Which Celebrities Actually Live in Las Vegas — And the Guard-Gated Communities They Chose
Mark Wahlberg paid a reported $15 million for his lot inside The Summit Club — and that was before the house went up. When one of Hollywood's most bankable actors makes that kind of move, he isn't chasing a tax break on paper. He's choosing a zip code, a gate, and a lifestyle. He's choosing Las Vegas.
Which celebrities actually live in Las Vegas — and the guard-gated communities they chose — is one of those questions that sounds like gossip but actually tells you something real about the valley. Because these aren't vacation condos near the Strip. These are primary residences, school-year addresses, morning-run neighborhoods. And the communities they selected are worth understanding on their own terms.
The Summit Club: Where Wahlberg Landed — and Why It Made Sense
The Summit Club sits in the far western edge of Summerlin, wedged against the Spring Mountains with Red Rock Canyon as its literal backyard. It's a private, guard-gated community built around a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, with homesites that regularly trade above $10 million. Access is controlled. Neighbors are vetted. There are no drive-bys, no tour buses, no curious strangers idling at the curb.
Wahlberg went public about his move to Las Vegas around 2022, citing the lifestyle and — pointedly — Nevada's lack of a state income tax. California's top marginal income tax rate sits at 13.3%. On a career earning tens of millions per year, that's not a rounding error. Nevada collects zero. The Summit Club gave him a property with a legitimate security perimeter and a canyon view, in a state that doesn't tax what he earns.
He isn't alone in that calculation. Plenty of high-net-worth Californians have made the same move in the last five years, though most don't make headlines when they do it.
Carrot Top and the Long Commitment to Las Vegas
If Wahlberg is a recent arrival, Scott Thompson — better known as Carrot Top — is practically old Las Vegas. The prop comedian has headlined at Luxor for over two decades, which made putting down real roots here an obvious call. He's lived in the valley long enough that locals stopped thinking of him as a celebrity years ago and started thinking of him as a neighbor.
Carrot Top has spoken publicly about owning a home in a guard-gated community in the Las Vegas area, a setup that makes practical sense for someone whose face is on a billboard on the Strip. Privacy isn't a luxury preference at that level of local recognition — it's a functional requirement for daily life.
His longevity here is also a reminder that Las Vegas isn't just a place entertainers pass through. For performers with long-running residencies, it's the most logical place in the country to actually live.
What These Guard-Gated Communities Actually Offer
The celebrity appeal of communities like The Summit Club, MacDonald Highlands in Henderson, and Ascaya comes down to a handful of concrete features — not mystique.
• **Controlled access:** Staffed guard gates, not just key-fob entry. Visitors are logged. Vehicles are noted.
• **Lot size and setback:** These aren't zero-lot-line developments. Homes sit on acreage, which means neighbors aren't 15 feet away.
• **Architectural review:** HOA controls and CC&Rs govern what gets built and how it looks, which preserves the visual consistency and property values across the community.
• **Elevation and views:** Many of the valley's most exclusive communities — The Summit Club, Ascaya, parts of MacDonald Highlands — sit above the valley floor, which means mountain views, cooler temperatures relative to the floor, and a physical separation from city density.
• **Amenity infrastructure:** Championship golf, clubhouses, fitness facilities, and concierge services that residents don't have to leave the gate to access.
For someone whose alternative is a Bel Air compound, these communities compete directly on every axis that matters.
Why It Matters Today
The celebrity migration into Las Vegas's guard-gated communities isn't just a curiosity — it's a signal about where the valley's luxury tier is headed. When high-profile buyers with unlimited options choose Las Vegas as their actual home, they bring attention, they bring comparable sales, and they push the ceiling on what the top of the market can support.
For local buyers and investors watching the luxury segment, that matters. The Summit Club's lot pricing from a few years ago looks conservative compared to where it's trading now. MacDonald Highlands and Ascaya are both still building. The demand side of the valley's ultra-luxury market isn't slowing down.
Kirby Scofield and the team know these communities well — the differences between them, the HOA structures, and what the current inventory actually looks like. If that conversation is useful to you, it's one worth having.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Mark Wahlberg live in Las Vegas?
Mark Wahlberg purchased property in The Summit Club, a private guard-gated community on the western edge of Summerlin near the Spring Mountains. He has cited Nevada's lack of state income tax and the Las Vegas lifestyle as reasons for relocating from California.
What are the most exclusive guard-gated communities in Las Vegas?
The Summit Club in Summerlin, MacDonald Highlands in Henderson, and Ascaya in Henderson consistently rank among the valley's most exclusive guard-gated communities based on lot pricing, amenities, and access controls. Homesites and custom builds in these communities can range from several million to well above $20 million.
Do celebrities actually live in Las Vegas full-time, or just own property there?
Some do live here full-time. Performers with long-running Strip residencies — like Carrot Top at Luxor — have made Las Vegas their primary residence for years. Others, like Mark Wahlberg, have publicly stated Las Vegas is their primary home. Nevada's zero state income tax makes full-time residency financially meaningful for high earners, not just convenient.