The Las Vegas area has 1.5 million residents. The whole world washes up in Las Vegas at some time of another, so if you live here, it's like you're traveling the globe. And it's not just folks on vacation or attending trade shows. It's entertainers, movie stars, politicians, authors, impresarios, & world leaders.

Thinking that everybody who lives here lives on The Strip would be like thinking that everybody in Indianapolis drives race cars and everyone in New Orleans lives on Bourbon Street.

In reality, people move here for the quality of life. The most popular areas to live like Green Valley, Southern Highlands, Anthem, and Summerlin are suburbs nowhere near The Strip.

45 minutes NW of Las Vegas sits Mt. Charleston with snow skiing in the winter, evergreen trees, and hiking in the summer? In fact, summer temperatures up there are routinely 30 degrees cooler than here in the Las Vegas Valley, providing a nice cool getaway... Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead are breathtakingly beautiful. Not much farther away are Death Valley, Mojave National Preserve, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite. Las Vegas is one of the best cities in the country for day and weekend trips to spectacular destinations. It's not too far from other great cities, too, like Los Angeles, San Diego, Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.

Like to go to the lake and swim or boat? Lake Mead is 45 minutes east of town. I don't have to tell you golfers what a hot golf area we have here.

The summer is hot, but compare it to winter in cold climates. No matter where you live, there are months where more time is spent indoors. Golf and other activities are comfortable even on summer mornings. The upside of this is that we get summer weather (70-90 degree days) twice a year, both in spring and fall.

People who have lived here a long time sometimes lament all the growth, but even they have to admit that gold rush energy is intoxicating.