In recent years, Las Vegas has been booming with Californians flocking to the city. In turn, this has led to a mass population growth for the city in the desert.
Factors that have led to this, such as lower housing costs, entertainment, the absence of a state income tax and affordability make the state more appealing.
KNTV Las Vegas reports that 56% of residents who migrated to Henderson between 2013 and 2017 came from California.
Moreover, according to the World Population Review, Nevada is the third fastest growing state in the United States.
As a result of migration, the state’s population grew, the economy improved and employment prospects expanded, all of which benefited the state.
This growth, however, was followed by an increase in housing costs, resulting in a frantic search for homes as the number of available homes fell rapidly.
Californians, for example, accounted for roughly 70% of sales in some communities like MacDonald Highlands, overlooking Las Vegas in 2018, compared to 30% 20 years ago.
In an interview with KNTV Las Vegas, Brandon Roberts, president of Las Vegas Realtors, said, “It’s amazing to think that local home prices have more than tripled since then and are now $317,000 higher than they were 10 years ago.”
This dramatic change in housing prices demonstrates the city’s rapid growth, and while this is favorable, it also indicates the modifications that residents must make in order to adapt to the current expansion.
Another indicator of growth in Las Vegas is traffic. Since the relocation of many Californians, traffic has gotten worse, resulting in higher levels of pollution.
According to Nevada Current, the American Lung Association’s 2020 “State of the Air” report classified Las Vegas as the ninth most polluted city in the country for ozone.
The Las Vegas metropolitan region has the most frequent excessive ozone levels of any Nevada county.
While this is to be expected in areas experiencing rapid expansion and population growth, it suggests that greater caution is required to reduce the effects of pollution, which can pose major environmental concerns.
Climate change is already posing several challenges to states and individuals. Adding to the existing environmental problems can only result in more harm and non-returnable or non-remediable issues.
In light of these information sources, it is difficult to conclusively characterize the impact of the new rapid expansion in Las Vegas and the state of Nevada as beneficial or negative.
When examined critically, expansion has resulted in beneficial outcomes such as boosting the economy, generating new types of jobs, increasing the number of inhabitants and making the city a more dynamic, populous area.
However, it has raised a number of issues, including increasing pollution and traffic, rising housing costs, and overcrowding in the locality.
As a result, there are advantages and disadvantages to this new growth. It can be viewed from both a positive and negative perspective.
