When school gets out and you breathe your last breath of cool air before boarding the (usually terribly noisy and out-of-hand) plane back home, you know that you’re trading the temperature for better things, (unless you went to college in Phoenix). Here are just twelve of the many reasons I get hyped up to come back home for the summer:

1. Yeah, it’s 117 degrees outside, but I DO need this cardigan!

Stores and people keep their houses at 65 degrees for roughly 8 months of the year.

2. Everything is open 24/7

We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again. Thank you, every store in the Valley, for being open past 7.

3. Within a 3 mile radius, anything is possible

Every section of the city has the basics: WalMart, Target, Smiths, JoAnns, Micheals, one million gas stations, and four boba places. There is also probably a mall and a trampoline playground within 9 miles, too.

4. A plethora of pools

According to pkdata.net, the Metropolitan Vegas area was home to over 55,000 residential pools in 2011. That’s just a small portion of the city. Everyone has access to a private pool, and we’re content to lay there all summer and soak up the feeling.

5. REAL Mexican food

Now, I understand that American-Mexican cuisine is nothing like actual native Mexican food. That being said, Mexican food from anywhere north of Vegas is just NOT worth it. When you crave a burrito all semester, you either have to make it yourself or be sorely disappointed. News Flash, people: not just any bean can go on a tortilla. Also, Mexican food has SPICES in it.

6. Bored?

For relatively cheap, you can do just about anything you put your mind to. Want to go sledding in Charleston? Boat at Lake Mead? Ride El Loco at Circus Circus? If you can dream it, you can do it!

7. Concerts, concerts, concerts

There is rarely a tour in the USA that doesn’t pass through Las Vegas. All your favorite bands, on almost a yearly basis.

8. Buffets

Gorging one’s self on mediocre food is every tourist's specialty here, and often locals can be seen taking out big groups of visiting family. Once you get past the smell of cigarette smoke, it’s easy to get excited about endless dessert privileges.

9. Highways

In Clark County, the Casino taxes pay for all the highway construction. There may be tons of work going on at any given time, but at least our roads are as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

10. Casitas

Have a friend coming into town and nowhere to put them? No problem! My grandma has a casita in the back. So does your grandma, and her grandma, and your aunt’s grandma….

11. Magnet Schools

We may be 47th in Education here in Nevada, but our ingenious Magnet school programs make up for it. Any kid who has graduated from a Las Vegas magnet school can tell you all about how amazing they are, and rant for days.

12. Family

If you’re truly native, then everyone you love and their dog lives in the valley, except for a tenth of your extended family.