The Rustic Charms of Boulder City
Even the locals love this place - when Nevadans need to escape the bland suburban sprawl and casino scene of Las Vegas, they head about 20 miles East to Boulder City. This Small Town America still radiates community spirit hard to find elsewhere in Clark County.
This is certainly a Treasure off the Beaten Track destination, as tourists are few and locals work hard at preserving their community's heritage and small town flair.
The history of Boulder City can be summorized in a nutshell: built in the 1930s to house workers building nearby HOOVER DAM, it looks back at not even a century of existence. Yet then again, all of Southern Nevada is quintessentially a product of the 20th century. And Boulder City pursued a radically different approach towards its urban conservation and community policies than nearby greater Las Vegas. To start with HOUSING, for instance, where for many years building ordinances were among the strictest and new developments limited to just a minor number annually. For that reason, Boulder City's real estate prices did not experience the same boom-gone-bust trajectory as the overdeveloped areas of Henderson and Las Vegas. In addition, this gem of a small town has always preserved its old buildings rather than blowing them up or tearing them down, resulting in an authentic Western-style old town with 50s diners, an old community theater and the remnants of an old drug store from the 1960s.
So nothing better on a sunny day off than to escape to Boulder City's well-preserved small-town bliss, centering around its main street featuring many original buildings from the 1950s. Even the drive into downtown Boulder City is a delight for the senses, as we pass numerous original motels and inns from bygone decades. Still functioning and open to visitors today, they may provide a blast-from-the-past overnighting experience to visitors from abroad or nearby Las Vegas. Then great food beckons in downtown Boulder City ranging from the 50s Diner to our own local favorite, Tony's Pizza. Yet voted "Best of Las Vegas" is nearby Boulder Dam Brewing Company, featuring a delightful outside terrace for lunch or dinner.
As we stroll through what has been dubbed the "HISTORIC QUARTER" of Boulder City, we witness numerous buildings attesting to the boom times during the construction of Hoover Dam, including the "BOULDER DAM MUSEUM", the "BOULDER THEATER" still offering regular community performances such as the Nutcracker for Christmas, the former NEVADA DRUG store, of which the tall sign from the 1960s still remains standing, and numerous other historic original houses from the community's pioneer days. We take delight in soaking in the small city's cultural and artistic touch, with numerous art galleries and antique stores luring visitors inside for a journey into the past or the world of contemporary Arts, the latter culminating in Boulder city's Arts Festival, covering the entire Park Area just above downtown.
Yet even during the quieter times of the year, a visit to the downtown park offers a nice green respite from the arid desert scenery elsewhere nearby. And leaving the park uphill towards the residential parts of town, we are rewarded with the true highlight of Boulder city's magnificent location: a view over LAKE MEAD, where the blue of the water meets the blue of the desert sky along with various shades of brown and grey of the Desert Mountains of Southern Nevada. Many a time have I ventured from here towards nearby LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA to seek solitude and bask in its surreal natural beauty as a worthy antidote to the surreal urban area nearby which is Las Vegas, Nevada. And driving back towards the city at dusk, coming over the Railroad Pass entering Henderson from Boulder City, we are at full sight of this spectacular surreal urban skyline, shining like an aurora in front of us on the horizon, an oasis of light in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
This is certainly a Treasure off the Beaten Track destination, as tourists are few and locals work hard at preserving their community's heritage and small town flair.
The history of Boulder City can be summorized in a nutshell: built in the 1930s to house workers building nearby HOOVER DAM, it looks back at not even a century of existence. Yet then again, all of Southern Nevada is quintessentially a product of the 20th century. And Boulder City pursued a radically different approach towards its urban conservation and community policies than nearby greater Las Vegas. To start with HOUSING, for instance, where for many years building ordinances were among the strictest and new developments limited to just a minor number annually. For that reason, Boulder City's real estate prices did not experience the same boom-gone-bust trajectory as the overdeveloped areas of Henderson and Las Vegas. In addition, this gem of a small town has always preserved its old buildings rather than blowing them up or tearing them down, resulting in an authentic Western-style old town with 50s diners, an old community theater and the remnants of an old drug store from the 1960s.
So nothing better on a sunny day off than to escape to Boulder City's well-preserved small-town bliss, centering around its main street featuring many original buildings from the 1950s. Even the drive into downtown Boulder City is a delight for the senses, as we pass numerous original motels and inns from bygone decades. Still functioning and open to visitors today, they may provide a blast-from-the-past overnighting experience to visitors from abroad or nearby Las Vegas. Then great food beckons in downtown Boulder City ranging from the 50s Diner to our own local favorite, Tony's Pizza. Yet voted "Best of Las Vegas" is nearby Boulder Dam Brewing Company, featuring a delightful outside terrace for lunch or dinner.
As we stroll through what has been dubbed the "HISTORIC QUARTER" of Boulder City, we witness numerous buildings attesting to the boom times during the construction of Hoover Dam, including the "BOULDER DAM MUSEUM", the "BOULDER THEATER" still offering regular community performances such as the Nutcracker for Christmas, the former NEVADA DRUG store, of which the tall sign from the 1960s still remains standing, and numerous other historic original houses from the community's pioneer days. We take delight in soaking in the small city's cultural and artistic touch, with numerous art galleries and antique stores luring visitors inside for a journey into the past or the world of contemporary Arts, the latter culminating in Boulder city's Arts Festival, covering the entire Park Area just above downtown.
Yet even during the quieter times of the year, a visit to the downtown park offers a nice green respite from the arid desert scenery elsewhere nearby. And leaving the park uphill towards the residential parts of town, we are rewarded with the true highlight of Boulder city's magnificent location: a view over LAKE MEAD, where the blue of the water meets the blue of the desert sky along with various shades of brown and grey of the Desert Mountains of Southern Nevada. Many a time have I ventured from here towards nearby LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA to seek solitude and bask in its surreal natural beauty as a worthy antidote to the surreal urban area nearby which is Las Vegas, Nevada. And driving back towards the city at dusk, coming over the Railroad Pass entering Henderson from Boulder City, we are at full sight of this spectacular surreal urban skyline, shining like an aurora in front of us on the horizon, an oasis of light in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
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