On Nevada
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| Also listed in: Featured Bloggers |
People ask how Elizabeth and I came to settle in Nevada, and I say that I had little to do with it. We were living in Bermuda in the spring of 2001, and I was watching a ball game on TV when E called me over to the computer. She had a virtual tour of a condo on the internet. When asked what I thought, I responded, "It looks like a condo." She said that it was: "Do you mind if I buy it?"
After a minute or so of recovery time, I decided that we could do worse than buying into the hottest real estate market in America, so I joined her and bought the condo. E described her reasoning this way: "dry, open 24 hours, and a place where the kids would come visit." Las Vegas certainly was all of that, and we moved here in 2002.
We expected the beautiful mountains, the sage and the desert. But we have fallen in love with Nevada for its people's strong libertarian views on personal freedoms and their Western Hospitality.
Still, a common question is, "How can you understand Nevada issues if you've only lived here 3 or 4 years?" The answer, of course, is that we ASK. Since early October, E and I have criss-crossed the state, talking to people about their problems, asking them for their solutions, and getting to know our new friends and Nevadans.
Our first trip was a drive from Las Vegas to Elko. We learned about the importance of mining to our state and the significance of Jarbidge. We hit the Ruby Mountains right as the aspens were turning. And we learned on that long drive to mark down the crossroads where there might be water and bathrooms, because we have wide-open, beautiful country but not a lot of people over most of it.
Our neighbors in Silver Springs and Fallon taught us about ranching on BLM land. In Ely, Pioche and Caliente, we found the other side of water issues we'd first encountered in Las Vegas. In Minden, wild horses were the topic of discussion; we later saw a herd of them in the mountains above Truckee Meadows.
The folks in Incline Village and Stateline explained the intricate environmental balance surrounding Lake Tahoe and the web of governmental agencies responsible for that balance.
From Genoa, we could see the construction encroaching on the Carson Valley, a story repeated in almost every town in Nevada. Fernley is another example, growing faster than Las Vegas. Henderson, Reno and Sparks are all growing as quickly as any other city in the country.
We've learned about all these issues and more, and I'm sure there are many we don't know about yet. But we are willing to listen to our more experienced partners about Nevada's problems and her solutions while we bask in her beauty and enjoy all her magnificent assets.
It's a fun process. Elizabeth and I thank you for the opportunity.
After a minute or so of recovery time, I decided that we could do worse than buying into the hottest real estate market in America, so I joined her and bought the condo. E described her reasoning this way: "dry, open 24 hours, and a place where the kids would come visit." Las Vegas certainly was all of that, and we moved here in 2002.
We expected the beautiful mountains, the sage and the desert. But we have fallen in love with Nevada for its people's strong libertarian views on personal freedoms and their Western Hospitality.
Still, a common question is, "How can you understand Nevada issues if you've only lived here 3 or 4 years?" The answer, of course, is that we ASK. Since early October, E and I have criss-crossed the state, talking to people about their problems, asking them for their solutions, and getting to know our new friends and Nevadans.
Our first trip was a drive from Las Vegas to Elko. We learned about the importance of mining to our state and the significance of Jarbidge. We hit the Ruby Mountains right as the aspens were turning. And we learned on that long drive to mark down the crossroads where there might be water and bathrooms, because we have wide-open, beautiful country but not a lot of people over most of it.
Our neighbors in Silver Springs and Fallon taught us about ranching on BLM land. In Ely, Pioche and Caliente, we found the other side of water issues we'd first encountered in Las Vegas. In Minden, wild horses were the topic of discussion; we later saw a herd of them in the mountains above Truckee Meadows.
The folks in Incline Village and Stateline explained the intricate environmental balance surrounding Lake Tahoe and the web of governmental agencies responsible for that balance.
From Genoa, we could see the construction encroaching on the Carson Valley, a story repeated in almost every town in Nevada. Fernley is another example, growing faster than Las Vegas. Henderson, Reno and Sparks are all growing as quickly as any other city in the country.
We've learned about all these issues and more, and I'm sure there are many we don't know about yet. But we are willing to listen to our more experienced partners about Nevada's problems and her solutions while we bask in her beauty and enjoy all her magnificent assets.
It's a fun process. Elizabeth and I thank you for the opportunity.
