The unofficial slogan of Henderson, Nevada is, “Born in America’s defense.” It isn’t a metaphor. The town was quite literally created out of wartime — World War II, to be specific — when it was identified as the ideal spot to build a basic magnesium plant. Sixteen miles east of Las Vegas, Henderson quickly became a main supplier of the “miracle metal” that built airplane engines, munition casings and frames for the allied forces.
The plant closed in 1944, but the blue-collar, patriotic culture it created is still intact.