Two years before the first piece of dirt was turned in Summerlin, the single most important act of preparation for the community was executed: a land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management facilitated by The Nature Conservancy in which Summa Corporation – predecessor to The Howard Hughes Corporation – gave up 5,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land in exchange for 3,000 acres more appropriate for development.

The Meadows School, the valley’s premier private college preparatory school, opens in Summerlin on land donated by HHC. This strategic and generous move helps to put the community on the map.

The Howard Hughes Corporation funds the completed Summerlin Parkway from Rainbow Boulevard to Town Center Drive, connecting to US 95, the major artery that connects Summerlin to Las Vegas and beyond. The four-mile-long Parkway, then dubbed by locals as “the road to nowhere,” was Southern Nevada’s first three-level interchange.

Development of Summerlin officially commences with the community’s first village – The Hills. Village organization helps to create a sense of intimacy within a community that covers nearly 36 square miles. A 394-acre residential village, The Hills is anchored by The Hills Park flanked by Ernest A. Becker, Sr. Middle School and William R. Lummis Elementary School.

The Howard Hughes Corporation completes the community’s first major park – The Hills – months before the first residents move into their home to help establish the vision and quality of life Summerlin will bring to Las Vegas.

Cal and Maria Champlin, along with their children, make history as the first residents of Summerlin, moving to The Hills village in March 1991.

725-acre mixed-use residential village home to Summerlin’s first custom home neighborhoods such as Eagle Hills, Tournament Hills; Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center; TPC Summerlin – the community’s first golf course; and several master-planned business parks.

Summerlin’s first golf course, TPC Summerlin opens. This is the same course where in 1996, Tiger Woods wins his first ever PGA tournament.

For seven consecutive years, 1997 to 2003, Summerlin is ranked number one for new home sales among master-planned communities nationwide, according to RCLCO. Summerlin returns to the top ten best-selling list in 2015, ranking number three from 2018 to 2020.

A 568-acre mixed-use residential village, The Pueblo features distinctive Pueblo-style architecture; single- and multi-family neighborhoods; The Pueblo Park, The Pueblo shopping center; three schools: The Meadows School (1998), Richard H. Bryan Elementary School (1996) and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School; and two houses of worship: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church (1995) and Summerlin Evangelical Lutheran Church (1993).

The amenity building boom continues in Summerlin with the 1993 completion of Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, the community’s first medical center – Pueblo Medical; its first shopping center – Pueblo Shopping Center; its first house of worship and its first two public schools.

William R. Lummis Elementary and Ernest A. Becker, Sr. Middle School open as the first two public schools in Summerlin. The schools are named for two prominent men with strong connections to Summerlin: Lummis was executor of Howard Hughes’ estate and former CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation; Becker was a prominent home builder and developer who helped to establish development on the west side of the Las Vegas valley. Over the next two decades, the community becomes home to more schools than any other Southern Nevada community. Among them, 14 public schools, 2 charter and 10 of the valley’s most prestigious private schools.

A 573-acre mixed-use residential village, The Trails includes several single- and multi-family neighborhoods, The Trails Community Center, The Trails Park and The Trails Paseo Park, a neighborhood retail center – The Trails Village Center (1998), two houses of worship and a U.S. Post Office.

A 530-acre mixed-use residential and commercial village, The Crossing is home to single- and multi-family neighborhoods, The Crossing Business Center, The Crossing Park, John W. Bonner Elementary School (1997), Summerlin Hospital Medical Center (1996) and city of Las Vegas Fire Station No. 7.

A 754-acre mixed-use residential village, The Canyons village features single- and multi-family neighborhoods, custom home communities, TPC Las Vegas (1996), two major business parks – Canyons Center and Covington Cross Center and JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa (1999 as The Resort at Summerlin).

A 1,206-acre mixed-use residential village, The Arbors includes single- and multi-family neighborhoods; four major parks: Arbors Paseo Park, Arbors Tennis and Play Park, Tree Top Park, Cottonwood Canyon; Palo Verde High School (1997), Sig Rogich Middle School (2000), E.W. Staton Elementary School (2000), College of Southern Nevada Bob and Sandy Miller High Tech Center (2003), three houses of worship and the city of Las Vegas Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Community Center (2000).

A 40-acre medical campus managed by the Valley Health System brings much needed, top quality medical services to the community. The hospital’s 454 rooms are all-private suites. Over the years, Summerlin Hospital has expanded to include a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, advanced cardiac and surgical procedures including open heart and robotic surgery services.

Summerlin gets its first public high school with the opening of Palo Verde High School that enjoys a shared campus with College of Southern Nevada.

A 1,004-acre mixed-use village, Summerlin Centre is home to single- and multi-family neighborhoods, Villa Trieste –Nevada’s first LEED-certified neighborhood developed by Pulte Homes; five major office and retail centers; Summerlin Centre community park; Las Ventanas at Summerlin – a continuing care retirement facility (2006); and three schools: West Career and Technical Academy (2010) and Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School (1998).

A 731-acre mixed-use residential village, The Willows includes single- and multi-family neighborhoods; Willow Creek, a guard-gated custom home community; The Willows Community Center; The Willows Park, Willows Paseo Park and Spotted Leaf Park; D’Vorre and Hal Ober Elementary School (2000); Faith Lutheran Academy and Preschool (2002); Temple Beth Sholom (2000) and Faith Community Lutheran Church (2002).

A 738-acre guard-gated residential village, Red Rock Country Club is a development of Sunrise Colony Company on land purchased from The Howard Hughes Corporation. While not technically part of the Summerlin, master plan, Red Rock Country Club includes approximately 1,000 luxury homes, two championship Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses, a main clubhouse and Sports Club.

The Donald W. Reynolds Cultural Center, home to Nevada Ballet Theatre, the state’s only professional ballet company, is completed on land donated by The Howard Hughes Corporation adjacent Summerlin Library. The addition brings a significant cultural presence to the community

Summerlin’s first hotel, The Resort at Summerlin, opens. The hotel partnered with J.W. Marriott in 2002.

A 410-acre mixed-use residential village, The Gardens features single- and multi-family neighborhoods arrayed around The Gardens Park. Other amenities include The Gardens Plaza, Element (non-gaming, boutique hotel opened in 2008) and The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain (2000).

A 793-acre exclusive, guard-gated residential village, The Ridges is home to custom and semi-custom neighborhoods; Bear’s Best Las Vegas golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Club Ridges.

An 815-acre mixed-use residential village featuring single- and multi-family neighborhoods, The Vistas Community Park, North Tower Park (2002), South Tower Park, Linda Givens Elementary School (2004) and Vista Commons neighborhood shopping center.

2000 is a blockbuster year for Summerlin with the following openings: Red Rock Country Club clubhouse and golf course, Siena Golf Course, Alexander Dawson School at Las Vegas, D’Vorre and Hal Ober Elementary School, E.W. Staton Elementary School, Sig Rogich Middle School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Desert Spring United Methodist Church and Summerlin Community Baptist Church.

Construction commences on an eight- mile stretch of the 215 beltway through Summerlin. The beltway transforms transportation between the east and west sides of the valley, providing yet another convenient and expeditious route to Summerlin.

The building boom continues in 2001 as Summerlin completes its 20,000th new home and sets a sales record for the most new homes sold in one week: 114.

Jack Nicklaus’ Bear’s Best Las Vegas – a replication course in The Ridges, opens. Summerlin’s most exclusive village featuring custom homes in a magnificent setting overlooking the Las Vegas valley, The Ridges is considered the valley’s premier community and is home to many of the city’s captains of industry, professionals and influencers.

A 100-acre residential village with four single-family neighborhoods, Ridgebrook is home to Ridgebrook Park and John and Judy Goolsby Elementary School (2004).

Urban Land Institute names Summerlin as Community of the Year in its Awards for Excellence; Money magazine names Summerlin as one of three best places to live in Las Vegas; and Summerlin is profiled as a model of real estate success by ULI both in the U.S. and abroad.

A second land exchange between HHC and the BLM ensures that Summerlin’s growth continues in locations more appropriate for development: HHC gives 1,000 acres of highlands in the community’s western region to the BLM to increase the size and protect Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. HHC receives approximately 1,000 acres along Summerlin’s southernmost edge – extending the community’s southern boundary.

A Summerlin hallmark, parks have played a major role in shaping the community’s active lifestyle. Every neighborhood is required to have its own pocket park and every village has at least one major community park. Today, Summerlin is home to more than 300 parks including 30 regional parks some with pickle ball, tennis, basketball and sand volleyball courts.

A 768-acre mixed-use residential village, The Paseos features single- and multi-family neighborhoods and The Paseos Park, a 12.5-acre community park with soccer/tee-ball fields, sand volleyball court, basketball court, play areas and more.

From inception, Summerlin embraced low water use landscaping in many of its common areas and is credited with helping to improve Southern Nevadans’ perception of desert landscaping.

A 497-acre residential village, The Mesa is home to single- and multi-family neighborhoods, The Mesa Park, a 19-acre village park with three little league fields, tennis and basketball courts and more; and Bishop Gorman High School, the valley’s premier private Catholic college preparatory school encompassing more than 52 acres.

A nearly $1 billion project on 70 acres, the community’s first major entertainment destination – Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa – opens with nearly 800 hotel rooms, casino, spa, nine restaurants, several bars and lounges and Regal Cinemas.

One of the valley’s oldest private Catholic schools attended by many of the city’s influencers and leaders, Bishop Gorman relocates to Summerlin after being in the center of the city for more than 50 years. Gorman’s relocation to The Mesa village and Faiss Middle school – the first project to open in The Cliffs village, Summerlin’s southernmost village, creates a significant anchor for development in the southern region of the community.

Summerlin continues to make national headlines and is prominently featured in the article for its proximity to Red Rock Canyon and its focus on active, healthy outdoor living.

Lauded for Summerlin’s 150-mile-plus trail system, HHC receives the inaugural American Trails Developer Award from American Trails, a national nonprofit dedicated to trail interests. This is the first time the award has been given to a private developer.

Summerlin marks its 20th anniversary with the completion of a $100 million expansion for Summerlin Hospital Medical Center and the opening of a highly rated public magnet school for the best and brightest students from all over the valley – West Career & Technical Academy.

HHC receives the Water Hero Award from the Southern Nevada Water Authority Water Conservation Coalition for the community’s significant water conservation efforts and leadership.

Recognized as a standard-setting community that helped to redefine Las Vegas as a great place to live, Summerlin is lauded nationally for its award-winning design – a place that is now home to more than 120,000 residents.

The valley’s first major water park since the original Wet ‘n’ Wild on the Las Vegas Strip closed in 2004, Wet ‘n’ Wild opens in Summerlin with great fanfare and public anticipation. Wet ‘n’ Wild is located within The Cliffs village.

The 106-acre fashion, dining and entertainment destination  of Downtown Summerlin open to valley-wide acclaim. A 400-acre urban core in the center of the community, Downtown Summerlin will eventually be home to more than 4,000 urban style residences, Class A office and service retail. It is the largest US retail development project since the great recession.

Currently home to Faiss Middle School (2007) and Wet ‘n’ Wild (2013), this is Summerlin’s southernmost village spanning just over 418 acres. It is home to Regency, a 100-acre, age-qualified neighborhood developed by Toll brothers and the first in Summerlin in more than 15 years.

The Summit is a 555-acre resort community south of The Ridges jointly developed by The Howard Hughes Corporation and Discovery Land Company, one of the world’s leading developers of private clubs and luxury communities. It features a private Tom Fazio golf course, clubhouse and fitness facility.

The Howard Hughes Corporation receives Silver Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification for Downtown Summerlin.

The Howard Hughes Corporation completes the 7,900-square-foot Vistas Community Center adjacent to the Vistas Park. This is Summerlin’s fourth community center and third resident exclusive pool. It houses meeting rooms and adjoining patio for resident events, youth and adult classes and activities. Its expansive outdoor area includes a 5,500 square-foot main pool with slide and a child’s lagoon with frog fountains.

Constellation, Downtown Summerlin’s first residential offering and luxury apartment neighborhood opens. With 124 units and a resort-style pool, this is the most amenitized rental apartment experience in Summerlin.

Located in Faiss Park in The Cliffs village The Howard Hughes Corporation completes an indoor aquatic center that is deeded to Clark County for public use and maintenance. The property features a 24,950-square-foot community center with meeting and locker rooms; 25-meter and 10 lane lap pool; nine-foot-deep pool for scuba; 1,800-square-foot therapy pool with handicap access. The pool is enclosed for year-round and features tall overhead doors that, when open, create the feel of outdoors.

President of Summerlin for The Howard Hughes Corporation Kevin Orrock (featured second from left) and several others celebrate the commencement of construction on the practice facility in the Downtown Summerlin area for the NHL franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, the city’s first professional sports team.

Reverence, a 300-acre village built exclusively by Pulte Homes opens.

City National Arena, practice facility of the Vegas Golden Knights opens. The NHL expansion team makes history by advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals during its inaugural year.

Las Vegas Ballpark® at Downtown Summerlin is a 10,000-capacity minor league baseball stadium and future home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the city’s professional Triple-A baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and affiliate of the Oakland A’s

Two Summerlin is Downtown Summerlin’s second Class-A office tower spanning 150,000 square feet and opened in 2018.

Construction is completed on a 180,000-square-foot campus for Aristocrat Technologies, Inc., a global gaming leader.

Sagemont Park in Summerlin Centre spans nearly ten acres and includes lawn areas, lighted soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball court and connection to the area’s regional bike trail. To accommodate gatherings and events, the park includes a shaded picnic area and play area, in addition to community restrooms.

Summerlin ranks #3 nationally among top-selling master-planned communities by national real estate consultant, RCLCO, based on 2019 home sales.

Completion and opening of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Summerlin Area Command substation for which design and construction was fully funded and built on land donated by The Howard Hughes Corporation.

Tanager boasts an elevated lifestyle that brings a new standard of integrated urban living. These richly detailed one- and two-bedroom luxury living spaces are nestled right into the heart of Downtown Summerlin, where shopping, dining, entertainment and home all come together in one amazing place. All centered around a playful dog park and top-of-the line fitness center with clubhouse featuring a resort-style pool.

Thirty years ago, the master-planned community was in its infancy. Today, some 30 years later, the community is home to more than 100,000 residents and continues to set and maintain the standard for quality of life in Southern Nevada.

The master planned community of Summerlin marked the first half of 2021 with strong new home sales, earning the #3 spot nationally on a list of the country’s best-selling MPCs, according to a report released by national real estate consultant RCLCO.

Stonebridge Park in Stonebridge village spans nearly 11 acres and includes lawn areas, pickleball courts, basketball courts, playground, shaded picnic areas, cornhole court, community restrooms, and connectivity to the Summerlin trail system.

Calling out Summerlin, Ideal-LIVING said: “For over 30 years, Summerlin has been one of Las Vegas’ premier urban and residential communities nestled against the breathtaking Red Rock National Conservation Area with a vibrant walkable urban center.”

In a spontaneous gesture orchestrated by legendary basketball player and Las Vegas resident Shaquille O’Neal, The Howard Hughes Corporation joined The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and its partner, Icy Hot®, to purchase Dell laptops for 100 youth who attended the recent unveiling of The Shaq Courts at Doolittle.

Summerlin has ranked No. 3 for the fourth year in a row on RCLCO’s national report of new home sales in 2021.

The Lawn in Downtown Summerlin—one of the destination’s most popular gathering spots for festivals, events, fairs, concerts and more—receives a make-over in which more than 58,000 square feet of Fescue was replaced with Bermuda grass, a change that will save more than 1.2 million gallons of water annually.

Located in the district of Redpoint, this 1.46 acre park is within walking distance of its surrounding neighborhoods and features lawn areas, shaded picnic areas and playground.

The Howard Hughes Corporation appoints Frank Stephan President of the Nevada region to oversee acclaimed Summerlin community. Stephan succeeds long-time regional president Kevin Orrock, who has played a key role in the growth and success of the community since its inception. Orrock to remain with Howard Hughes as a senior advisor.

Summerlin is home to approximately 120,000 residents. With nearly 5,000 gross acres left to develop, the best is yet to come in America’s community – one of the country’s most successful and compelling real estate stories.