HC-66, Box 11014
Pahrump, NV 89048
© Copyright 1999
A Toddler Among Cities
By
W. E. Lopez
Throughout time all great
centers of civilization, learning, culture, and trade, have grown up near the
source of abundant, free flowing, water.
Athens, Alexandria, Rome, Paris, London, New York, Boston, New Orleans,
are but a few of the cities that spring to mind. Denver seems to be an exception because of its central location
relative to the mining and ranching industry, and it’s position as a hub of
western migration in the growth of America. Las Vegas itself was but a minor
town serving the needs of nearby ranchers and mining interests until developing
technology made it economically possible to tap into the reserves of
underground water.
The very existence of Las
Vegas today is a testament to the desire for freedom unfettered by the chains
of a more structured society in other locales.
Gambling is but one outlet for the individual yearning for expression of
a hidden personality. The west was
populated by people leaving the restrictions of metropolitan life behind in
search of a place to strike it rich, or plow a furrow, or have an opportunity
to build an empire based upon cattle, sheep, or agriculture. The men and women who fled the east have
always been risk takers whose visions and goals could not be held in check by
the mention of the risks to be encountered along the way.
Gambling was not the lure
that brought them to Nevada a century or more ago. It was not the attraction that held them here. It was the freedom to pursue a life style
and a dream that nurtured them.
Gambling has been legal and illegal more than half a dozen times in the
history of Nevada. There was more in
the atmosphere of the west that Nevadans found to their liking.
Las Vegas did not become a
mecca of entertainment and riches until after World War II. It was the liberal life style of Nevadans
that made Las Vegas both attractive and enduring. Only recently have other states climbed on the band wagon, but
their motives seem to be more mercenary, focused upon the revenue possible with
legalized gambling, than on the personality that lies behind the environment.
To make Las Vegas attractive
to hordes of tourists, Las Vegas found it necessary to incorporate many of the
common place things that easterner’s take for granted in their home
states. Hospitals, schools, and law
enforcement are high on the list of priorities in an established metropolitan
way of life, and so they became a necessity in Las Vegas. Gaming revenues could pay for a large
portion of those needs, but casinos have to make a profit also. To help pay for the advantages of city life,
taxes were levied, added to, and increased in many ways. It wasn’t long before many long time locals
began to flee the emerging metropolis and search for that basic need of all
westerners, open spaces that make for good neighbors. Neighbors slightly more distant than the other side of an
apartment wall.
Just forty-nine miles from
Las Vegas lies the little community of Pahrump. It is a broad valley with a history going back many thousands of
years when small roving bands of Native Americans made it their home because of
the numerous springs flowing from under-ground aquifers. These springs nourished both plants and
animals which in turn nourished the inhabitants.
Pahrump still nourishes the
souls of its local residents. Lots are
usually about an acre in size, frequently larger. The openess of the land appeals to the western sense of freedom
and life style. It offers a young
person raised in the city a chance to try his or her hand at gardening, or
small-scale live stock management. For
a young couple beginning their life together it offers the opportunity to
invest in a home and real estate at a cost much lower than that of nearby Las
Vegas. The distance is not too far for
commuting to and from work, as westerners have become accustomed to driving forty,
fifty, or sixty miles to engage in their daily nine-to-five grind, although the
24-hour lifestyle of Las Vegas often means their grind is at different ends of
the day.
As a developing community,
Pahrump is but a toddler in the nursery of cities. It was only a few decades ago when electricity and telephones
were introduced to this community, but it hasn’t taken long for the word to get
out that here is a place that many city dwellers can only dream about.
As a result, Pahrump is now
the fastest growing community in Nevada, if not the fastest in the nation. The infant town held fewer than 500 souls in
1960, but now is called home by at least 30,000.
Many long time residents
point out the unfortunate side effects of burgeoning urbanization. Along with the population growth comes a
need for additional schools and recreational facilities. Hospital benefits are still marginal and many
feel inadequate. Continued development
of real estate encroaches upon the desert landscapes that many residents
consider are the chief attraction of the Pahrump valley.
As few as thirty years ago
the principle concern of local residents was agriculture. Now the trend is toward economy of living
and retirement. The ‘aging’ of Pahrump is
seen in other ways. The post office has
nearly a quarter of it’s parking reserved for the handicapped. The demand for rapid and convenient access
to medical assistance continues to grow.
Community service needs increase to keep pace with the population. There is a greater need for police and fire
protection, as well as all the other requirements associated with urban living,
not the least of which is government along with it’s associated ills and expense.
The birth of Pahrump has
taken a long time. It has been marked
with pain and hardship as pioneers struggled to make a home among the desert
sage. The infancy of Pahrump is barely
behind us as this community takes its first toddling steps toward maturity. Cultural events such as the fall Harvest
Festival, rodeos, theater, raceway competition and other seasonal activities
are becoming more lavish and continue to draw spectators and participants.
It is a sad but obvious commentary
that the growth of a city is always accompanied by a rise in crime, poverty,
abuses and need. There will always be
those who feel that life owes them a living or who are anxious to make a quick
and sometimes slightly illegal dollar.
Such is life. We can be thankful
that it has not yet reached the proportions seen in major metropolitan areas,
but we cannot ignore its approach.
Since a city cannot be “unborn,”
we must come to terms with the problems that now beset Pahrump and that will
continue to affect us in the future. A
perfect remedy can not be found for all residents. Every individual has their goals and their expectations for life
in this valley. Compromise will be a
necessity. Few would be willing to go
back to the hunter/gatherer days of millennia gone past. Few are desirous of the advantages that accompany
a metropolitan existence at the expense of their own safety, comfort, and peace
of mind. As Pahrump continues through
its formative years into adolescence a path will be found. A middle ground will be reached that will satisfy
the majority of residents.
If not, residents will again
begin to leave in search of that satisfaction that is always rumored to be just
beyond the next valley. That too, is a
fact of life.