Back in the 1950s Howard Hughes wanted some land to set up a research facility for his aircraft company. He already had 73,000 acres of land across Northern Nevada, and reached an agreement to exchange this for 25,000 acres of land west of Las Vegas. The research facility was never built, and 22,500 acres of the land went on to become the master-planned community of Summerlin. When you are looking for Summerlin homes for sale today, it’s interesting to think that it all started with Howard Hughes.

When Hughes bought the land it was known as Husite, and it laid untouched for thirty years until Hughes died. Hughes cousin, William Lumis, became the executor of the estate and then onto being Chairman of Summa Corporation. Under Lumis Summa Corporation evolved into a real estate development firm, and what is now known as Howard Hughes Corporation is a significant Las Vegas landlord. One of the most significant developments was the renaming of Husite to Summerlin (after Hughes’s grandmother), and the transformation of the land parcel into one the America’s best planned large-scale residential developments.

Summa Corporation started discussing the development of Husite with city officials in 1981 and by 1985 this had become a full-blown plan to develop 18,000 acres of residential and 2,000 acres of office. 2,600 acres were allocated to recreational activities. Eventually the first buildings started more than 30 years after Hughes had bought the land, and the Meadows School was opened in 1988. Next came a Sun City retirement community on over 1,000 acres of land, which opened in 1989.

It was in March 1988 that the name Summerlin was finally selected and in September of the same year the land parcel changed: the Bureau of Land Management acquired from Summa Corporation 439 acres of land adjoining the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, and was given by Summa 4,863 acres of land east of Red Rock Canyon; in exchange Summa received 3,767 acres to tack on to the southern end of Summerlin.

With such a large development much public works was required, and the US95 expressway was extended through the community – this extension is known as Summerlin Parkway. In addition to this local government bonds were launched to pay Summa Corporation for its public improvements, and the cost of these bonds was to be repaid by future homeowners in the form of annual improvements. This government support helped bring about the rapid large-scale development that see hundreds of Summerlin homes for sale today.