Las Vegas is rich, poor, diverse, silly, welcoming and a great place to live

When I spoke recently at the Mesquite Club, Las Vegas’ most historic women’s club, formed in 1911, Anne asked me to write a column she could hand to her visitors who, for the past 19 years, have inevitably asked: Do you like living in Las Vegas?

Anne and I give identical answers. We both love living in Las Vegas. Both of us are accustomed to seeing that look of incredulity on visitors’ faces.

"I just love this town, and I’ve never been able to describe why," the retired first-grade schoolteacher said. So she asked me to do it, forcing me to ponder why, of all cities, this one became my home for the past 31 years when I only planned to stay two or three years.

I love Las Vegas because it makes me laugh. And it’s one of the best news towns in the United States. Sometimes those are one and the same, since our news is often of the most ridiculous kind. Where else do they put up historic markers that aren’t true? Or even consider using tax dollars to help a strip club refresh its exterior? Only in Las Vegas.

I love Las Vegas because the valley and surrounding mountains provide an unusual beauty that stirs my soul. Even when I’m stuck in traffic, the mountain shadows capture something in my heart. And if I catch a glimpse of Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area, or the top of Mount Charleston, or Sunrise Mountain at sunset, it brings a moment of peace, even from a distance.

I love Las Vegas’ weather, except for July and August, when I pant in my panty hose and curse the sun. This time of year is my hands-down favorite, although spring is spectacular as long as the wind’s not blowing. And when it’s freezing in Boston and raining in Seattle (two other places I’ve lived), it’s usually mild in Las Vegas.

I love Las Vegas because it’s an entrepreneurial town. Steve Wynn became a success here through his ideas, his relationships and the force of his personality. He didn’t inherit success; he worked for it. Benny Binion was the same. They came to this town of new beginnings and created something, along with countless others.

I love Las Vegas because it’s accepting. As long as what you’re doing is legal, you are left alone to do things your own way. There’s a reason Howard Hughes holed up in a suite atop the Desert Inn for 10 years. Where else could he get away with that? Las Vegas is probably the only town that accepts that newsman George Knapp is fascinated by UFOs. In other cities, his credibility would be nil, but here, it’s just George. And what if he’s right?

I love Las Vegas’ history. It’s a history of ruffians and scalawags, but isn’t every upstart town like that? It’s also a history of a hard-working people who built something from nothing, who created Hoover Dam as well as the Strip. And it’s a history where the days the mob ruled are remembered with fondness, not fear.

I love Las Vegas because it’s more like a town than a city. It’s still small enough to bump into people you know. Yes, you can see Mayor Oscar Goodman and Rep. Shelley Berkley at Costco and Celine Dion at Wal-Mart and Sen. John Ensign at the Original Pancake House. They’re not holed up in a tower; they’re in the neighborhood.

I love Las Vegas because it’s a 24-hour town, even if the last time I went to a 2 a.m. show was in the ’70s to see George Carlin. I know it’s there should I want to indulge.

And I love Las Vegas because there’s a core of caring people who appreciate its sense of silliness and ridiculousness while at the same time working to improve it. The women at the Mesquite Club are a perfect example. Every woman I spoke with was involved in something to make her town a better place. Education. Music. Politics. The arts. The environment.

Finally, I love living in a city the rest of the world can’t entirely comprehend, a city with character, even though not always good character.

Did that do it, Anne?

Jane Ann Morrison’s column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275.