Empty Desert Develops To House 200,000

"Coyote Springs Valley is so barren that, until recently, its best use was thought to be as a weapons test range."

"Yet the valley â€" an hour northeast of Las Vegas â€" is on its way to becoming a real estate development of historic proportions, with as many as 159,000 homes, 16 golf courses and a full complement of stores and service facilities. At nearly 43,000 acres, Coyote Springs covers almost twice as much space as the next-largest development in a state famous for outsized building projects."

This development is set to bring more than 200,000 residents to an area formerly occupied by desert tortoises and cacti. Despite large donations from the developer to Nevada Senator Harry Reid, both men claim no foul play.

"As the project advanced, Reid received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from project developer Harvey Whittemore. The contributions not only went to Reid's Senate campaigns, but also to his leadership fund, which he used to help bankroll the campaigns of Democratic colleagues."