Out of VegasOut of Vegas

The postcards for the town of Ely show visions of a Northern Nevada rural hideaway, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, replete with trees and lakes, plus the trappings of a small town where everyone knows nearly everyone and hunting and fishing are treasured pastimes. The place can indeed offer more than a water pipeline to the Las Vegas Valley.

Many Clark County residents have done more than stare longingly into these postcards. White Pine County statistics show that they've also bought a second home in the Ely area to experience the Ely state of mind -- follow U.S. Route 93 northeastward for 3 1/2 hours and Ely awaits with a different climate, as well as camping, hiking, fishing and hunting options.

Cooler weather. A small, tight-knit county of 9,500-plus residents, with Ely checking in at 4,325. The recreational benefits of nature and cleaner air. Affordable second homes. Such are the lifestyle items Las Vegans have sought out in their "escapes" to Ely.

"We know we have a lot of Clark County residents coming here to recreate and that as they're coming here for recreation, they're also finding that they'd really like to have some property here so they can be here on more of a full-time basis," said Karen Rajala, coordinator of the Economic Diversification Council in White Pine County.

"Part of what's bringing people here is the ability to have some housing that is close to services in town and yet be within minutes of the mountains and areas where they can fish, where they can hunt and where they can watch wildlife."

The White Pine County assessor reported to Rajala that values have been rising for existing homes. Existing housing stock has been sold over the last four years. Property values for raw land sales in Steptoe Valley, which contains Ely, have doubled. Countywide, housing units have increased from 4,200 in 2000 to 4,380 in 2005.

"For us, that's a significant increase. We certainly have not had that level of building occurring from 1990 to 2000," Rajala said.

"And we're seeing more and more land being subdivided so that it can be offered for sale. Now, in talking with the assessor, he's reporting to me that even half of the deeds coming through in 2005 have been doing so with the addresses of Clark County residents. People are looking at retirement homes, second homes and are now beginning to build homes in the area."

Cave and Comins lakes are both part of Ely's recreational realm, as well as being two major draws for out-of-towners, particularly those from Clark County, according to Rajala.

Dave Tilford, president/broker of Desert Mountain Realty in downtown Ely, noted that he's dealt with a lot of Clark County residents, particularly in 2005.

"I think the reason for that was that the real estate market in Vegas was on the rise as it was pretty much everywhere," he said. "People would come to Ely for a weekend, find a property that they liked, and then they would go back home and get an equity credit line on their home. Then, they would come back the next weekend and buy the property here."

Tilford said a Las Vegas family could purchase a "very nice" single-family, three-bedroom for $200,000 to $275,000.

Recreational property, such as a cabin in the outlying Ely areas, can be had for $80,000 to $100,000, according to Tilford.

Rajala and Tilford both say that the Ely housing market began to soften in 2005, but that was not the case in the mid-1990s, when White Pine County's active copper mine industry supported a strong residence base and housing was in demand. When the mine closed again in 1999, homes, in turn, became more affordable in light of Ely's declining job market.

Out-of-area buyers then capitalized on the town's cheaper prices, and purchased much of the housing stock. In 2004, however, the mine reopened, and demand for housing increased prices accordingly with more workers needing the available residences on the market.

Ely's growth has made homes less affordable than they were six years ago. But even though fewer potential buyers came seeking an Ely domicile for their secondary residence in 2006, Tilford said "there's still a lot of interest."

"I think another draw to the area here is what I call the 'quality of life'," he said. "Quality of life, to me, in White Pine County is coming to work in the morning and waving to almost everybody who passes me because I know them. So, you're not only saying good morning to the family in your home, you're saying good morning to the family in your community."

Doug and Laurie Carson, Las Vegas residents for decades and White Pine County residents since 2001, share their experiences of their Ely "family."

Once, the couple waited to cross the Aultman Street, the town's main strip. A car was coming, and they waited for it to pass. Instead, the car slowed, but the Carsons kept waiting. They waited even longer before they finally realized the car would not proceed until they crossed first.

The Carsons have delighted in Ely's homespun community feel ever since.

"I was floored when that happened," Laurie Carson said. "I thought, 'omigosh, look at this, they actually stopped.' They are so courteous, they're warm, inviting and helpful. All those things that you've heard about a small town, you can find them here."

"I would challenge you to try and get run over in Ely," chimed a grinning Doug Carson.

Though the couple owns a Vegas townhome and Doug Carson was born and raised in Clark County, they spend considerable time in Ely. They call it a "place for the grandkids to come and visit." They purchased a 520-acre spread in 2001, which is located about 30 miles southeast of Ely's downtown area.

Doug Carson sold his Las Vegas construction business in 1998 and Laurie Carson sold her construction firm in 1999, so the couple has more time to savor the rural ambience up north, away from the Las Vegas clamor.

"The pristineness, the air, the quality of life -- this is the quality of life that we enjoy," Laurie Carson stated. "This is the lifestyle."

"We aren't good city dwellers," Doug Carson said.

Though the Carsons sought a second home for years, they had shopped in places like Cedar City, Utah and Pioche before finding their current property, which was sold to them by 89-year-old Ernie Ulrich, who had owned the land since 1973.

Now, they have a 1,500-square-foot bunkhouse, two hay barns, a 100-acre hay field, a cow pasture and a 226,000-gallon irrigation pond.

The bunkhouse contains two bedrooms, two kitchens and two baths and will suffice for living quarters until they have their ranch house constructed.

Laurie Carson, 53, and her 56-year-old husband are approaching retirement, and plan to make it a "modest home" of 2,700 square feet, with an unfinished basement to use as a root celler.

When Kathy Smith, 49, makes her way up to the trappings of northeastern White Pine County from Las Vegas, she's returning to her high school roots.

Having lived in Ely during her teenage years, she maintains the best of both worlds by keeping her 20-year Las Vegas residence, as well as spending time at her remote ranch spread, which contains 100 acres of equestrian property.

"The beauty of northeastern Nevada is that it's never crowded with people. It doesn't suffocate you with all the people and all the traffic," Smith said. "But I still love the city -- I love the restaurants and I love the work ethic here; it's not that I'm escaping to Ely.

"I guess I demand a quieter part of my life with the horses, the children and the solitude. It makes you think clearer so that when you come back to Vegas, you can appreciate Las Vegas more when you get out a little bit. I love them both -- I don't prefer one over the other. They're just different."

Smith's 200-acre property is situated about 45 minutes from Ely's downtown area. The 1,600-square-foot ranch house, which she had refurbished after purchasing it, is mostly composed of wood and natural stone. She calls it the Tehama Creek Ranch, named after the creek that runs through her property. While providing her with away-from-the-Vegas-bustle tranquility, her northern ranch allows her to raise alfalfa and more importantly, saddle up in a place for horses.

She is developing a 100-acre equestrian center.

"It will be a not-for-profit center and it won't be open to the public. I'm not doing this to make money; I'm doing this to help children," Smith said. "It will be for high school rodeo teams all around the state and for 4-H children or any other equestrian group. But it will be by referral only, and it will be very low-key."

Jim Harrington, whose primary residence is in Boulder City, built his second home a few miles away from Smith's ranch off U.S. Highway 93.

An avid fisherman and hunter, Harrington also splits time between the Clark and White Pine counties with his wife of 32 years, Evelyn.

"I'm a deer hunter, and that's one of the best areas in the state for it," he said. "And we like the rural atmosphere. We have an ATV and there's plenty of back roads that go up the mountain nearby."

The Harringtons had a one-story home with a basement custom-built, and each level measures 1,600 square feet.

He calls it a country home and it contains three bedrooms along with some composite decking and vinyl siding.

Jim Harrington began his hunting and fishing exploits in Jackpot. The Elko County town sits a hair short of the Nevada-Idaho border, so Harrington would always drive through Ely on his way back to Las Vegas. Ever the outdoorsman, he decided to hunt for a second home in Northern Nevada.

"I looked at Pioche and Caliente, but Ely had better grocery stores and the hospital. And it's a 70-mile-an-hour highway for 90 percent of the trip," the retiree said.

"And the cost-per-square-foot to build a house is a third of what is would cost in the Las Vegas Valley. Plus, it's 25 degrees cooler at our location than in Boulder City."

After Evelyn Harrington retires in two years, the couple plan to spend eight months of the year in their country home, then devote their holidays to Boulder City, where they can also visit their adult daughters.