Rural life in the city of Henderson — PHOTOS

When I first moved to Las Vegas someone took me to a party in the older part of Henderson, up in the hills overlooking the bustling, well-lit city below. I knew I was somewhere special because of the amount of space between the homes and evidence of horses in residence; also because the house had a basement, which I had been informed was an exotic, expensive add-on in caliche-ridden Southern Nevada. 

The neighborhood is officially called the River Mountain Ranch Estates and is bordered by Appaloosa Road, Equestrian, Foothills and Wagonwheel Drives. It could only be described as "eclectic," said Chuck Booker, president of a group of homeowners who formed voluntarily three decades ago to work with the city of Henderson on issues related to their properties. Later, homeowners in a neighboring tract development sans homeowners association asked to join the group, too.

The community is zoned for half-acre lots, Booker said.

"We also have a rural overlay. which allows us to have animals. We have a goat, at least one that I know of, a couple pigs, and I hear a rooster crowing every morning. We even have a jackass or two." He couldn't confirm if they were of the two or four-legged variety.

Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder attends the groups meetings. "It is a really nice community. People like to live in different types of areas, and we try to accommodate as much as we can. So we work very closely with the neighborhood … Part of my job, too, is to protect that neighborhood, because they do move there for the lifestyle and the way I try to protect it is to make sure you're not going to have multifamily homes there, or businesses within the boundaries of the rural-preservation area."

In 2011, the city opened the Equestrian Park to the north, and the River Mountains Loop Trail just behind it, Schroder said. "The park was put in at the request of the neighbors because a lot of people ride horses there, so they can run the horses if they're training say, for a rodeo or something like that."

The community is fortunate to be bordered by foothills owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation, virtually ensuring that two of its borders are likely to remain untouched. Any whispers about an Interstate 11 corridor being built behind the community have been neutralized, Schroder said.

"Right now, the BLM has not designated that as a route, they're just looking for alternatives. We're working (with everyone) to ensure that, however, I-11 is built it's in a way that is going to benefit everybody."

Houses for sale in the neighborhood vary greatly in age and price. Most of its homes were built in the 1970s and 1980s, but recently several smaller builders have bought older homes, demolished them and built new ones that are priced close to $500,000 and above.

"Because of demand for new homes, builders are building on the land that they've been holding onto for years or trying to acquire new land because the opportunities there now. We still have low-interest rates, and I know as rates go up, it eventually will take out a lot of buyers," explained Realtor Frank Napoli of The Napoli Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Nevada Properties.

Business owner Gil Hernandez had a new custom house built in 2014 at 1520 Mustang Drive. "There were five or six semi-custom homes there, and some resales, but nothing that was going to suit us," he said. They wanted to stay in the same part of Henderson but have more space. He said the family uses the park and trails frequently.

There are two new custom homes in the neighborhood, 1600 and 1610 Bridle Drive listed for just under $497,000 and $519,000, respectively. Both homes were built "on spec," according to Chris Ellenberger, a partner in Equitylink Properties LLC. "We would build more, but there is not a lot of reasonably priced lots to build on" in the neighborhood, he said.

These houses were not built with horse ownership in mind. One has a four-car garage, and the other has a two-car garage and recreational vehicle space. They are listed by Craig Tann with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.

"I think, in general, in that community you're starting to see some revitalization, where they're trying to bring a lot of them up to date," said Tann "With these you still get the feel of an equestrian neighborhood but at the same time you don't have to worry about fixing it up. We're seeing a lot of buyers who want to be closer to Lake Mead, but also have toys, so that's why 1610 has the RV garage and 1600 has a four-car garage. It's kind of tailor-fitted for the kind of clientele over there."

Audrey Connolly is counting on a buyer who appreciates the retro vibe of her four-bedroom, 3½ bath, 3,000-square-foot house at 1800 Thoroughbred Road. Built in 1984, it has a few special touches that make it stand out. It is partially below ground, allowing for climate-controlled storage, and it was built around an indoor pool and atrium. For egress, there is a tunnel that runs behind all the bedrooms and exits to the outside.

At the front driveway is an approximately 3-foot-high monument sign with a unique tile design citing the address and the owner's name on it, "Villa Spighi" as was the custom in her father's native Italy, said Connolly, whose parents bought it as a retirement home in the late 1980s. She said it was designed by a woman architect for herself. The single-story house is priced at $339,000 and is listed by Heide Hanley of Realty One Group in Henderson. There is an open house today.

The lot is on a north corner of the community, a block from the park and has a wide open view north and west toward the Strip.

"The equestrian park and the river loop trail are amazing," Connolly said.

Not too long ago the street was unpaved, she said, and it was a bit quieter. Now, all of the streets are paved, yet it is still quiet.

"The yard is completely secluded and it's a good size. I think that's one of the attractions up there, is you can get a nice-sized property, have horses, park your RV and then, of course, the park. And the convenience of being close to the freeway yet quiet."

"Most of those residents have been there for a long time … but there's also people who've just moved there in the past few years," said Schroder. "A lot of people like to live there for the rural type of lifestyle."

The location, large lot sizes and the unlikeliness that anything resembling this neighborhood still exists in the area is probably what keeps owners from selling their properties, Booker said.

"I said a long time ago, when I leave here, I was going to leave feet first."