Nevada Immigration

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Impact on Environment and Quality of Life

Water:
Nevada was not expected to use its full share of Colorado River water until 2007 (by which time it hoped to have other water sources to accommodate population growth) but began using its full share in 2002, surprising authorities.5 In order to meet demand through 2050,the Southern Nevada Water Authority is likely to need to impose water and building restrictions. Population growth has forced the area water authority to change supply projections three times in the past six years.6

Traffic:
As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Nevada residents increased 17 percent during the 1990s,to 23 minutes in 2000.This was a faster rate of increase than the national average of 14 percent.7,8 In Las Vegas, heavy traffic keeps residents on the road an average of an extra 38 hours a year.9

Disappearing open space:
Every year, Nevada loses 4,600 acres of prime farmland to development and suburban sprawl.10 More housing structures have been built in the past 12 years than any other time in the state’s history.11

Lack of Affordable Housing:
Nevada’s median mortgage payment rose by eleven percent during the 1990s.12 According to the president of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, Las Vegas “is suffering an affordable housing crisis that continues to grow worse. Las Vegas residents are finding it increasingly more difficult to seek out a new home in the traditionally affordable price range.”13 In Douglas County, the scarcity of affordable housing has officials worried that the middle class is being squeezed out.14 The median value of a Nevada home, adjusted for inflation, went from $122,619 in 1990 to $142,000 in 2000,a 16 percent increase.

Statewide, 30 percent of renters pay 35 percent or more of their household income in rent (considered excessive by social agencies).15

Crowded housing:
Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.16,17 32,000 state residents (four percent of all households) live in severely crowded housing, a 141 percent increase since 1990.18,19

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