North Las Vegas’ neighbor named via vote

It's been North Las Vegas' western neighbor for quite some time, but like many today, what do we know of our neighbors?

It' s had the reputation of being the fastest-growing part of the city of Las Vegas, but at one time, the northwest had a bit of an identity issue.

In January 2001, residents and city officials voted to adopt a new name for the area .

Long story short -- Centennial Hills was born.

Short story long -- the decision took a village.

Then- Councilman Michael Mack, who represented Ward 6, introduced the renaming idea to his constituents. The area was north of Cheyenne Avenue, south of Moccasin Road, west of Decatur Boulevard and east of Puli Road.

Addresses wouldn't change, but the quickly growing area could claim a little more identity a la communities such as Summerlin and Green Valley, Mack said.

"We reached out to schools, seniors, everyone, and we collectively went through it," he said of requesting submissions for names.

About 520 monikers were proposed. Even Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman threw in a suggestion : Cielo de Oro, which means "sky of gold."

An informal committee narrowed it to 11 choices and put the issue up to valley wide vote via mail, Internet, fax and e mail.

The tally returned a clear front-runner.

Centennial Hills received 2,222 votes, Arrow Canyon came in second with 1,784 votes and Tule Springs, a nod to Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, was third with 111 votes.

Goodman's suggestion received 35 votes.

The Las Vegas City Council then voted unanimously to rename the area.

Who specifically proposed Centennial Hills and why is unknown.

The vote was around the turn of the century but about four years shy of Las Vegas' Centennial Celebration.

The area isn't particularly hilly but is in the direct foothills of the Spring Mountains range and Kyle Canyon.

It also wasn't named for Centennial High School, which opened its doors to students in fall 1999, according to the Clark County School District.

Regardless of its origins, the new name brought with it a wave of change, Mack said.

"At that time, we saw a spike in property value just for having a name on it," he said. "Many businesses (that have Centennial in the name) popped up , and someone started centennialhills.com."

Today, 126,951 people call Centennial Hills home, according to the city of Las Vegas. The number does not reflect the population that lives in the pockets of Clark County territory in the zone.

For Mack, the name change gave him a legacy.

"I made a mark up in the northwest," he said. "I was there during the great times, the real fruitful times. I feel for my colleagues on the council now that they have to do more with less."

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.