Trying to describe Las Vegas in a few hundred words is a formidable task. Should the focus be on the city’s mystic qualities – the dazzling lights and glittering resorts where more than 35 million pleasure-seeking tourists wager millions of dollars every year? Or should one look beyond the myth, at a southwestern metropolitan area that is home to 1.4 million people – a place with schools, parks, grocery stores, and quiet neighborhoods populated by people from every state in the union?

One city, two stories. But that’s always been the history of Las Vegas. Its very creation seems like the ultimate contrast: Las Vegas, Spanish for "the meadows," was founded by Mormon missionaries. These early settlers were followed by westward-traveling pioneers and, later, by the men who built Hoover Dam, the area’s first big tourist attraction. The legalization of gambling in the 30s transformed the city into an American Xanadu, where a street lined with stately pleasure domes tempts travelers searching for excitement, cuisine, entertainment and shopping.

Dreams of riches are usually just that; but the dream of a better life, one that adds some 50,000 modern-day pioneers to the population every year, is one that can come true. From the urban beat of a big city to the wide-open spaces of the outlying landscape, there’s a place in Las Vegas to suit everyone. Jobs are plentiful, thanks to a booming local economy and a pro-business environment in which companies do not pay corporate income, franchise, inventory, or unitary taxes. The cost of living in Las Vegas is lower than in other comparable U.S. cities, in part because of the absence of any personal income tax. The people are friendly, the climate is healthy and there’s something fun to do every night of the week.

Is it any wonder that the recent U.S. census shows Nevada growing at a faster rate than any other state? Every hour 24 hours, 365 days a year, another two acres of Las Vegas land are developed for commercial or residential use. Developers of master-planned communities that dot the city’s landscape are running out of new street names. Two phone books are printed every year to keep with up all the new residents and businesses.

The numbers suggest a rate of growth that’s perhaps too fast, but in Las Vegas everything isn’t always what it seems. The local government and business entities recognize the potential for overcrowding and overbuilding and are making every effort to stay one step ahead of the curve. Through public and private endeavors, an ongoing effort is underway to maintain the quality of life now enjoyed by Las Vegas citizens.

Every new year brings new schools, new roads, and new health care facilities to meet the needs of a growing population.  Las Vegas the fantasy or Las Vegas the reality? One city, two stories. But once you move here, be prepared for a surprising discovery: it’s the reality of Vegas that’s really fantastic. And that’s a story with a happy ending.