Henderson, Nevada

In 1990, Henderson NV had a population of 71,000. In less than 30 years, they’ve grown to over 300,000. While this could certainly be diagnosed as a “great problem to have”, with it comes a new share of challenges and focus. We sat down with Ken Chapa, Economic Development Officer to discuss best practices and innovation for a city on the rise! Growth: First off, to set the stage; Henderson has grown from under 100K pop in the ‘90s to over 300K now, to what do you attribute this? What were the catalysts that led to this? Chapa: Henderson was long considered a bedroom community of Las Vegas but began surging as a business community over the last five years. And by no means was its transition to become the second largest city in the fastest growing state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a happy accident. Henderson’s focus on bringing its vision to life through planning and strategic investments set the stage for this momentum. By focusing on attracting and developing businesses across the city, Henderson’s city leadership created the environment that has led to remarkable growth. That meant prioritizing excellent schools, a strong and diversified economy, a city staff that is known for making business matters easier, providing access to affordable housing and award-winning parks and trails. All of which led to the burgeoning community that is now recognized as one of the safest in America. Henderson, Nevada Best Practices