clearing up some misconceptions

[Smalcald]

It certainly is no worse than New Orleans or San Francisco and yes there are many Christians who happen to live there, they just have very little impact on the city itself and its industries.

Well, if you desire to look at the Christians in Las Vegas that way . . .

Do you know of any city or region or anything where the Christians there are having a noticeable impact on the "city" and its industries?

Sure, where I live we do not allow any strip clubs, casino's, adult entertainment, abortion clinics or porn in our video stores and we limit the liquor licenses to two for the town and two bars. Obviously being a small town this is much easier to do than a large city, but the reason those things are not allowed here is the cohesive working of the local Christian Churches to keep them out. So yes we are having an impact on the culture that I bring my children into.

Anyway LadyC has asked that we keep this to Q&A about Vegas and I will honor that, also I want to re-emphasize the importance of the Christian community in Vegas and also re-emphasize that I am certainly not judging in anyway Christians who live there, I hope people did not think I was doing that.

LadyC are Christian Churches in Las Vegas working to curtail or speak out against some of the adult entertainment industry which has increased in the past twenty years or so?

[Guest LadyC]

Speaking of industries.......are there any industries in Las Vegas that are not related to the gambling industry?

the convention industry is huge... which in turn means the trucking industry is as well.... and of course the retail industry, the construction industry (although home building has probably slacked off in light of the recent mortgage crisis, construction is constant in this city, and it's not just casinos they build!) and of course, non-gaming entertainment is always booming. mayor oscar goodman is actively trying to get a sports arena here...

LadyC are Christian Churches in Las Vegas working to curtail or speak out against some of the adult entertainment industry which has increased in the past twenty years or so?

about a year or so ago, north las vegas voted down any new nude bars, massage parlors, (where obviously a lot of illegal prostitution takes place) etc. from being opened up. there's only one nude bar in nlv, which was grandfathered in.... and i dont think there are any massage parlors operating there. it is important to note that nlv is actually considered a city in and of itself. i'm not sure, but henderson (the city adjacent to us on the south) has similar prohibitions. i know they do regarding nude bars, and i also know that the topless bars are located outside actual city limits in what is considered "county" property. i'm almost positive there are no massage parlors there. also, casinos have been removed from k-mart in the last couple of years, and from many grocery and drug stores. and of course, smoking has now been banned from any establishment that serves food, even if it's a bar that serves nothing but burgers.

i can't swear that all that is due to the christian voice, but i'm sure that the combined christian and mormon voices contributed to it!

[Smalcald]

Thanks LadyC, and I am very heartened by your response

These things are good to know so this thread has already cleared up some misconceptions!

[Guest LadyC]

good! i'm glad i started this thread then!

las vegas does live up to its nickname, sin city, but not as much as people think it does! it's not entirely the modern day sodom and gommorah that it is perceived to be. it's actually a nice city to live in. i love it here. of course, i'm plugged into a church with a very strong community outreach, and i'm not sure how many churches in town are quite so active in the community... so my perspective is probably a little biased.

the sad thing here though is the education system. the school district actually employs more people than the gaming industry (only 20% of jobs are gaming related, but it's usually lumped in with the service industry because most hotels are also casinos.) the education system here has SUCH potential, and it's literally going to waste. this city has more magnet schools than you can count... a magnet school (for those who aren't familiar with them) are usually high schools that focus on specific careers. they're publically funded like other schools, but they are hard to get into... you have to have good grades as well as showing an aptitude for what you are wanting to go into.... which means lengthy audition and interview processes.

there are magnet schools here for everything from aerospace engineering, to medical, to liberal & performing arts. my youngest daughter attended the arts magnet school. the students actually have MAJORS, just like if they were in college, and must do well in their major to continue. around here, there are even magnet elementary schools, which i've never heard of in other cities. the graduation rate in magnet schools is significantly higher than in regular schools, and the percentage that go on to college is also higher. unfortunately, our state still is one of the lowest ranked states nationwide for academics.

[kittyjo]

Having lived in Vegas for 17 yrs (10 of those I worked on the Strip in the thick of it all), so my point of veiw and experiences in this town are a bit different and more varied than LadyC's. This is a totally different town than the one I moved to many years ago.

As of recent years Vegas reminds me more and more of Los Angeles... As you drive through LA and it's many clusters of small communities that merge into one gianormas mass of never ending concrete and mini-strip malls. Some of the older parts of town and certain streets do resemble east L.A., Compton, South Central, etc.

Like many other cities, we've lost some industries. In the '90 many companies brought business/factories/production to the area, some have left and took the jobs to China and Mexico or they just closed down. We used to have a Levis factory, and there was once a national brand ice cream factory... (We still have our local Anderson Dairy and they still have tours and samples). I think the cranberry and marshmallow factory are still in existance although they stopped having tours.

Anywho, LadyC if your headed to Red Rock check out Spring Mountain Ranch too, there's a lot of stuff there during the summer, night concerts and plays. There is also a picnic area near Red Rock that has a hiking trail that lead into a wall crevice that has running water, trees and ice, even in summer... If I must go out into the light of the blazing summer sun, then it's one of my favorite place to take a lunch... Since I hate the summer heat... I must find ice cave.

http://parks.nv.gov/smr.htm Spring Mountain Ranch

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm Valley of Fire

http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/ Red Rock

[Guest LadyC]

hey kittyjo!!! nice to see you pop in! how's things going on your side of town? and how's your mom doing? send me a pm, or pick up the phone or something! (don't pick up the phone tonight though.... as soon as mark's out of the shower we're gonna enjoy movie and a pizza!)