What is the history of Enterprise in Clark County?
Enterprise was birthed in December 1996 after Clark County commissioners approved a petition to create the unicorporated township in the southwest portion of the valley.
The roughly 46-square-mile area in the southwest valley is bordered by Spring Valley to the north, Paradise to the east, Henderson to the southeast, Sloan to the south, and Blue Diamond to the west.
According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun, the county approved the 1996 petition and then voted to remove approximately 1,700 acres which included the Rhodes Ranch master-planned community plus a 310-acre regional park, both of which are now in Spring Valley.
Commissioner Bruce Woodley cast the lone dissenting vote on changing the borders, and the Sun article mentioned that residents “protested” the annexation for numerous reasons.
To ensure land wasn’t annexed
A 2003 Las Vegas Sun article said the reason Enterprise was created was to ensure land was not annexed by the city of Henderson.
John Hiatt, who was the Enterprise Town Advisory Board chairman at the time, said one of the big reason was independence from city zoning.
“A city typically has a different agenda and will also raise taxes,” Hiatt told the Sun. “There is very little enthusiasm in Enterprise to be a part of Henderson. It is perceived that Henderson is a master-planned community, and that it’s not about individual rights.”
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones said the enclave has been around a while and it was the building of a main transportation artery that shot it into overdrive.
“Enterprise really started to explode with the construction of the 215 Beltway and development of the Rhodes Ranch, Mountain’s Edge and Southern Highlands master-planned communities, which began more than 20 years ago,” he said. “With the beltway providing connection to the Summerlin and Henderson communities and easy access to the airport and the Strip, Enterprise was highly attractive to working families and businesses.”
Growing twice as fast as the valley
Enterprise is growing more than twice as fast as the Las Vegas Valley as a whole, according to population figures from Esri, a GIS mapping software company. The unincorporated township grew almost 60 percent (compared with 20 percent for the overall Las Vegas Valley) from 2010 to 2023 and now has 245,243 residents as of the end of 2023. Enterprise is estimated to add an additional 13,713 residents by 2028.
Data shows Enterprise is adding more educated residents who make more money than the rest of the valley. The median household income in Enterprise is estimated to be $88,573, well above the metro average of $65,264, according to Esri. Looking at Enterprise residents over 25, a full quarter of them have bachelor’s degrees, compared with 19 percent of the rest of the valley. The unincorporated township also has a higher rate of residents with associate and graduate degrees.
Enterprise recently sneaked onto Fortune Magazine’s 2024 Best Places to Live for Families — coming in at 49 out of 50 — and the magazine described it as booming as a result of the 215 Beltway construction.
“It has a more rural feel compared with the chaos and bright lights of Sin City, but with a lot of new developments alongside its population growth,” said the magazine. “Two master-planned communities, Mountain’s Edge and Southern Highlands, have brought many homes to the area. Both are full-fledged communities with their own parks, tennis courts, and green spaces to enjoy. Southern Highlands even has a golf club and its own shopping center.’
Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft said the ranking should come as “no surprise.”
“Just southwest of the Las Vegas Strip, Enterprise offers a quiet, family-friendly place to call home,” he said. “Easy access to the area, by way of the I-215, makes it a great location for those commuting all over the Valley. Plus, it’s the future home of Brightline West’s high-speed rail station, which will connect Las Vegas to southern California in just over two hours. Enterprise is bright beyond the lights.”
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
