Inside the Las Vegas trailer park that Zappos' multimillionaire CEO calls home

tony hseih airstream trailer
Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Tony Hsieh has a net worth of $840 million, but rather than scoop up a desert mansion outside the Zappos campus in Las Vegas, Nevada, he's planted his roots in a trailer park downtown.

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In 2014, as part of his grand efforts to revitalize the city, Hsieh transformed an abandoned parking lot into a micro-living oasis. About 30 Airstream trailers and tiny homes make up the village commonly known as "Llamapolis."

Let's take a peek inside.

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The entrance to Llamapolis is a semicircle tunnel covered in recycled Christmas lights.

 

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The smell of livestock washes over you upon entry, and it becomes immediately clear how the village got its nickname, Llamapolis.

Doing normal things in #DTLV #llamalopolis

A photo posted by A. GREENSTEIN (@shelikesbikes) on Dec 30, 2015 at 3:34pm PST

 

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Marley and Triton, who are actually alpacas, live here with their owner and the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh.

 

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They're not alone. The one-acre lot in downtown Las Vegas contains about 30 Airstream trailers and tiny houses where young professionals and visiting techies live.

 

Source: The Washington Post

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The community was inspired by the artsy ethos of Burning Man. Musicians often stop by and put on shows in the outdoor "living room."

Chilling with @tiny_house_expedition at #llamalopolis #dtlv #Vegas #tinyhousetribe #tinyhousepeople #tinyhousemovement #livemusic

A video posted by Room to Spare - A Tiny House (@roomtosparetinyhouse) on Feb 7, 2016 at 10:43pm PST

 

Source: Business Insider

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The shared living area is carpeted with AstroTurf and contains chairs, tables, art installations, and a fire pit.

Marley decided to be a model all of a sudden. Had to give him his moment of fame. #Llamalopolis #LIB #llamas

A photo posted by dbaron723 (@dbaron723) on Oct 7, 2015 at 4:16am PDT

 

Source: Tiny House Expedition

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The pool offers a convenient way to beat the Las Vegas heat.

• s u m m e r • d a z e • ✨ #bigligetinyhouse #pegasusgoals #thisishowweride #funboylife #funboy #tinyhousenation #tinyhousevillage

A photo posted by @biglifetinyhouse on Aug 14, 2015 at 10:31pm PDT

 

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Residents communicate with one another on messaging app Slack. According to one visitor, it's not uncommon for a person who ordered too much takeout food to message their neighbors an invite to join in.

Vegas visits Jeff Fine #startupinanairstream #startupinthedesert #llamalopolis

A photo posted by mbaron322 (@mbaron322) on Nov 1, 2015 at 7:09pm PST

 

Source: Tiny House Expedition

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Community is central to Llamapolis. Hsieh told Business Insider earlier this year that his favorite aspect of living in the park is impromptu interactions with his neighbors.

Tony trying out the sushi beds #zappos #vegas #startuponabus #llamalopolis

A photo posted by mbaron322 (@mbaron322) on Jun 22, 2015 at 11:39pm PDT

 

Source: Business Insider

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"I did it because I wanted to maximize serendipity and randomness in my life," Hsieh said about founding Llamapolis.

Yoga everywhere. #llamalopolis #trailerparkliving

A photo posted by Suzie Baleson (@suziejobaleson) on Apr 12, 2016 at 4:03pm PDT

 

Source: Business Insider

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His pet alpacas live in a pen, but occasionally make their way into Hsieh's sleek Airstream trailer.

Woke up this morning to Marley the alpaca in my airstream still staring at me. #weirdsleepover #llamatrauma

A photo posted by Tony Hsieh (@downtowntony) on May 25, 2015 at 1:18pm PDT

 

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Llamapolis is proof that living small has no limits.

Hooray for Tiny Houses! 👍🏻🙌🏻🏠 photo by Mike Choi #biglifeTINYHOUSE #jump #tinyhouse #tinyhousenation

A photo posted by @biglifetinyhouse on Jul 22, 2015 at 12:11pm PDT

 

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