One Thing That Made Your House The Cool House On The Block

Author Mike O'Brian

September 12th 3:36 PM

Kids playing a pool that makes their house the cool house on the block!

Growing up you always had that one house that was the cool house on the block! Whether it was something inside or out, there was always something there that you wished you had in the home your were living.

Of course an article in Better Homes & Garden talked about “curb appeal”, which is important. However, The M&C Morning Show was talking about something even better

The Mike & Carla Morning Show explored a totally different aspect of the house. For example, Carla Rea mentioned that the other kids in the neighborhood thought it was very cool that Carla’s family had Dixie Cup dispenser right by the kitchen sink!

What Cool Thing Did You Have In Your House

That’s right, we said a Dixie Cup dispenser! Something so simple, but made Carla’s house the cool house on the block. Now, keep in mind that her father was an entertainer, so it was no surprise that the house was very hip and modern for those times.

On the other hand, Mike O’Brian’s dad had just re-done their kitchen and decided to go with a “avocado green” phone on the wall! Very hip as well…not sure it made it very cool, but the other kids in the neighborhood would notice it.

On the other hand, Morty actually had a “Jungle Jim” outside the house in the front yard! That right there had all the kids on the block right there at Morty’s house after school and on weekends!

Of course all this was just the tip of the iceberg. Blowing up the talk and text lines, listeners were willing to tell their story of what made their house so awesome!

One woman said growing up in a trailer, the first time she went to her friend’s house, she was amazed at the fact that her friend lived in a house! Had stairs, a basement, and her own room!

Another listener mentioned that the fact she grew up with an above ground pool made her home the cool house on the block!

But the best one, a woman called in saying how she had a refrigerator in the basement filled with snacks. A full size fridge in the basement, so when you were playing downstairs, if you wanted a snack, you didn’t have to go upstairs.

Listen to the segment from this morning and see if it jogs your memory at all…,maybe you had the cool house on the block!

Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada. Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.

Yes! Nevada Is One Of The Top 7 States For New Homes Built

If you have lived in Southern Nevada for any length of time, you know how fast this area has grown over the past three decades. Apparently, we’re still growing yet, as more and more people move here. Therefore, the demand for new houses continues, even after the COVID-19 pandemic slowed growth. Now, in a recent study, we find that Nevada still ranks in the top seven for states with the most new homes built since 2010.

New Homes Built Since 2010: Nevada Ranks In Top 7

The folks at RubyHome Luxury Real Estate recently began digging into the data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Specifically, they are looking at the 2022 American Community Survey for the purposes of this study. In general, the numbers show that there are over 131 million occupied households in the U.S. Of those, more than 15.7 million houses were built since 2010.

Furthermore, those figures identify the fact that close to 12% of all occupied houses in our nation are newly built homes between 2010 and 2022. According to information provided by RubyHome.com, 23 states across the country surpassed that national average of 12% for new-build homes. In fact, some states report that one in five occupied houses have been constructed since 2010.

Which Regions Performed Well; Which Regions Did Not

Overall, southern, and western states seem to enjoy the most newly built homes since 2010. Five of the top 10 states in this study are part of the southwest and mountain west regions. We can safely say that Nevada is part of this region. Moreover, three states in the top 10 are part of the southeast region. One other state is on the mid-Atlantic coast. Finally, there is only one state from the Midwest to make the top 10.

It may be surprising to learn that states with very large populations such as New York, Illinois, and Michigan saw very little new home construction in the period of 2010 to 2022. Furthermore, states in the northeast and New England rank near the bottom in new homes built during this period. As a matter of fact, the New England states of “Rhode Island and Connecticut have the lowest rate of new-build properties in America.”

So, let’s see which states rank in the top seven for new homes built since 2010.

7) Nevada
The “Silver State” ranks seventh in the nation when it comes to new home construction since 2010. According to the figures provided by RubyHome.com, 200,603 new homes were built in Nevada between 2010-2022. That accounts for over 16% “of the total occupied housing supply statewide.”

Aerial view of Las Vegas, Nevada. Suburban communities shown with streets, houses and rooftops of homes. Mountains can be seen in the distance on a bright, cloudless day in Southern Nevada.
6) North Carolina
North Carolina ranks sixth in the U.S.A. in this survey of new homes built. Since 2010, over 780,000 new houses have been constructed in that state, accounting for over 18% of the total number of houses in the “Tarheel State.”

New homes of various colors line a quiet street in Raleigh, North Carolina.
5) South Carolina
We don’t have to go very far from North Carolina to find the state which ranks fifth in this study. South Carolina takes that spot with over 420,000 new homes constructed between 2010-2022. That accounts for 19.75% of the total single-family homes in the “Palmetto State.”

Fall afternoon in a typical middle class, southern American residential subdivision of homes that are built close together to maximize the land use by the developer and reduce the price of each home. Each home shares a similar contemporary build style with only minor paint or plan changes on the outside and inside. This subdivision is in South Carolina, USA.
4) Idaho
We head back towards our region of the country for the state placing fourth in this survey by RubyHome.com. Our neighbors to the north in Idaho have also seen tremendous growth in new home construction over the past decade. Many people from northern California have been moving there. Idahoans have seen over 143,000 new homes built there between 2010-2022. That’s over 20% of the total homes in the “Potato State.”

Relatively new houses built along the Boise, Idaho foothills in the light and mist of an early autumn morning.
3) Utah
We remain in the mountain west region of America for the state placing third in this study. Our eastern neighbors in Utah have seen over 233,000 new homes built since 2010. That accounts for 20.65% of the total single-family homes in the “Beehive State.”

View of the roofs of homes with chimneys in Daybreak, Utah community. The majestic Wasatch mountains and glowing cloudy sky can be seen in the background.
2) North Dakota
North Dakota is the only state in the Midwest region of the U.S.A. to make the top 10 in this study according to RubyHome.com. Per the information in their study, they fell just short of the top spot for new homes built since 2010 based on percentages. Between 2010-2022, over 68,000 new homes were constructed in the “Peace Garden State.” That makes up 20.74% of the total number of homes in North Dakota.

Aerial view of the tourist town of Medora, North Dakota, located outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
1) Texas
Topping the list in this study is the great state of Texas. As they say, “everything’s bigger in Texas,” so why wouldn’t they take the #1 position? In fact, according to RubyHome.com, residents of the “Lone Star State” “are more likely to live in a new, modern property than any other state across the country.” Since 2010, close to 2.5 million new homes were constructed in Texas, making up 22.5% of all homes in the state.

Modern homes with brick facades in a new housing development in suburban Austin, Texas.