Turnkey Luxury: The Gated Communities of Summerlin, Nevada

By Andrea Bennett Gated communities provide myriad benefits: exclusivity, privacy, security, minimal traffic, lifestyle amenities, and the visual appeal of uniform design and landscaping, to name just a few. Here in Las Vegas, they are a commodity as hot as the desert sunshine. Nowhere is that truer than in Summerlin®, a 22,500-acre master-planned community along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley bought by billionaire Howard Hughes in 1952. Today Summerlin comprises more than 20 villages and districts, each with their own distinct aesthetics. (You’ll also find more than 300 regional parks, 200 miles of trailways, a vibrant urban center, and a series of connecting hiking and biking trails—all in the shadow of the dramatic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.) View the full issue. Home buyers have their choice of established neighborhoods with mature landscapes (remember that in Las Vegas, homes older than 20 years are virtually historic) and newer villages of ultramodern custom homes with grand proportions. Summerlin has scores of gated communities, including several that make it feel as though you’ve been transported from one city to another—a remarkable thing in a single community. Eagle Hills in The Hills South is one of Summerlin’s oldest neighborhoods, begun in the 1990s. Its custom homes vary from traditional to midcentury modern, with estates of up to 14,000 square feet that sit on the private TPC Summerlin golf course. Where many neighborhoods in Las Vegas contain houses that are all variations on one theme, the tree-lined streets of unique houses here give Eagle Hills the feeling of an established neighborhood. Architecture at The Ridges harmonizes with the landscape. Homes overlook Bear’s Best golf course at The Ridges in Las Vegas. Canyon Fairways lies a few minutes southwest of Eagle Hills in the Canyons neighborhood. This established, guard-gated neighborhood boasts palatial custom homes on lots larger than those in many newer neighborhoods. Many houses exceed 5,000 square feet on half-acre lots, with frontage on the scenic TPC Las Vegas golf course. Red Rock Country Club lives up to its name. It has the air of a luxe country club surrounded by homes on its own Arnold Palmer–designed golf courses. Some boast interior courtyards with fountains. There’s also an interior double-gated section of custom estates. The Ridges® is among the most renowned villages in Summerlin. This 800-acre enclave on Summerlin’s far western boundary rings the Jack Nicklaus–designed Bear’s Best golf course. The desert-contemporary homes of The Ridges are either ultramodern or summon the low-slung forms of the midcentury architectural masterworks that typify Palm Springs. While the village has the highest concentration of custom homes in the Las Vegas Valley, they all adhere to a concept driven by stewardship of the land, with only native plants allowed.