“Where are you from?” I’ve been asked that a billion times, not only during my travels abroad or on stateside adventures but in my own hometown. In fact, it is a commonly encountered question in Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s right, Fabulous Las Vegas, my hometown. Not just the place I call home, but the place I was born and raised. This in itself is a bit of a rarity. You see, southern Nevada has been this rapidly dividing locale, almost as if the population were a culture of bacteria on a moist, nutrient-rich Petri dish. But instead of the internal population exponentially increasing, thousands of fresh faces have been stampeding into this corner of the Mojave Desert to make a new home for themselves each month for as long as I can remember. With such a constantly growing population, it is no wonder that most people assume everyone is from somewhere else. 

Maybe this explains my need to retain my birth right so tightly, to not let my identity slip, no matter how far away I travel nor how long of a time it keeps me away. Part of my realizes that my birth certificate will never change, nor will all my memories fade away, but with such a transient population, it is unique and special to be a true original local, and to carelessly ignore that birth right would be almost sinful.

Still, being from Las Vegas isn’t always something I proudly announce. Often I answer just plain “Nevada” when asked where I am from. Saying Nevada has a completely different context and usually a conversation verges along opposite courses depending on your response of “Nevada” or “Las Vegas”.

But that point is, that Las Vegas is diverse, just as diverse as the international population that resides in the valley. Las Vegas is a chamelian of sorts, always changing, expanding, reinventing itself. Not just in areas like the Strip, but throughout the valley. Both tourists and new transplants need to realize that this city is what a person makes of it and that perception can become one’s reality. Travel to or life in this desert oasis doesn’t have to be one specific way. Las Vegas has beauty, serenity, and spirituality in addition to the glitz, glamour, or gaudy aspects that many associate it with.

So take note: however you approach this city, she will return to you in kind. Let Las Vegas be what you want her to be, but remember that she is a multi-dimensional locale, and to stereotype her one way or another is not fair to her or your time in the city.