The Lakes, Las Vegas facts for kids
The Lakes is a special neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a "planned community," which means it was carefully designed and built from scratch. This area covers about 2 square miles. It's located on the western side of the Las Vegas Valley, close to the beautiful Spring Mountains and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The most important part of The Lakes, and how it got its name, is a big man-made lake called Lake Sahara. Even though there were plans for two lakes at first, only one was built. The Lakes was constructed between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s. Back then, it was considered to be on the very edge of where the city was growing. This community has many different types of buildings, including gated neighborhoods with single-family homes, condominiums, and areas for businesses and offices.
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What is The Lakes?
The Lakes is a great example of a modern planned community. This means that instead of growing bit by bit over time, the entire area was thought out and designed before construction began. This includes where homes would go, where businesses would be, and even where parks and lakes would be located.
Why was Lake Sahara built?
Lake Sahara is a large lake that was created by people, not by nature. It's the main feature of The Lakes community. The idea was to create a beautiful water feature that would be central to the neighborhood and give it a unique feel. It provides a scenic view for many of the homes and businesses in the area.
When was The Lakes built?
Construction of The Lakes took place mainly from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. During this time, Las Vegas was growing rapidly, and The Lakes was one of the newer developments that expanded the city's boundaries westward. It was a big project that helped shape how the western part of Las Vegas looks today.
Business and The Lakes
For a long time, a major business was located in The Lakes. This business helped make the community well-known.
What was Citicards' role?
In 1985, a company called Citicards, which is part of Citibank, opened its main Payment Processing Center in The Lakes. This center was a very important part of the community's economy. It handled a huge amount of mail related to payments. Because of all the mail, the United States Postal Service even created two special ZIP codes just for The Lakes. These ZIP codes were given the name "The Lakes, Nevada" to avoid people thinking that all credit card payments were going directly to the city of Las Vegas.
What happened to the processing center?
Later, in the late 2000s, Citibank changed the center's focus from processing credit card payments to handling mortgage processing. A mortgage is a type of loan used to buy a home. Eventually, in 2014, the facility closed down. Even though the center is no longer there, it played a big role in the early history and development of The Lakes community.
