I found an interesting story written by a lady who recently visited Las Vegas, and although she liked the city, she commented that she wouldn't want to live here.

This is a common comment made about pretty much every destination city in the USA, and it's understandable because there's no place like home, or is there?

Here's the lady's observations about living versus visiting Las Vegas.

I'm certainly not offended by her comments, but there are some general misconceptions about living in Las Vegas that I'd like to address.

Believe it or not but Las Vegas is actually very resident friendly, and if someone doesn't want exposure to the loud, exciting, fast moving casino scene one needs only to avoid the Las Vegas Strip area.

Just minutes from The Strip, in virtually any direction, you can find wide open spaces with interesting scenery, where you can relax, as you see me doing with some of my extended family.

Nearly all the houses here are new or less than 20 years old, as are the schools and commercial buildings. Most of the utility wiring is underground and there are more parks with greenery than one would think. There is a wonderful and extensive library system here, compliments of Clark County, with free programs for people of all ages.

Yes there are "locals" casinos all over the place, but this is a big city and for the most part, when you're in a residential area you'd never know this is a town built on gambling.

Next time you're here, get off the beaten track and take a spin through some "regular" city streets and see how quickly you start feeling "at home."