Viva Las Vegas!

Today I'm in Las Vegas. One of the little known facts about Las Vegas is that if you don't gamble, this is a bargain place to vacation. The weather is dependably good and the cost of food, hotels and vacation amenities such as golf and tennis are unusually low.

That's because the casinos keep them low as a way of attracting more tourists. The casinos figure they'll more than make up for low prices on everything else with their profits on gambling. So, if you don't gamble, you reap the benefits.

Also, in most cases, golf courses, tennis courts and the like are not as crowded as they are in many vacation places. One, there are plenty of them. And two, since so many people who come out here do stay up late gambling, they tend not to be on the courses and courts.

Another little known fact about Las Vegas is that this is a very good place to live -- if you don't gamble. Again, dependably good weather. And housing costs are generally low.

These points are not offered to help the chamber of commerce. They're offered because your reporter thought you might be interested. And because experience has taught that most people don't know or haven't thought about these things.

They are among the reasons Las Vegas has had such a tremendous growth rate. For most of the l990s, population growth of about 25 per cent every five years.

There is, of course, a down side to Vegas. Principally, it is tied in one way or another to gambling and what gambling brings with it. But there is another side, the upside, and it's hard not to think about it when you're here.