10 Pros to Living in Las Vegas, Nevada and...Big News!
Dear Real Academics,
Dr. Garza and I are transitioning out of Las Vegas, Nevada. We'll be moving our way to a totally different climate and side of the United States.
Dr. Garza will be starting a position as faculty at Florida International University in tropical Miami, Florida in Fall 2022 (though working remotely out of Texas while we wait for our house in the Miami area to be ready).
I am leaving my tenured position at UNLV to focus on my passion to help other academics with their writing and productivity. This includes building more content for Real Academics.
With that said, we wanted to honor the time we've lived in Las Vegas and the many surprising things this city offered us in the seven years we have lived here.
We also wanted to give a shout out to the amazingly wonderful people we've met in Las Vegas. From everyone at Green Valley Baptist Church in Henderson, Nevada who have become or family (I'm getting emotional just writing this)...to our lovely students and colleagues at UNLV...to our supportive neighbors that have become our friends...thank you and we love you...always!
With that said, our 10 pros to living in Las Vegas for the last seven years are as follows:
(1) Proximity to beautiful and historic places.
We are currently just a few hours drive (but not limited to and in no particular order): The Hoover Dam, Nevada/Arizona; Los Angeles/Hollywood, California; San Diego, California; the Grand Canyon, Arizona; Yosemite, California; Lake Tahoe, Nevada/California; Red Rock Canyon, Nevada; Mt. Charleston, Nevada; Valley of Fire, Nevada; Zion National Park, Utah; Bryce Canyon, Utah; Valley of Fire, Nevada; Death Valley, California.
The southwest United States is stunningly BEAUTIFUL. Living in the West, I finally understood the line to the song in "America the Beautiful" that says, "purple mountains majesty". The mountains are purple as the sun sets.
(2) Sunny weather.
Las Vegas has year-round sunny weather. I personally love the bright sunshine. I just don't like summer when we hibernate like bats for three months. The rest of the nine months of the year are pretty awesome though winter can get surprisingly cold for a while (but still sunny!).
Just an hour drive from the Las Vegas valley takes you to Mr. Charleston where you can hike in cooler weather in the summer or ski in the winter.
(3) No income tax.
This is probably one of the number one reasons for living in Nevada if you are into Google searchers. I've yet to live in a state with no income tax, but I will say I appreciate the least amount of taxes in general and the most amount of money in my pocket to be able to GIVE and to CREATE/INVEST to help others.
(4) Fascinating people.
We have met people with fascinating backgrounds, lives, and stories to tell. What I most appreciate is the entrepreneurial spirit of the people I've met. So many people have found a way to rebuild their lives, start small businesses and/or non-profits, and help build up others.
(5) Libertarian leaning as a way to challenge thinking.
I have never considered myself political, but living in Nevada has made me think deeply about what I believe regarding politics. All I will say is that I've come to appreciate people who value freedom of choice and freedom of speech.
(6) Incredible Mediterranean cuisine.
I don't know why, but Las Vegas has amazing Mediterranean cuisine. Whether you are looking for Greek, Israeli, or other...Las Vegas is good in this area. Being Mexican, I would say their Mexican food is surprisingly not great, but I can say that the Mediterranean and some of the Italian I've found here is fabulous.
(7) Gorgeous sun sets and desert colors.
I've seen beautiful sun sets on the beach. In my opinion, sun sets behind the mountains are equally as beautiful, especially when I can also watch gigantic moon rises from behind the mountains, too (Las Vegas is literally a valley surrounded by mountains). I always laugh when I think about how Dr. Garza mentioned that he had never known there were "so many shades of grey and brown". So very true. These shades also change seasonly when the sun rays fall at different angles along the mountains and vast desert "sea".
(8) Inspiring hiking.
I grew up in flat land, but hiking the desert mountains has been quite inspirational (except for the one time we ran into a rattle snake...though we were "inspired" in a different way to survive!). There's definitely something to be said about the quietness of the desert when you drive out to literally "the middle of nowhere".
(9) Pretty night lights.
I enjoy driving down the Las Vegas Strip at night when people visit and being engulfed by the gigantic lights. I also enjoy watching The Strip light up at night as the sun sets from afar (see picture I took in this post). It's really quite amazing to think about all that has been built and sustained in a desert. Consider, those of you who like to gamble, how much money is being used for all this artificial beauty in the middle of nowhere! :-)
Some may see this as a con, but we have personally loved that people visited us while were were living here. We learned that Miami, Florida is also a huge tourist destination. This fact about Miami excites us, because we would love to have visitors! We have a lot to learn about Miami, but be on the look out, Real Academics! We have some ideas brewing regarding writing and productivity.
Closing
Are you now inspired to visit Las Vegas, Nevada? If you do visit Las Vegas (or decide to move here), make sure to look beyond just The Strip. We've treasured our time living in the Las Vegas valley and are thankful to God to bringing us here for this season.
And...if you're ever in Miami, Florida in 2023, drop us an email. We'll be learning about this new place and would love to meet up for some cafe con leche and maybe an arepa con queso.
Until next time, happy writing and/or productivity and learning about new places and cultures!
Maggie and Tiberio
www.therealacademics.com
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