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Sep 20, 2023

For Retirees, Henderson, Nevada, Adds Some Glitter to the Golden Years

The city offers a safe, laidback lifestyle where residents can escape into nature or head to the Las Vegas Strip By Nancy A. RuhlingOriginally Published August 25, 2023 All photos courtesy of Getty

The city offers a safe, laidback lifestyle where residents can escape into nature or head to the Las Vegas Strip

By Nancy A. RuhlingOriginally Published August 25, 2023

All photos courtesy of Getty Images, unless otherwise noted

All photos courtesy of Getty Images, unless otherwise noted

With its perennial sunshine, abundance of luxury resort communities and convenient access to the Las Vegas Strip, Henderson, Nevada, has become a magnet for high-net-worth retirees who desire a life of leisure.

“It offers a relaxed and inviting atmosphere that combines the comfort of a tight-knit community with the liveliness of the city,” said Molly Hamrick, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Premier Realty.

Henderson’s low crime rate (it’s ranked No. 3 on MoneyGeek’s list of 15 Safest Large Cities in the U.S.) and the financial incentives—property taxes are low, and there’s no state or retirement income taxes—are other huge bonuses. So is the city’s medical care. The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV was established in 2014, and there are two major hospitals in addition to West Henderson Hospital, which is set to open in 2024 on a 40-acre campus.

Some 20% of the population is 65 or over, but, Hamrick said, “we don’t know how many are retired.”

Henderson attracts retirees from all over the country but particularly those who live in California, Seattle and larger cities in the Northeast, said Jonathan Schussler, team leader and CEO of the Akerley Schussler Group at Keller Williams Realty the Marketplace. “It’s a melting pot of cultures and professions, where you can find great food, festivals and conversations,” he said.

Retirees have a choice of a variety of luxury country club communities that have custom or semi-custom single-family houses. Condos and townhouses are rarer.

Many of the houses are stucco with red-tile roofs, materials suited to the desert heat.

Lots generally range from 7,000 to 15,000 square feet, with the more expensive properties covering one-quarter to 1 acre. Most of the houses are relatively new—they date from 2005 to new construction.

“Some of the region’s most exclusive homes are within the terraced hills of Henderson,” Hamrick said.

Noting that the spring has produced a “mild seller’s market in some areas and for popular price ranges,” she said that higher mortgage rates haven’t had a profound effect on retirees’ purchases because they often enter the market with more equity. But, she added, they tend to be cautious when the stock market dips.

Luxury custom housing, in a variety of styles ranging from Tuscan to contemporary and modern, typically is $2 million to $7 million, Schussler said, adding that prices for uber-premium properties have been known to climb to $30 million. Homes prices at $1.5 million or less tend to prompt bidding wars, Schussler said.

Typically, the communities offer a variety of amenities, including indoor and outdoor pools, golf courses, fitness centers and social clubs for a variety of activities such as hiking, photography, music, arts, hobbies, games, and, of course, the nation’s newest obsession, pickleball.

Some of the more popular private-gated communities include:

Lake Las Vegas, which surrounds a 320-acre man-made lake, has condos, townhouses and mansions. The master-planned community has two golf courses and its Village is filled with restaurants and boutiques and offers activities, sports and live entertainment for residents.

Del Webb Las Vegas, a resort-style development for people who are 55 and over, is part of Lake Las Vegas. It has new-construction and resale homes as well as opportunities to build from the ground up. Many of the sites have lake or mountain views.

With more than 7,000 homes, Sun City Anthem is one of the city’s larger 55-plus communities. It has a clubhouse, a golf course and views of the Las Vegas Strip and the mountains. “It has a suburban feel,” Schussler said. “But it is conveniently located, with all types of shopping and dining nearby. Because it is so large, it’s easier to find homes available. And it’s 15 minutes to the airport and 20 minutes to the Strip.”

Anthem Country Club, whose custom houses and model homes are $700,000 to $10 million, is like an upscale park set in the desert: The community has green trees and grass as well as a championship golf course defined by water features. Its private country club has tennis courts, a new fitness center, swimming pools and a restaurant.

MacDonald Highlands, whose custom houses are $2 million to $20 million, is home to the private DragonRidge Country Club, which has a championship golf course, tennis courts, a fitness center, a spa and restaurants. The community will have one of the city’s few high-rise condo developments: Four Seasons Private Residences, comprising two towers, will feature units that start at $3.5 million.

MacDonald Ranch, MacDonald Highlands’ sister community, has Sun City MacDonald Ranch, an active-adult community for those 55 and over. One of its key amenities is the Desert Willow Golf Club.

Heritage @ Cadence, an active-adult community whose single-story homes recently sold out, has indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, fire pits and parks. “Some of the homes have RV garages,” a sought-after amenity among seniors who like to travel, Hamrick said.

Listed for $2.7 million, this single-family detached house, in a boutique community, has a great room with a fireplace, an elevator and a walk-out sky deck. Photo: Edgar Lara.

Listed for $2.7 million, this single-family detached house, in a boutique community, has a great room with a fireplace, an elevator and a walk-out sky deck. Photo: Edgar Lara.

Overlooking a golf course that has lake and mountain views, this 2,319-square-foot single-family detached house has three bedrooms, two baths and a swimming pool. It’s listed for $1.25 million. Photo: Avia Media Group

Overlooking a golf course that has lake and mountain views, this 2,319-square-foot single-family detached house has three bedrooms, two baths and a swimming pool. It’s listed for $1.25 million. Photo: Avia Media Group

This single-family detached house, listed for $1.7 million, has a pool and an upstairs casita that has a separate entrance. Photo: Alan Thibault

This single-family detached house, listed for $1.7 million, has a pool and an upstairs casita that has a separate entrance. Photo: Alan Thibault

Listed for $2.7 million, this single-family detached house, in a boutique community, has a great room with a fireplace, an elevator and a walk-out sky deck. Photo: Edgar Lara.

Listed for $2.7 million, this single-family detached house, in a boutique community, has a great room with a fireplace, an elevator and a walk-out sky deck. Photo: Edgar Lara.

Overlooking a golf course that has lake and mountain views, this 2,319-square-foot single-family detached house has three bedrooms, two baths and a swimming pool. It’s listed for $1.25 million. Photo: Avia Media Group

Overlooking a golf course that has lake and mountain views, this 2,319-square-foot single-family detached house has three bedrooms, two baths and a swimming pool. It’s listed for $1.25 million. Photo: Avia Media Group

This single-family detached house, listed for $1.7 million, has a pool and an upstairs casita that has a separate entrance. Photo: Alan Thibault

This single-family detached house, listed for $1.7 million, has a pool and an upstairs casita that has a separate entrance. Photo: Alan Thibault

From golf courses to country clubs with amenities such as tennis courts and swimming pools, Henderson, which averages 297 sunny days per year, is a paradise for those who love outdoor activities.

The city has 71 parks that cover 1,400 acres, six full-service recreation centers, four cultural centers and nature preserves, according to Kathryn Winterton, an agent with Las Vegas Sotheby’s International Realty. “This is just a partial list,” she said.

Some of the attractions include Purple Heart Plaza, a small park in the city’s business district that has games tables; Acacia Demonstration Gardens, a park whose setting illustrates how to landscape in a dry desert climate; the Dollar Loan Center, a multipurpose indoor arena; Whitney Mesa Nature Preserve, which has trails and barbecue and picnic areas; and multiple BMX race tracks.

There’s a municipal golf course, Wildhorse, and six public courses—Chimera, Desert Willow, Legacy, Reflection Bay, Rio Secco and Revere—in addition to the private country clubs Anthem, DragonRidge and SouthShore.

Water Street Plaza is billed as Henderson’s premier entertainment destination with special events, including festivals, concerts, sports-viewing parties and other community-related programs. It’s adjacent to Lifeguard Arena, which is the practice home to the professional ice hockey team the Henderson Silver Knights.

“There are plenty of hiking and nature paths within communities as well as access to state and national parks like Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Mount Charleston and the Hoover Dam,” Schussler said.

The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, which covers 140 acres, and Lake Mead Recreation Area, which is 11 miles from Henderson and covers 1.5 million acres, are also attractions for nature lovers

He noted that more bike trails are cropping up throughout the area and that residents even have access to skiing at Lee Canyon, a resort in Las Vegas that’s about an hour’s drive away.

Schussler noted that major-league sports are another amenity and a rather new one at that.

“Sports teams didn’t want to be connected with gambling in the past,” he said. “That all changed now that more than half of the states have legal gambling, including many with professional sports.”

He added that basketball’s LeBron James has been negotiating to bring the NBA to the area.

Hamrick noted that many athletes from these professional teams—the Las Vegas Aces (WNBA), the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL) and the NHL Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights have made Henderson their home.

The Las Vegas Strip, which is a 20- to 40-minute drive away and headlines major acts, is the main event, and residents also can catch Broadway’s best at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Vegas.

Green Valley Ranch offers an off-the-Strip resort experience and Las Vegas entertainment. It has concerts and events, a spa, a pool, a salon, a fitness center, table games, video poker and a variety of dining options.

Locals also enjoy the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, whose offerings include free concerts and events.

Meanwhile, Lake Las Vegas “features Saturday-night concerts on the floating stage in the Village, where families can enjoy an evening outdoors in a charming environment and support local bands and musicians,” Winterton said.

Shopping ranges from the District at Green Valley Ranch, a boutique-style shopping center that Winterton said “locals love because it’s small, rarely crowded and very charming,” and the indoor Mall Galleria at Sunset, which houses name-brand stores.

For luxury shopping on the Las Vegas Strip, residents have several choices: The Shops at Crystals, whose boutiques range from Canada Goose to Fendi; the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, whose more than 160 stores range from Baccarat to Balenciaga; and Premium Outlets, where the more than 180 stores encompass every brand from Polo Ralph Lauren to Versace.

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