thompson described in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as "a slum and a graveyard (with) the gunsels, the hustlers, the drug cripples and all the other losers."

It's a reputation that the city has fought for decades and that is finally changing, partly because of the vast development and partly because, as Montandon said, "it's hard to find someone who has been here for more than 15 years."

The mayor is speaking about people like Ray Buford, 46, a father of two who moved to North Las Vegas in the mid-1990s. His family's home used to be on the northern tip of the city, but development to the north now leaves his house situated between North Las Vegas' older, poorer areas and its newer, richer section.

"We do everything in Aliante," he said, referring to the master-planned community along the Las Vegas Beltway. "There's nothing south of Craig Road that we are even interested in. We cut through there with the doors locked."

More than half of the city's crime occurs in the old neighborhoods along the Las Vegas line, even though it accounts for only about 30 percent of the population and 20 percent of the land.

Residents living in the older areas also tend to be considerably poorer. According to the 2005 Census, in the 89030 ZIP code, the area surrounding Las Vegas Boulevard North and City Hall, the median annual family income is $24,292, with a quarter of the residents earning less than $15,000 a year.

But drive a bit north to the 89031 ZIP code, where Buford lives, and the median income more than doubles to $57,721. And if you keep going north along Martin Luther King Boulevard into the 89084 ZIP code, the newest developments, the median annual income jumps to $67,819.

"There is a very distinct divide," Montandon acknowledged. "It is like managing two different cities."

City officials point to the construction of Desert Horizon Park near Cheyenne Avenue and Simmons Street as evidence of their efforts to revitalize the inner city. They also plan to build a $135 million City Hall downtown.

Montandon said the city has spent millions on infrastructure and recreation projects along its southern edge, including roadwork and the rehabilitation of several playgrounds.

"We don't spend a lot of time or money in the new areas; the developers do that," he said. "The old area doesn't have developers."

Residents and community leaders have noticed - and appreciate - the efforts.

"I'm seeing much more visibility from the police," said Percell Church, pastor at Zion Ministries on Revere Street. "They have been very responsive. The mayor's leadership has been exceptional. They are paying attention."

And there remains much to pay attention to in North Las Vegas.

"I think it's pretty good, even though it has a bad reputation," 15-year-old Nanyeli Rodriguez said while walking through a parking lot on Lake Mead Boulevard on her way home, ignoring a homeless man howling for vodka. "I wouldn't be scared to go through here most of the time."

The rough sections of the city fade fast. Most of North Las Vegas now is more "Stepford Wives" suburbs than "New Jack City."

Karen Dyer, a 64-year-old retired widow, purchased her home 2 1/2 years ago, in the geographic center of the city near Centennial Parkway and Bruce Street. Back then there were few homes nearby. Today it's a development haven, with more on the way.

Dyer has fought battles with City Hall over proposed pawn shops in her area. But she says overall she likes North Las Vegas.

"I love my community," she said. "I love it right here."

Buford, the father of two, has some complaints. But most echo those of families throughout the valley.

"There doesn't seem to be a North Las Vegas community," he said. "When it's 110 degrees outside, there's no place where we can take (children) to hang out. You can't even take them to the movies - it's in a casino."

He also would like to see more retail stores in the city. Currently, his family drives to Las Vegas or Henderson to shop.

But Buford has seen improvements. His family attended a city-sponsored balloon festival in September and loved the family-friendly experience. The city also has spent $100,000 to work with a company in hopes of drawing in more retail.

Although retail development has not kept pace with residential development, City Manager Gregory Rose believes it soon will.

"Since we have the rooftops, we think the commercial will follow," he said.

In Aliante, the roads are smooth and it seems that every blade of grass - or fake grass - is part of the perfection being sold. The residents are a happy bunch - not surprising, considering they live in a blissful environment that includes a golf course and a spectacular mountain view in a project built by a partnership that includes the American Nevada Company, which is owned by the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun.

Retirees Richard and Ellie Anderson moved in last summer from Houston. Their only complaint: the harsh winds over the past week.

"We're happy here," Richard Anderson said after an afternoon spent playing boccie .

Santo and Ellen Parisi feel the same way. After spending most of their lives in suburban Boston, the opportunity for year-round golfing is a welcome change.

But there is one issue that causes worries.

"We still have vacant land surrounding here, so we're concerned about what's being built," Santo Parisi said.

Much of the area will become housing. And that means someday soon, the retirees who now love North Las Vegas so much perhaps will complain about the continuing rapid growth, concerned that they no longer live on the city's outskirts and that today's unobstructed views stretching toward the horizon are tomorrow's cluttered panorama of new homes and buildings.

Then, a new set of people will love the shiny new section of the city . But such is progress in North Las Vegas. People just keeping coming.

"I think we are working hard to know the community," Rose said.