CoachAlan

Hell yes I've heard of Chimney Rock! Haven't you ever heard of the greatest game to grace a schoolroom? It's called Oregon Trail, and many an hour of my youth was wasted in the computer lab playing that game. Chimney Rock, as you obviously know, was an important stop along the Oregon Trail, and even our old Apple II C could capture its magnificent form.

Anyway, I live in Vegas, and we are the fastest growing big city and the second fastest growing small city (Henderson, a suburb). Personally, I love it. Sure the traffic cones everywhere can get annoying, but there is a huge benefit to all the recent growth: master planning. It's impossible to drive and to park in older cities like Chicago and New York, because those cities weren't neccessarily made with cars in mind. Vegas is just the opposite. Our new communities are built with an eye toward the future. Parts of town where nobody even lives yet have seven lane roads running through them. Why? Because you can bet that there will be tens of thousands of people living there shortly. And when they do, the infrastructure is ready.

Prices here are still lower than California. For example, I live in a 1400sf townhouse with a two car garage in a new area, and it's selling for about $260k. And work? If you can't find a job in Vegas, it's because you don't want one (or you work in some wierd specialized field).

I will say, however, that my town sorely lacks culture. We have Blue Man Group, a few art museums, and now a few major musicals; but they're all in casinos, and they're all fleeting. Nothing in Vegas is permanent. We embrace the present and future at the cost of our past. Unfortunately, when you're playing to the whims of tourists, that's the way it has to be if you want to continue to thrive.

__________________
"If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!"
- Mark Twain