Originally from Indiana, Scott Smith has lived in Nevada for 20-plus years, making him—by Las Vegas standards—a native. He earned his journalism degree from Ball State University, and an MBA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Scott enjoys exploring his adopted home state with his wife and four sons. His favorite Nevada memories include battling gale-force winds to keep the family tent anchored near Sunnyside and digging two toddlers out of knee-deep muck along the shores of Lake Mead.

During his travels, Scott seeks out the unexpected—and enjoys finding evidence that contradicts most people’s stereotypes about Nevada. He has written about a selfless pioneer’s heroic trek to save his friends in the Nevada desert; the flourishing arts scene in “vacuous” Las Vegas; and the state’s brief embrace of Progressive values in the early 1900s that saw it outlaw gambling and liquor. A frequent contributor to Nevada magazine, Smith’s writing has also appeared in American History and WildWest.