First impressions count

It has been quite the move from Pennsylvania to Nevada for little ol’ me (Hi, I’m Owen Krepps, the new guy at the Review). If you’ll spare me the time, I would like to share some of my observations with the town that I have made in my first month living here.

Overall, things have been swell, as I am beginning to call this place home.

A little background before I get started. I moved out to Nevada fresh out of college in search of something different. I love where I am from but wanted to spread my wings and get out of the boonies and farm village where I grew up in Chapmanville, Pennsylvania.

I had already covered the Vegas Golden Knights for an online publication called Vegas Hockey Now so I figured Nevada would be a good place to start looking for jobs. Sure enough, the perfect opportunity aligned with the Boulder City Review, and here I am.

Here’s what I can say about Boulder City so far.

1. Hot. Hot. Hot.

As a person allergic to a certain chemical in sunscreen, I picked a heck of a place to live.

I left Pennsylvania in the middle of the summer, which can get pretty hot, especially with the humidity. However, summer showers break up the hot days every now and then. August is usually our hottest month but even then you have to search for a 100-plus degree day. Here it’s a little different.

It has taken me a bit to get used to it, but so far the heat has not bothered me all too much. You just have to know how to manage it properly. Stay in the shade, crank up the air conditioning, drink plenty of water, and cover your car’s dash up with one of those thingamajiggers. It’s also very windy here, which helps with the heat.

I’m sure I will be eating my words come August.

2. Dogs!

I love dogs. More than the average person, and had to say a tragic goodbye to my family’s 6-year-old Havanese pup, Hannah, to move out here. But one thing that has been abundantly clear in the weeks that I have been here is that there is no shortage of four-legged friends in Boulder City.

Everywhere I go I see people walking their dogs or mutts poking their heads out the window to greet me as I walk or drive by. Not only this, but every dog I see is so well trained, especially some of the dogs that I saw at the Damboree celebration as they roamed around leashless.

Give it time, and I will join the Boulder City Dog Owners Guild.

3. Good Samaritans.

This one is a tad embarrassing, but I’ll share it only because I like poking fun at myself from time to time. The other day I was taking a stroll on my bike around town to get a feel for what town was like in the evening.

I got home later and went about my business only to receive a phone call from the police department letting me know that they had found my wallet outside of the theater. I didn’t even realize it was missing. Oops.

Some good Samaritan turned in my wallet to the Boulder City Police Department without taking anything and I picked it up later. Whoever you are, thank you and I apologize for my clumsiness!

4. I’m not alone.

I grew up in Pennsylvania around a town called Titusville, which, like Boulder City and the Hoover Dam, has a unique historical element to it. Titusville was where the first oil was drilled in America, making it a semipopular tourist attraction.

There are tourists every now and then in T-Vegas, but in Boulder City, they seem to be here every day, especially in the summer. This has given me a little comfort knowing that I’m not the only one exploring this place and that, to some, it is not normal to have sheep in public parks.

5. So much more to see.

I’ve been here for a month now and have seen so many things and met so many wonderful people. But I still have so much more to explore and, thankfully, have the perfect job to do it.

I have yet to check out things such as the train station, haunted ghost tours, city museum, and dried-up remains at Lake Mead. That is not to mention the countless restaurants I have to try as well. I’m still weighing my options on what the best pizza place in the area is.

This is a special town, and I am so thankful to be a part of it. I look forward to living here for many years to come as I am just getting started.

Contact reporter Owen Krepps at okrepps@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow him on Twitter @OKrepps85.