abstract

This paper is about the lack of local amenities in Las Vegas, a highly commercialized city. I have been researching what in fact there is to do in Las Vegas, one main focus has been what is there outside of the casinos; strip or otherwise. Books have been far and between for research and the internet has good information. Resources have almost been limited to the internet, local magazines, and local weekly papers. I will be plotting out where the major master planned communities lie in relation to museums, the strip, and other places of activity that I will mention in my paper. One concern is the Vegas valley is actually three major cities/suburbs. The interaction of these communities I think ties in to a certain degree. I've started to poll people who have lived here longer than I to see what they do. One thing that seems to run throughout the people that I've interviewed and heard people talking about is that they avoid the strip like the plague and only go there when friends/family comes to visit. I have found in my research as a new comer to Las Vegas that there is more than meets they eye, but I am still coming to the conclusion that majority of amenities are within casinos. I'm hoping the outcome will be to show things to do and possibly be proposals to what this valley needs to help people to stay here (and not just because of their job).

tourism????

So after getting home and getting some sleep, I'm thinking my paper may change. It will still about local culture and how it's fading, but I think that's gonna be more the focus. This is partially due to the amount of research materials that I can find. I like the comments about the local culture of Vegas and if there is one. Vegas isn't the only city that this seems to be occurring. So another thought is to broaden the paper to highly commercialized cities. I've also been thinking about here in Vegas how the public transportation system lacks...I wonder if that would change the interaction for locals. What is there for locals here in Vegas besides going to a casino (I know, I know...lots of revenue for the city in casinos...)? I think some more brainstorming needs to happen. Knowing the history of Vegas and what was the reason for it starting might help me to better understand the local culture. I'm interested in "Boomburbs" also which is a term used to define Vegas. Any thoughts?? I have so many different paths running through my head but I'm not sure which way to go. Maybe I just need to pick a route and run with it. I really want to see if there's something that I can find that will improve the local scene. There is always the fact to consider that many places here do give perks for locals, but again that means going to the strip and inevitably a casino.