The marketing firms and tourists are fond of the notion that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". I think this however gives a disingenuous impression of what this city really means and what the people who live here actually do. Contrary to popular belief, we are not all loan sharks, pit bosses, and showgirls. We live here too.
Perhaps it is convenient to you to be able to indulge yourself and leave those things behind when you leave Vegas. We who live here, however, have to live with your choices. As a consequence, we have gambling in abundance and all the appurtenances accessorized thereunto. Although prostitution is illegal in Clark County, there are proximal houses of ill repute, call girls, 'escorts', and all sorts of women with loose lips and loose morals, ready to help you indulge not because they like you but because they're looking for license to do likewise. We have drugs and booze, the latter of which is illegal to consume on the street unless you're a tourist on the strip. There is more crime, violent and clandestine alike, such that those of us who do not have to work on the strip avoid it as if it were a different city entirely.
We are glad of the tourists, without whom this city would probably not last. We are not what they do here. We are teachers, firemen, soldiers, scientists, craftsmen, manufacturers, classical entertainers, outdoor officianados, gardening enthusiasts, ad infinitum. Many of us come here because of the unique things this city affords. Yes, it gets hot here in the summer, but we have two growing seasons separated by a few heated summer months. You probably have snow or rain, which prohibit you from enjoying the outdoors or the fruits of the field for a longer interval albeit during different months of the year. If we sow, we can reap more.
The beauty of Vegas is choice. You may choose to indulge yourself. You may choose to discover the other side of Nevada and venture outside the bowl in which the city sits to see things like Mt. Charleston, where you can ski, Lake Meade, where you can ski, Red Rock, the Valley of Fire, ghost towns aplenty, military bases, farms, ranches, solar plants, and places of historical and photographic interest. There are also good people who, despite the environment in which we live, choose to not only make something of themselves but also to keep themselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Here, the American dream remains strong that says you can choose your own adventure. We choose to live here, and the reasons are legion.
One day it would be very nice if the powers that be facilitated plans to diversify our economy. I know that Boeing tried to partner with UNR at one point and that this plan fell apart. We don't have the corporate offices or the industrial centers other states have although TNT is made here and titanium refined here. The economic state of the state disincentivises education because people can earn more money serving drinks and parking cars than they can with a college education. Their options are limited, and that is unfortunate.
It is unfortunate that some of what happens in Vegas stays here. There are great people with great ideas who do great things here. People in other states have us cloistered into some strange stereotypes. Many of us came here for a reason. All of us found a reason to stay. We live here. This is our house, and if you're here to put down roots or at least be good guests, you will always find a welcome mat at the door of the state.
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