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Trying to describe Las Vegas in a few hundred words is a
formidable task. Should the focus be on the city’s mystic
qualities – the dazzling lights and glittering resorts where
more than 35 million pleasure-seeking tourists wager millions
of dollars every year? Or should one look beyond the myth, at a
southwestern metropolitan area that is home to 1.4 million
people – a place with schools, parks, grocery stores, and
quiet neighborhoods populated by people from every state in
the union?
One
city, two stories. But that’s always been the history of Las
Vegas. Its very creation seems like the ultimate contrast: Las
Vegas, Spanish for "the meadows," was founded by Mormon
missionaries. These early settlers were followed by
westward-traveling pioneers and, later, by the men who built
Hoover Dam, the area’s first big tourist attraction. The
legalization of gambling in the 30s transformed the city into
an American Xanadu, where a street lined with stately pleasure
domes tempts travelers searching for excitement, cuisine,
entertainment and shopping.
Dreams of riches are usually just that; but the dream of a
better life, one that adds some 50,000 modern-day pioneers to
the population
every year, is one that can come true. From the urban beat of
a big city to the wide-open spaces of the outlying landscape,
there’s a place in Las Vegas to suit everyone. Jobs are
plentiful, thanks to a booming local economy and a
pro-business environment in which companies do not pay
corporate income, franchise, inventory, or unitary taxes. The
cost of living in Las Vegas is lower than in other comparable
U.S. cities, in part because of the absence of any personal
income tax. The people are friendly, the climate is healthy
and there’s something fun to do every night of the week.
Is
it any wonder that the recent U.S. census shows Nevada growing
at a faster rate than any other state? Every hour 24 hours,
365 days a year, another two acres of Las Vegas land are
developed for commercial or residential use. Developers of
master-planned communities that dot the city’s landscape are
running out of new street names. Two phone books are printed
every year to keep with up all the new residents and
businesses.
The
numbers suggest a rate of growth that’s perhaps too fast, but
in Las Vegas everything isn’t always what it seems. The local
government and business entities recognize the potential for
overcrowding and overbuilding and are making every effort to
stay one step ahead of the curve. Through public and private
endeavors, an ongoing effort is underway to maintain the
quality of life now enjoyed by Las Vegas citizens.
Every new year brings new schools, new roads, and new health
care facilities to meet the needs of a growing population.
Las Vegas the fantasy or Las Vegas the reality? One city, two
stories. But once you move here, be prepared for a surprising
discovery: it’s the reality of Vegas that’s really fantastic.
And that’s a story with a happy ending. |
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