Santa Claus has long called the North Pole home.

But let’s be honest — 24 hours of darkness and subfreezing winter temperatures aren’t the most conducive to making toys. His workforce, including the reindeer, are aging, and in an era of fast-moving technology and rapid shipping, the North Pole isn’t necessarily a transportation hub. 

If Santa ever wanted to relocate, Nevada, with its sizable elk population, access to renewable energy and business-friendly tax environment is a strong contender — especially Las Vegas, dubbed by some as the epicenter of the “fun economy.”

While we couldn’t reach Santa to ask if he’d consider relocating to the Silver State, The Nevada Independent spoke with state officials and experts who made the case for why St. Nick should consider Nevada his next home base. 

Reindeer or rockets? 

The Earth’s polar regions are warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and the melting ice caps could mean logistical hurdles for Santa if he doesn’t relocate, according to Nathan Chellman, assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institute.

During a recent visit to the Greenland ice sheet for fieldwork, Chellman and his team were ready to depart by plane. But because the ice sheet doubled as the runway and temperatures were above freezing, the ice sheet had gone soft. Crews eventually attached small rockets to the airplane to help it take off from the slush.

If those warming temperatures continue, Santa’s annual Christmas Eve departure “from the North Pole with his sled could be hard,” Chellman said.

Santa might have to take lighter loads, he said, or have his elves push his sled to help it take off.

Even after going airborne, more variable weather patterns brought on by a warming climate could affect Santa’s deliveries. Chellman recommends Santa consider weatherproofing his sleigh with a windshield and roof — after all, nobody wants a soggy present.

Rudolph, the red-nosed … elk?

Taking off in slushy conditions isn’t getting any easier for Santa’s aging reindeer, but Nevada’s thriving elk population — more than 13,000 — could easily step in to help, according to Cody McKee, state elk and moose coordinator.

“I think elk are the optimal replacement for reindeer,” he said, noting their social personalities. “The fact that they have to all work together to pull that sleigh around the world all in one night, elk are most able to fill that seat.” 

Santa would need to navigate a few permits for the catch and release of his temporary sleigh team, McKee said, and there would be concern about the ungulates contracting diseases from other critters they run into on Christmas Eve. Considering some of the logistical complexities, it would behoove Santa to get his paperwork in early in the season, McKee said.

Another point for elk — males don’t shed their antlers until January, while male reindeer drop their antlers by November.(Female reindeer, however, keep their antlers year-round, meaning Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and the rest of the gang are actually female!)

Helping Santa go green

Relocating to Nevada could also make his workshop eco-friendlier.

Many arctic communities rely on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity, leading to volatile and costly energy prices — in Kotzebue, Alaska, 26 miles away from the Arctic Circle, residents pay more than three times the national average for energy.

With long, dark winter days — there is no sunlight at the North Pole from October through March — a lot of diesel would be needed to power Santa’s workshop, let alone the personal needs of his elves. But by relocating to Nevada, Santa could tap into the state’s exceptional renewable resources, said Jesse Murray, senior vice president of energy delivery at NV Energy. 

The utility has several gigawatts of solar resources online, and geothermal could also help power Santa’s workshop. Nevadans pay some of the lowest costs for electricity in the country, helping Santa save money.

Nevada also offers nearly year-round uninterrupted access to power, with the average total outage time for Nevadans clocking in at about one hour per year — substantially less than the national average, Murray pointed out. 

Given the sheer number of toys Santa must produce each year, an “outage would be pretty impactful,” Murray said. “The workshop needs to be able to run.” 

Efficiency matters 

Santa wouldn’t only save money on power by moving to Nevada — he would also benefit from the state’s business-friendly tax environment and strategic location, said Melanie Sheldon, senior director of business development at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). 

His manufacturing workshop would likely qualify for substantial tax abatements; with the savings, he could reinvest in sleigh research and development, toy innovation and elf and reindeer wellness initiatives, she said, adding that tax abatements would also allow him to invest more in his elves’ wages. 

And with Nevada’s access to major West Coast ports and air cargo hubs, Santa could easily transport toys, elves and whatever other goods or people he needed to move.

“Efficiency matters when you’re delivering billions of gifts overnight, and Nevada is a logistics sweet spot of the Western Hemisphere,” she said. “The North Pole is charming, but Nevada is operationally elite … It’s not very often snowy enough to shut things down.”

And because Nevada is one of just seven states designated by the Federal Aviation Administration for developing and testing unmanned autonomous systems, “we’re obviously comfortable with unconventional aerial vehicles,” Sheldon said. 

But as attractive as having Santa based in Nevada would be, GOED would want to make sure Santa would be a good business partner, Sheldon said. 

“Even if he’s getting a tax abatement … we’d want him to be a good corporate citizen,” she said. “It would be great if Santa could engage with the community [and] have some really great elf corporate responsibility programs.”

Santa, the ultimate fun economy ambassador 

But where in Nevada would be an ideal spot for Santa’s workshop? 

His workshop would likely be large enough to have multiple locations across the state, said Tiffany Banks, CEO of Nevada REALTORS.

“It’s always important when you’re thinking about any sort of workshop, you diversify across the state. People think Clark [County] everything, but we have so many other great areas,” she said. 

Others say Las Vegas is the clear winner.  

The ongoing innovation of Las Vegas captures the minds of tens of millions of visitors annually, said Bo Bernhard, UNLV professor and former head of the International Gaming Institute — it’s an ideal place for Santa to generate ideas for new gifts and experiences.

“This is a place that invents toys better than anybody, and at scale,” he said. “This is a town that says ‘Yes — let’s build it.’”

The city is the epicenter of the “fun economy,” according to Bernhard, and Santa is the ultimate fun economy ambassador. 

If Santa’s goal is maximizing joy, providing the gift of experiences is the way to go. From shows at the Sphere to attending a throwback disco, Vegas leads the way in providing experiences, he pointed out, and with a growing global middle class, Santa could capitalize on the innovative experiences Las Vegas offers.

“In a world where many of us seek escape, Las Vegas is masterful at escapism and creating toys that effectuate that,” Bernhard said. “This is the capital of the fun economy. Where better for him to be?”

And as the ultimate retailer, Santa would benefit from the state’s growing warehousing, logistics and manufacturing industries, according to Retail Association of Nevada President Bryan Wachter. Nevada is one of the top five states for manufacturing growth, and the state’s ability to quickly get customers what they want, when they want it, would be an asset to Santa.

“Vegas is really good at logistics,” he said.

But at the end of the day, Las Vegas stands out as a clear winner for one simple reason, Wachter said.

“Santa deserves the pageantry of Las Vegas.”