Boulder City, NV – Homes For Sale

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Some Boulder Dam Facts

We can’t talk about Boulder City housing without talking about the size of the dam and how Boulder City’s housing evolved. I find the area historic and enjoy the metal freeway art depicting scenes from the 1930s. Be sure to look when driving through.

How Big Is Boulder Dam?

Hoover Dam stands 726 feet high and is 1,244 feet long. Contractors excavated 3.7 million cubic yards of rock and poured cement. It took years to fill the lake that extends 110 miles behind the dam structure. It is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the U.S.

The analogy that the Boulder Dam Tour loves to talk about is the amount of cement used. A total of 4.36 million cubic yards of concrete was used to build the dam, its power plant, and auxiliary features. That is enough concrete to pave a 16-foot-wide, 8-inch-thick road from San Francisco to New York City.

How Long Did It Take To Build Boulder Dam?

It took 5 years to build Lake Mead and Boulder Dam – 1931-1936. 12 Catapillar Tractors were used to dig the tunnels, haul pipes, level ground, move rocks and make roads.

21,000 men worked on the dam making $.50-$1.25 an hour. The workforce averaged 3500 men a day with 5200 a day in June 1934. They say 96 people died during construction, but the unofficial count is much higher.

A friend of ours had a grandfather who ran crews at the dam. He said that many workers died of dehydration because they didn’t know better at the time. His grandfather felt guilty for the rest of his life. Dehydration was not a death factor that was tracked.

The Town At Boulder Dam

Boulder City consisted of planned housing for both management and laborers. Status determined where you live. Management lived at the top of the hill, in the largest houses. They also had a park and a community pool. Workers lived in tents, small homes, or commuted from Henderson.

The road from Las Vegas was dirt and was mostly 1 lane in 1931 when the Caterpillar tractors arrived. The Bureau of Reclamation granted Six Companies, Inc. the contract to build the dam with a bid of $48.6 million.

Six Companies, Inc. brought in their team to run housing like an old mining camp. Six Companies oversaw housing, the store, restaurants, hiring, and payroll. They happily supplied everything the workers needed, charging high prices.

Living In Boulder Dam City

Tent cities were everywhere so housing was built. 658 “Dingbat Houses” were built in 9 months. As a building engineer, I find it amazing and scary that two carpenters would build a house in 12 hours.

Dingbat Houses had a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom on the screen porch with a shower and toilet. With no insulation and gaps between the walls and roof, the screened porch offered coolness at night. Many people made the porch into a bedroom or two.

Six Companies charged $19 a month to rent one of their Dingbat houses. Six Companies didn’t allow planting in the yards of their “temporary housing.” The waiting list was sometimes a year-long to get a house because these homes were “better than a tent.”

Homes didn’t come with a refrigerator or stove, but you could buy one from Six Companies for $150. Monthly payments were allowed. Keep in mind the hourly income of $.50 – $1.25 an hour…

More Affordable Housing In Boulder City

After the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics, athlete temporary housing was sold to a company that brought them to Nevada. The Olympic houses were reassembled once they arrived.

Made of “celoboard,” the homes were quite flimsy. As proof, historians acquired letters saying that bathroom windows were cut with kitchen knives.

After the Olympic houses area was filled with workers and their families, workers were allowed to buy a plot and build their own homes. Living in the middle of the desert and most workers were poor, meant that homes were built from items found at the dump.

Seeing the quality of construction, the Bureau of Reclamation sent out housing guidelines. These were the first Building Codes in Southern Nevada.

Even though Boulder City was “planned,” the closest hospital and school were 25 miles away. Liquor and gambling were against the law and any business that wanted to open needed town council approval.

The City Manager made most decisions including sentences for crimes and locations for new businesses. The population of Boulder City soared to over 5000 people in 1932. When the dam was finished, many workers chose to stay or move to Henderson.

Henderson, The Neighboring City

Upon completion of the dam, Boulder City had a beautiful hotel, store, diner, post office, and multiple private businesses. The temporary villages Six Companies, Inc. built in the 1930s slowly went away. A construction boom started bringing modern 1940s style homes.

A typical home in the 1940s had 2 bedrooms and 800-1000 square feet. They were built on the same lots where the Dingbat homes and the Olympic houses originally were. Many of these homes still exist today and sell for over $350,000.

1943 saw the founding of the City of Henderson, just 10 miles away from Boulder City. It had also grown due to the dam because it had amenities that Boulder City didn’t have. Henderson allowed gambling and sold liquor. It also had plenty of schools and a hospital.

Henderson grew quickly because of a munitions plant and a large magnesium plant. That plethora of jobs attracted dam workers to move to Henderson rather than leaving the state when the dam was finished. Many dam families were already living in Henderson so it was an easy transition.

Historic Boulder City Homes For Sale 

Within walking distance of downtown Boulder City, Nevada, homes for sale are mainly older built in the 1940s-1960s. Most homes for sale in Boulder City were built in an era where a 1200 square foot home was normal.

Room sizes were small, beds were doubles and singles and there was one bathroom. With 1800 square feet homes, there may be 2 bathrooms. I love these neighborhoods and the homes are charming. Most people have lovingly taken care of their older homes.

When we see these historic homes for sale in Boulder City, most of them look neat, modernized, and updated. With their mature landscaping and green trees, homes start in the $350,000 price range.

Modern Day Boulder City, Nevada

The Mob ran Las Vegas when Boulder City became an incorporated city in 1969. After years of being illegal, alcohol was legal once again. Wanting to remain a peaceful town, a NO GAMBLING law was created.

To remain small, the City Council decided to enact a strictly enforced 120 per year authorization of housing permit moratorium. Since 1969, the building permit wait-list slowed the growth, keeping the population low and home prices steady. People who finally get to build have been on the list for years.

Lake Mead Homes in Boulder City, NV

Boulder City is the closest you’ll get to finding a Lake Mead home for sale. Because the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is protected, having a view of Lake Mead is rare. Developers and City Planning have tried to maximize views with tiered lots.

Downtown, Historic Boulder City, NV has an old-west look, and a southwest feel. This blends nicely with the charming 1940’s homes and also with the more modern buildings. Lake Mead is a strong business resource attracting visitors to its launch ramp and marina in Boulder City.

A new highway opened in 2019 by-passing the city. This allowed (forced) downtown Boulder City businesses to re-create themselves. They’ve succeeded. Boulder City, Nevada is a great day jaunt for Las Vegas residents and tourists.

has scheduled more special events to attract tourists.

Even though traffic and business has changed, the jury is still out as to whether it’s better or worse for the city. The City Council scheduled more special events starting in 2018. With 2020 changes, statistics are not solidified.

What we do know is that there are more opportunities for both tourists and locals to enjoy the lovely ambiance in Boulder City.

Police Department in Boulder City

The Boulder City Police Department is the City’s Hub, with its website being the town bulletin board. Due to this, the police department also assists with:

• Veteran’s Affairs
• DMV
• City Planning
• Voter Registration
• Vacation Checks
• Offender Watch List
• Crimes

Boulder City New Construction Homes

In 2018, a miraculous event occurred. Storybook Homes broke ground on the first new home subdivision in Boulder City for over 30 years. Offering 4 floorplans with variations, homes have sold quickly.

The building moratorium put upon the area now allows 30 homes to be built a year by each builder. With 10 acres a year contracted for purchase by Storybook Homes, Boulder City New Construction Homes have arrived.

Storybook Homes continue to build 30 fabulous homes each year. About 75% of them have one story and a 3-car garage. Designers have engineered RV parking space on each lot.

Located near Highway 93, their location is convenient, close to downtown Boulder City and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

See our Storybook Homes Las Vegas page for floor plans, additional information, and a link to each of their subdivisions with home searches.

Finally! New Homes!

New Construction Homes For Sale In Boulder City!

Wow! There are new construction homes for sale in Boulder City – wow! a subdivision in Boulder City! This is the first time in my 30+ years of living in the Las Vegas valley that this has occurred. I’m still amazed a couple years later!

These Boulder City new construction homes are in an affordable price range. In the past, Boulder City homes for sale mainly consisted of condominiums, custom estates and older homes.

For sale in the median price range were older custom homes that needed remodeling. Then there was a large gap where housing jumped to high-end luxury mansions and luxury custom homes for sale.

Now, having new homes in Boulder City attracts a younger demographic who wants to take advantage of Lake Mead’s water sports. New life has arrived with the new homes – Boulder City, NV, is a great place to live – check it out!

Storybook Homes Sold in August 2021

In August of 2021 Toll Brothers, Las Vegas purchased Storybook Homes, Las Vegas. This acquisition came with 550 lots in great locations as well as Storybook’s fabulous floorplans. Purchasing Storybook Homes Las Vegas has given Toll Brothers access to building 30 homes a year in Boulder City.

My guess is that Storybook Homes AKA Toll Brothers Las Vegas will build a more expensive home on their Boulder City lots. There is a large price gap between the price of custom homes and the cost of purchasing condominiums or an older home in the city. Time will tell. Toll Brothers will retain the Storybook Homes Las Vegas staff.

If you’ve been thinking about looking at Boulder City, NV homes for sale, let’s go open some doors!