Henderson, the city where everyone is above average – in eight states
Out of curiosity, Mayor Andy Hafen once searched to see how many cities shared Henderson’s name.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Henderson also can be found in Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
“I have not been to any other Henderson city in the United States,” he confessed.
That’s OK, we could only find one other Henderson mayor who has visited the one in Nevada, although a couple of others have come as close as Las Vegas.
With a population of 271,000, Nevada’s Henderson has by far the most people.
Henderson, Iowa, is home to just 185 people. A woman who answered the phone at City Hall seemed almost apologetic when asked about her community.
It has a park and a playground, but it’s struggling, she explained. “Our businesses are about all gone.”
Many Hendersons are accustomed to being confused with the Las Vegas suburb by the same name.
A woman who answered the city switchboard in Henderson, N.C., wanted to be sure the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter on the other end of the line wasn’t actually looking for Henderson, Nev.
“I get that a lot,” she explained.
After receiving a few confusing messages, Henderson, Ky., Mayor Steve Austin realized people sending questions through the city’s website were trying to share concerns with the mayor of Henderson, Nev.
“I haven’t been able to solve any problems for them,” he joked.
But, he knows a couple of doctors from his community who have retired in Henderson, Nev.
“It must be a great retirement area,” he surmised.
Maybe so, but it’s the mayor of Henderson, Texas, who can boast that her city has been certified by the state as a retirement community.
“We haven’t raised our taxes in 10 years, so it’s a very good place for people to want to retire,” said Pat Brack, the city’s first female mayor.
And although Nevada has the largest Henderson in the nation, Mayor Hafen thinks it still feels like a small hometown.
He just can’t say it’s the only Henderson to call home.
Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.
