Anthem is a
master-planned community
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
in
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
*He ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, part of the
Las Vegas Valley
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...
. It was developed by
Del Webb Corporation
The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, it became the Del E. Webb Corporation a publicly traded company on the New York ...
, and opened in 1998. As of 2011, it had one of the highest average household incomes by ZIP code in the Las Vegas Valley, with an average household income of $131,445.
History
Anthem was developed by
Del Webb Corporation
The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, it became the Del E. Webb Corporation a publicly traded company on the New York ...
. In November 1997,
Henderson, Nevada
Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Vall ...
approved the first phase of Anthem by annexing of vacant land into the city. Del Webb acquired the land through a property swap with the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
(BLM), and the annexation had been in the planning for two years prior to its approval. Del Webb planned to start preparing the site for construction by the end of 1997. Anthem was expected to take 15 to 20 years to fully build out. The development project would include a country club community and a Sun City senior community.
Anthem would eventually consist of 11,000 to 13,000 homes. Approximately 72 acres of the first phase were set aside for parks and recreation.
Henderson ensured that its water supply would meet the future needs of the new community.
[ As part of the annexation agreement, Del Webb and property owners would be responsible for projects such as the paving of roads and the installation of sewer lines and utilities. Del Webb would also pay to build a fire station, and worked with the ]Clark County School District
The Clark County School District (CCSD) is a school district that serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City; as well as the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue D ...
to locate a 20-acre site for the construction of a middle school.[
By January 1998, the ]inspector general
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
for the U.S. Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
was investigating the land swap deal after former and current BLM officials complained about it. The land was valued at $10,900 per acre, although critics of the deal said each acre was worth $36,000. The deal also raised questions about the involvement of Bruce Babbitt
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and senator Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
, who both supported it. Babbitt, the Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to:
* Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)
* Interior Secretary of Pakistan
* Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines)
* United States Secretary of the Interior
See also
*Interior ministry ...
, had once represented Del Webb in efforts to acquire BLM land. Although Babbitt recused himself from the Anthem deal, he became involved with the project at a critical point when he ordered the BLM to prioritize the Anthem deal. At the time, other property exchange applications had been put on hold. In addition, Del Webb had previously held a fundraiser for Reid in 1994, although Reid said his support for the Anthem deal was unrelated to the fundraising.
The Anthem land was ultimately appraised at $12,210 per acre, although a retired appraiser challenged this figure, stating each acre was worth between $15,000 and $17,000, which would equal taxpayer losses ranging from $8 million to $24 million in undervalued appraisals. Del Webb and the BLM stated that critics did not take into consideration the $250 million infrastructure that Del Webb was putting into place on the land.
Anthem home sales began in mid-1998, and the community held its grand opening on October 24, 1998. Approximately 3,000 people attended, more than twice what was expected. Anthem consisted of three subdivisions: Anthem Country Club, Sun City Anthem, and Coventry Homes at Anthem.[ The latter subdivision was marketed as affordable housing.][ Sun City Anthem offered new residents free advice from professional home designers. At the time of opening, construction was nearing completion on two golf courses, and had begun on a recreation center. Upon completion in about 13 years, it was expected that Anthem would have 30,000 residents. The community would include retail and office space.] Del Webb relocated its local administrative offices to Anthem in January 1999.
In February 1999, the Henderson Planning Commission approved plans for parts of Anthem, including its commercial subdivision. Anthem Country Club opened its golf course in April 1999,[ and received approval for residential units in August 1999. That year, Del Webb transferred ownership of 147 acres of ]Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...
land, including the Thunderbird Lodge, to the BLM. In exchange, Del Webb received an additional 2,535 acres for the Anthem project, for a total of more than 5,000.[
A year after opening, Del Webb had sold more than 1,000 homes in Anthem. Sun City Anthem had 660 residents, while Anthem Country Club had approximately 200 residents and 100 golf members.] During 2000 and 2001, Anthem was the sixth-best-selling master-planned community in the United States. Anthem was ranked fifth for 2005, but did not make the top 10 list in 2006.
Education
*Frank J. Lamping Elementary School
*Elise L. Wolff Elementary School
*Shirley and Bill Wallin Elementary a School
*Del E. Webb Middle School
*Coronado High School
*Liberty High School
The neighborhood is served by the Clark County School District
The Clark County School District (CCSD) is a school district that serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City; as well as the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue D ...
. The schools above are the schools serving all of the Anthem community. There are also multiple private schools in the surrounding area including The Henderson International School, Challenger School, and Hillcrest Academy.
References
External links
{{coord, 35.964, -115.090, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-NV, display=title
Henderson, Nevada
Las Vegas Valley
Planned communities in Clark County, Nevada
1998 establishments in Nevada
Populated places established in 1998