Henderson is Nevada's second-largest city, sitting just southeast of Las Vegas with a very different personality. While the Strip glitters a few miles away, Henderson is quieter and more suburban — a city of parks, trails, and neighborhoods where people actually live.
The city traces its origins to World War II, when the federal government built a magnesium processing plant here to supply the war effort. After the war, the plant closed and Henderson incorporated as a city in 1953. That industrial past is long gone; today it's one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
Henderson's own attractions are modest but genuine: the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve is a superb wetland birding spot set on reclaimed water treatment ponds, and the Clark County Museum has an excellent outdoor Heritage Street with restored historic buildings. The Water Street District gives the city a small but genuine downtown with cafes and local restaurants. Lake Las Vegas, an artificial lake on the eastern edge of the city, is an improbable but pleasant resort area. Sloan Canyon, 15 miles south, has over 1,700 Native American petroglyphs. But the real appeal is its position as a launch pad. Valley of Fire State Park, Hoover Dam, and Lake Mead are all within an hour's drive, making Henderson a quieter and often cheaper base than Las Vegas for exploring the Mojave.