Sparks is located in the Truckee Meadows of Northern Nevada.  It's the highest desert community and the sun shines about 80% of the year.  While the days are sunny, the nights remain cool.  Sparks real estate is a major center for  tourism on the west coast, manufacturing, distribution and warehousing.  Over  100 national companies have businesses in the city of Sparks, including General Motors, Federal Express, K Mart, Sportif USA, Ralston & Purina, Boise Cascade, United Parcel Service and Sherman Williams to name a few.

Sparks' Lifestyle
Sparks has built a solid foundation for future growth.  The Sparks Growth Management Plan encourages orderly and balanced development, clarifies the  direction of the community and allows for a sound public and private partnership in the construction and development of the city.

The city knows that to build a financially sound and beautiful community, it must be open to creative design and creative financial  techniques.  Sparks real estate has committed itself  to working with private developers, industry and business to build a strong, elegant and prosperous city.  The city has had a master plan for growth management since 1980, which provides a balanced approach to residential, commercial and industrial development.  Taxes in Nevada are among the lowest in the nation.

Sparks' History
The original inhabitants of Sparks real estate were the Washoe Indians.  By the the mid-1850s, settlers of European descent began filtering into the area.  These settlers began selling cattle to emigrants passing through on their way to California.  In return, the Sparks residents would buy the emigrants´ sick and weak cattle to fatten up and sell to emigrants passing through the following year.

In 1904, Sparks experienced an increase in population when a switch yard and railroad maintenance sheds were built and stored there by the Southern Pacific RR.  Originally named after the president of Southern Pacific at the time, Mr. Edward Harriman, Sparks was eventually renamed for the state's governor, Mr. John Sparks.

A boom in Sparks' population occurred at the same time as the local housing boom to house workers in nearby Reno in the 1950s.  Warehouses and other light industry began to fill up Sparks real estate to the south of Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1970s.  John Ascuaga´s Nugget, the first and only high-rise casino in Sparks, was finished in 1984.  From the 1980s through 1996, the redevelopment of the B Street business district, currently called Victorian Square, created an open air event center with a movie complex and plaza area.

Schools in Sparks
Students living in Sparks real estate are served by the Washoe County School District.  There are two high schools, three middle schools and 14 elementary schools operating in Sparks.  The community college of Truckee Meadows and the University of Nevada-Reno are within an easy commute.

Sparks Recreation
The redevelopment agency of Sparks promotes  activities year round.  There are street events in the  Victorian Square.  Some of these events are the West Rib Cook off, Hot August Nights, Sparks Hometown Farmers Market and the Hometown Christmas Parade.  In addition to a well developed neighborhood city parks system and an excellent offering of city sponsored recreation programs, Sparks real estate is almost an hour drive from Lake Tahoe.  There are over two dozen ski areas with some of the best skiing in the country.

Sparks Demographics:
Population - 87,139
Median Household Income - $55,490
Median Home Value - $324,300