“Oh my gosh, you grew up in Vegas? That’s so cool! Did you live in a hotel?” If I had a quarter for every time I heard this phrase, I’d be filthy rich. Las Vegas, Nevada is nicknamed Sin City, and rightfully so. Hedonism and nihilism run rampant on the strip, and it is considered the world’s largest adult playground. If you have the capital to back your trip up, anything and everything you want can be yours. Would you like to land on a rooftop in a helicopter, while simultaneously spraying a crowd full of people in Dom Perignon? If you have $10,000 to blow, you can control the water show at the Bellagio. Feeling frisky? There’s a sexy show around every corner. However, there is life away from the six mile section of land known as “The Strip” as well. If you’re from Vegas, you know the song and dance. If you’re not, here’s a few myths I can “debunk” for you:

1. Everyone in Las Vegas lives in a hotel: Again, I’ve heard this so often that I have to put it down twice. No, we do not live in a hotel, our lives do not revolve around the Las Vegas strip, and yes, there are suburbs in Las Vegas. Henderson and Summerlin are two of the largest, but if you look into the suburbs within suburbs (suburb-ception), there are areas such as the Southwest, Green Valley, Boulder City, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, Downtown, Paradise, etc. There are--gasp--a shocking number of people who live here who manage to avoid the city of Las Vegas on a daily basis. We can still probably whoop you in a poker game, though.
2. Most of our time is spent on The Strip: Again, as I stated above, most of us avoid the Strip at all costs, unless we have to go there for an event or a friend is having a birthday party. Typically, unless you work on the Strip, you stay away from it. Las Vegas Boulevard is a death trap of epic proportions; we don’t put ourselves out there without reason. Maybe a long time ago, locals used to head to the strip more often, but guess what? Parking is not longer free. Most locals actually prefer to head to the bar district in Downtown Las Vegas, frequenting locations like Gold Spike and Commonwealth over the noise and traffic of the inner city.
3. We’re all sinners, strippers or casino workers: Nope. Believe it or not, there’s a giant religious community in Las Vegas, so you can strike sinner from the record. And no, we’re not all strippers and casino workers, though there are a lot of people out here who make a living that way. These professions actually make more money than the average office job, so think twice before you wag your finger. As I stated multiple times, most people shy away from jobs on the strip, and we pull up to our suburban office job in our Kia Sedona, just like anyone anywhere else in the country would.
4. We love tourism: Again, a big, resounding “no” here. Tourism is what sustains the city and is a driving factor in the success of Southern Nevada, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it. We especially don’t enjoy it on those rare occasions where we actually go out to the strip, because tourists flippantly disregard traffic, pedestrian, and societal rules. Most tourists are either drunk, obnoxious and yelling in your face (because some people just can’t handle Vegas), while others impede your ability to pull in and park at casinos, as they’re ignoring “stop” and “go” signals at crosswalks. I’ve sat at a left turn into a casino for over ten minutes, before, because tourists refuse to abide by traffic laws. Another issue? Drunk driving. If you’re staying in Vegas, grab an Uber to get you home! I can’t tell you how many drunk driving accidents there are that could have easily been avoided. Your hotel was a mile away. There was no need to get behind the wheel.
5. We’re all addicted to gambling: If anything, the people of Las Vegas are less likely to become gambling addicts. We’re desensitized to nudity, gambling and buffets because we’re surrounded by them. We’ve taken Nevada History classes growing up, and we were taught at a young age the dangers of gambling. Many people were assigned case studies in their early, formative years to illustrate the damage that gambling addictions can cause.

You see those people on the street, passing out “stripper cards” to passer-byers? We ignore them. You see that fancy new Guy Fieri restaurant that just opened up? We’ll hit it up in 6 months, once the crowds have died down. That new nightclub that takes two hours to get into? Our best friend is the bouncer, and we walk right in to find a table and free bottle service waiting for us. There are considerable perks to living in a city like Las Vegas, but ultimately, we most enjoy doing just that. Living.