Making a case for the twinning of Newtonmore and Las Vegas

To Whom It May Concern,


In recent years the nature of world politics has been fundamentally changing. Terms such as global village, city-state, region, community and neighbourhood are beginning to replace terms like national, federal, state and local. At the same time, Information Technology continues to draw us ever closer together with email, fax and the recent explosion of mobile communications. As the world starts to reform itself as a borderless entity, we are learning more and more about our friends and neighbours both near and far, and if issues like global warming, climate change, air pollution, drought, famine and war are ever to be resolved, it will be through international initiatives and consultations.

It is our belief that city twinning could be perceived as a positive first step towards fostering such global understanding, and it is in this light that we make our case for the twinning of Newtonmore and Las Vegas.

At first glance it may seem absurd that either place is like the other, but these two communities have a great deal more in common than one might expect. As first time visitors to Newtonmore in August 2002 and having spent time in Las Vegas two Christmases before, our attention was inevitably turned to the purpose-built, "Waltzing Waters" located on Newtonmore's picturesque main strip. This attraction was the first of its kind in Europe and reminded us immediately of the magnificent waltzing waters set before the classical facade of what is arguably Las Vegas' most elegant casino park, "Bellagio." Even the shimmering entrance sign to the Newtonmore enclosure echoes the razzle-dazzle of neon Las Vegas.

One could be forgiven for thinking that sharing in such a specific and similar leisure facility is just an isolated coincidence. However as we looked closer, we soon realised this was just the metaphorical tip of the iceberg.

Take urban development for example. In Newtonmore, the bricks and stones we see today were laid down in Victorian times as the railway brought tourism and new wealth into the Scottish Highlands. As such, the town was purpose built to attract these tourists with most construction focusing on the realisation of hotels and lodges. Similarly, the development and growth of Las Vegas was also dependent on railroads and tourism. The town we know today was born in 1905 when the railroad company auctioned off great tracts of its land. Subsequently what we see today is a majority of hotel complexes and leisure facilities placed there to serve the casinos that are so notably allowed to conduct business in Nevada.

So for a second time we see Newtonmore and Las Vegas walking similar roads. We see a story unfolding of two communities whose very lively-hoods depend on tourism. We see the small village of Newtonmore, sheltering from the wild Scottish hills and the bright lights of Las Vegas shutting out the emptiness of the great Nevada desert. Two remote outposts both built and designed to appeal to the escapist in us.

Of course with Scotland and Nevada both sharing similarly liberal marriage laws, both regions also appeal to stealthy elopers and impulsive couples wishing to tie The Knot, for better or for worse. Think of all the times we see a shotgun wedding in a Las Vegas chapel portrayed on television or in the cinema. Or how often the casinos, hotels and Las Vegas' main strip are written into sitcoms, action movies and dramas. Even in this respect comparisons can be made because Newtonmore is no stranger to the silver screen either. Not only is this more accessible side of the Highlands used repeatedly in film productions, Newtonmore itself is also a regular location for the successful BBC series, "Monarch of the Glen."

Both Newtonmore and Las Vegas also provide access to a wide range of outdoor activities like fishing, cycling, golf, horse riding, rock climbing and trekking among the surrounding hills and mountains, and in this respect both offer such a similar choice of things to do that it becomes difficult even to distinguish between the two communities! Perhaps Newtonmore's Wildcat Trail can set them apart? Yet held within the confines of the enormous Mirage Casino Park, Las Vegas can offer a wildlife trail of its own in Siegfried & Roy's Royal White Tigers open-air sanctuary. Perhaps the provision of skiing in the Scottish Highlands distinguishes the two? Surely there is no snow to speak of in the Nevadan desert. Yet less than one hour's drive from its city limits is the, "Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort" with ten trails on forty ski-able acres, and where snowmaking over seventy-five percent of the acreage complements the naturally occurring annual snowfall.

Newtonmore and Las Vegas are even both sites of aboriginal heritage. Just as Native American Tribes flock to the Las Vegas Sandy Valley Ranch to trace and celebrate their past, so too can the scattered members of the Mcpherson Clan make a pilgrimage to the Mcpherson Clan Museum in Newtonmore.

Perhaps most remarkably of all, Las Vegas and Newtonmore both host their own annual Highland Games! Cabers are tossed and haggis are hurled while competitors in the Las Vegas games even sport the, "official" Nevada tartan -one that coincidently shares much in common with the McPherson tartan.

So repeatedly, we are seeing how both places share so much in common. We see similarities reaching far beyond the realms of mere coincidence. Both communities seem cut from the same die and again and again, we see these two towns on parallel tracks and finding similar solutions to their past and present problems. So we say twin Newtonmore with Las Vegas and everyone will be a winner! Make an application through the European Union so that your parallel existences can meet and share in a collective future.


Yours Faithfully,



Jon Thomson & Alison Craighead
http://www.thomson-craighead.net