We’ve all seen countless pictures and depictions of Las Vegas from TV and cinema. While these depictions have sometimes painted a fairly accurate image of the city, nothing can possibly prepare you for the combined sensory onslaught that Las Vegas provides first-hand. A blinding spectacle of casinos, restaurant, clubs and theaters, Las Vegas is truly one of the most colorful cities in the world, in both the literal and the figurative sense.

It may be surprising to some, but aside from the many more urban attractions that the city has to offer, Las Vegas has an abundance of stunning natural features as well. After all, the city is located in one of the most uniquely beautiful regions in the whole world.

Residential Places in Las Vegas

The number of single-family houses in Las Vegas appears to be holding firm, following four successive months of steady decline in late 2007. Many real estate analysts in the city are seeing this as a positive development for real estate in general, and they are expecting further improvements later on this year. By year’s end, it is predicted that resale prices for houses will go up by about 10% and prices for new houses will go up by at least 8%.

At the same time, many mortgage companies are gearing up to sell off their real estate holdings, which will result in a large number of residential properties coming into the market in 2008.

These developments are not going to be met with much enthusiasm by those who plan to buy a house in the city this year but then again, any property that you buy now is almost certain to increase significantly in value within a matter of months.

Hospitals and Universities of Las Vegas

With all the attention given to Las Vegas’ entertainment attractions, it’s easy to forget that the city actually has a very respectable educational tradition. For instance, the University of Nevada can be found in Paradise only 2 miles from the strip, and the University of Nevada Medical School has a campus close to the downtown area of the city. In addition, many national colleges and universities have campuses either in or near Las Vegas. Among these are the University of Phoenix, Nevada State College, Touro University Nevada, College of Southern Nevada, and the private institutions, Apollo College, National University, ITT Technical Institute and Nova Southeastern University.

Las Vegas is also home to numerous hospitals, clinics, specialized health care facilities and medical centers. Some of the more notable ones are Boulder City Hospital on Adams Boulevard, Desert Springs Hospital on Flamingo Road, Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Henderson on Jeffreys Street, Kindred Hospital Las Vegas–which has branches on both Flamingo Road and Sahara Avenue–and the Lake Mead Hospital and Medical Center at Lake Mead Boulevard.

Commercial Places in Las Vegas

Las Vegas’ many casinos and various other gaming establishments certainly draw the lion’s share of the attention, but to disregard the city as nothing more than a gaming capital would be to do it a grave injustice. The city is also positively packed full of restaurants and shopping options that can give the casinos a run for their money. From family style restaurants to stylishly trendy modern cafes, Las Vegas has something to offer everybody.

Most hotels in the city offer some sort of buffet. While some buffets can actually be pretty good, the vast majority of them are sadly less than appetizing, to put it lightly. It would probably be a good idea to steer clear of them, as well as the many cheap food deals all over the city.

Thankfully, many new restaurants have sprung up in the city recently, and along with the traditional favorites, dining spots such as the Picasso in Bellagio, Bouchon bistro, Pinot Brasserie, Aqua, Le Cirque, Olives, and Aureole, all spare the city from sinking into cheap buffet hell. Some of the other noteworthy restaurants in the city are Border Grill, Lutèce, and Nobu.

Service Establishments of Las Vegas

Electricity supply services in Las Vegas are provided primarily by Nevada Power Company. You can reach the company at 6226 W. Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102, or through their Web site at www.nevadapower.com. There you will find the full range of products and services that the company offers, as well as the locations of their payment centers all over the city. To get your electricity service connected or disconnected, you can call them at (702) 367-5555. 24-hour emergency service is available by calling (702) 367-5555, and you can talk to a Spanish-speaking customer service representative at (702) 367-5554.

Water supply services in the city are the responsibility of the Las Vegas Valley Water District. You can reach them at 1001 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89153. For customer service assistance you can call (702) 870-4194. The company also has a water conservation hotline, which you can call at (702) 258-SAVE or 258-7283.

Emergency service is available by calling (702) 258-3150 after 5 p.m. To find the locations of their payment centers, you can log on to www.lvvwd.com/html/pay_locate.html.

Some other utility service providers in the city are the Southwest Gas Corporation and Republic Services, which handles garbage collection all over the city.

Embassies in Las Vegas

Consular assistance for British nationals in Las Vegas can be obtained from the British Honorary Consulate right in the city. You can call them at (1) (702) 876 1963 and fax them at (1) (702) 939 0460. The Honorary Consul is Jerome Snyder and he can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Remember: Honorary Consuls are not responsible for issuing passports and Visas. For that you will have to contact the British Embassy in Washington D.C. You can drop them a line at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 2.0008. You can also call them at the following numbers: (1)(202) 588 6500 to reach the embassy (1)(202) 588 7800 for consular related concerns, and at (1)(202) 588 7830 for the British Council.