While there are many positive assets to attract one to live in Carson City, one of the most compelling reasons is that this consolidated municipality is only about 144 square miles thus growth will be self-limiting.
To put that in perspective, Washoe County comprises 6,542 square miles with the City of Reno at almost 112 square miles. Douglas County comprises 738 square miles and Lyon County has 2,024 square miles thus those counties have plenty of land to grow depending on infrastructure.
Though Carson City is not yet built out, it probably won’t be long until it will be. Long a community of predominately single-family homes, we’re experiencing an unprecedented building boom in apartments, townhouses and condos allowing for more population within our small footprint.
Right now, just about every available flat vacant parcel is spoken for or under some kind of review for future development.
Even though bulldozers are busily digging on former plots of fertile ranchland, our hills won’t be alive with the sound of any building equipment thanks to the forethought of citizens who didn’t want our lovely hills covered with rooftops and have made it harder to build because of so many restrictions.
In 1996, citizens voted to tax themselves a Quality of Life 0.0025 sales tax to benefit parks, recreation, trails, and open space. Part of the Quality of Life taxes go to the purchase of land to be forever used for the recreation of our citizens and visitors. To date this tax has generated over $55 million allowing the purchase of 8,000 acres (almost 13 miles) of what could have been prime building lots.
Add to that all the land owned by state, local, federal governments (including BLM) and the school district further reducing even more plots of available land.
Suddenly, or perhaps not so suddenly, Carson City is experiencing the same growth it did in the early 2000’s when the real estate market went berserk. Like most of Northern Nevada, we can’t build single-family or multi-family units quickly enough no matter the price point. The downtown continues to be infilled with smaller apartment or townhouse projects whereas the available ranchlands will soon be filled with many rooftops to the chagrin of locals.
The lack of available space is not confined to the home building industry. It’s being experienced in the industrial building sector as well. Just about every piece of prime industrial space has been snapped up according to Coldwell Banker commercial realtor Terrie Preston. Even outdated properties have been selling like hotcakes.
With a projected build out of about 70,000, this city will remain manageable allowing citizens to continue to enjoy short commutes to work, shop, and play. The I-580 bypass has allowed commuters and trucks to go on their merry way no longer clogging downtown streets leaving a walkable, bikeable downtown to visitors and residents. Those who love to hike can walk from one end of Carson Street to the county lines and then divert to the hills to hike in peace.
According to the Nevada Department of Taxation recent statistics population estimates, on July 1, 2001, Carson’s population was 54,171 with the July 1, 2021, population now at 57,073. That’s a growth of 2,902 in 20 years or 5.3%. During that time, Washoe County grew by 37.3%.
Carson City has become a friendly boutique community with less government since this is a consolidated municipality and has all the major shopping needs and has a much smaller and manageable school district. As we continue to build more modern and desirable housing, we are becoming more attractive to Millennials who want to settle down as well as those active retirees who have fled the frantic life in the big city to breathe.
And, yes, we are happy Reno is so close to be able to enjoy the “big city” now and then. We’re only a 25-minute drive along one of the most scenic highways in our state.
Ronni Hannaman is the Executive Director Carson City Chamber of Commerce.
