Ronni Hannaman: Once peaceful ranches now home to most residents

Almost everywhere you turn these days, it seems something is being built to accommodate local and future citizens in the market for a new home. Since nothing could be built during our overlong winter season, there seems to be a frenzy of new activity which really is about making up for lost time.

Though many of the new builds were approved well before — sometimes even years before — the first shovel was put in the ground, there are some who see new construction as a blight on Carson City’s landscape and are not too happy with what they term as too much rapid growth.

We get it. Those who moved here from wherever they came want to lock the gates and put out the “closed” sign. As the potential new residents expected to move here, current newer residents did their homework and found life here to their liking and are hoping no others make the same discovery.

Sorry, but the reality is growth must happen if we are to be a viable city. We can’t choose who will decide this is the perfect spot to raise children, advance a career, or retire. To be viable, a city must grow at least moderately to meet the current and future expectations of its citizens. Carson City government has always had a conservative 3% growth cap.

For those who currently are lamenting the amount of rooftops being built and insisting there’s too much growth, the reality is that Carson’s growth within the past two years has been less than 1% according to the recently revised U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing a population decrease of 514 from the initial 2020 population estimate of 58,644. The revised 2022 population is 58,130.

Once upon a time, Carson City was mostly ranchland that was sold off and developed as the city grew and ranchers moved on. You can almost trace the population boom era by looking at neighborhoods and the types of homes built. Today, little of that ranchland is evident and soon there will be no ranchland other than that purchased by the city’s Open Space Department.

The biggest growth spurt for our city was the 10 years between 1960 and 1970 registering a 199.6% growth. You see evidence of a building boom at that time with tract homes then called “ranch-style” houses, many of which can be found beginning a block north of the Governor’s Mansion. What a contrast those homes must have been from the stately historic homes in the historic core.

The next building boom occurred between 1970-1980 with a population growth of 107%. It was then a building boom featuring contemporary homes, some with second floors, built around the Colorado Street area, near the Carson River, and the beginning of Silver Oak.

The next 10 years, while growth was still robust but slowing down to 26.3%, ranches were sold to build tracts in the New Empire, Riverview, and Empire Ranch areas built in the mid ‘80s featuring larger lots and more spacious floor plans.

After 1990, the population was still strong with a 29.9% growth between 1990-2000 when subdivisions like Northridge, Silver Oak, Windhaven, and the King’s Canyon and Ash Canyon areas were constructed to keep up with demand for more modern housing.

Between 2000-2010, the city grew by only 5.2% and there were no major new housing developments with then current tracts building homes on demand.

The growth period between 2010 and 2020 slowed considerably topping out at 6.1% and builders were able to play “catch up” to fulfill housing demands spurred by lower interest rates and lack of the type of housing preferred by those who prefer low maintenance homes with little or no yards. Much of today’s construction is part of the “catch up.”

The findings of three focus groups conducted in mid-April by the Chamber heard residents wanting more restaurants, shopping venues, parks and recreation opportunities, trails, and entertainment options. All those wants can only be met within a robust and growing community and residents who support and grow local businesses who collect the taxes that are allocated to the general fund to meet the demands.

The good news from the recently updated U.S. Census Bureau Report continues to show us as a well-balanced city with more population under 18 at 20.6% than there are over 65 at 20.2 % even though our population estimate was reduced.