In the Northwest

The most affluent neighborhoods in Las Vegas are in the Northwest

Model homes Centennial Hills
New homes line a street in the northwest Las Vegas — just minutes from the National Forest and the ski and snowboard  resort on Mt. Charleston.

Looking for a home with a larger lot with room for a pool and privacy?  Want to live on or near a lake?  Would you like to live 25 minutes from a ski and snowboard resort and still be about 20 minutes from The Las Vegas Strip?  Or do you want a home and stables for your horses? 

Then Northwest Las Vegas–also called Centennial Hills by some people–may be the area for you.  While homeowners in The Canyons Village of Summerlin might argue, according to a Las Vegas newspaper, the Northwest is the most affluent, wealthiest part of Las Vegas and is slightly cooler than other sections of the Las Vegas Valley — but cooler is definitely relative!

Custom homes on large lots    

Corner strip malls are banned north of Cheyenne Avenue, so this area is predominantly residential–single-family homes, both in developments and built by custom home builders, and the lots are large, often a half acre or more.

Adjacent to the freeways there are some condos and townhomes for sale as well as a few rental apartments in the Northwest near the freeway.

One area called Lone Mountain which is on the west side of an isolated peak named Lone Mountain has many brand new homes in large developments.  The homes are production homes and the lots are much smaller.  The 215 Beltway runs right through the center of Lone Mountain.

Luxury Homes and Horse Properties in Las Vegas

Northwest Las Vegas single story homesLeft: These two single story homes are located on large lots in a cul de sac in northwest Las Vegas.  In this area owners are permitted to keep horses on their property and ride along city streets.  Unfortunately, this photo does not reflect how very large and very luxurious these sprawling homes are.

Part of the far Northwest–north of Alexander and west of the 95 freeway — is zoned as horse property.  The homes are generally spacious custom homes and lots for sale in this affluent area are significantly larger. A half acre lot is average and many homeowners purchase an acre or more.

There are also stables in this area for people who want to keep a horse for riding, but not on their own property.

Northwest Las Vegas two story home
This custom two-story home is an exception in the Northwest where single story homes predominate.

Left: Gated neighborhoods with quite large homes can be found in the Northwest. Usually, these gated communities have fewer homes than in the enormous neighborhoods in Summerlin. The homes are not as “cookie cutter” as in many developments in the Las Vegas area.

A guard-gated golf course community called Painted Desert is also located in the northwest. This is an older community and the homes are not especially large.  It is, however, great for golf, biking, and walking if you want to live in a flat area.

Lakeside homes, condos, and townhomes are available by resale in the neighborhood of Desert Shores in the northwest.  Boating and fishing are permitted in this beautiful community.

Business and Shopping

Along both sides of the 95 Freeway north of Ann Road, the new Town Center is taking shape.  Stores, shops, restaurants, automobile dealers–businesses of all types–as well as apartments and condos are rising out of 2900+ acres of desert.  Each month it seems that a new cluster of businesses open.

Along the 95 Freeway, just off the Cheyenne Avenue exit, there is a major center of hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other medical facilities adjacent to the Las Vegas Tech Center.  And the Tech Center near Desert Shores is booming.

For an online tour of other Las Vegas neighborhoods, go here. 

Gardening in the desert.  Read this for the best advice from a Clark County Master Gardener about creating a beautiful garden in a hot dry climate.


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