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? |
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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.
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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.
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Bellagio
Casino
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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