I went camping in the Mojave Desert one Christmas. Night temps got down to 15 Fahrenheit. I got up about 2:00am to check out the night sky - absolutely gorgeous! However, to the Northeast, you could still make out the glow of the Nevada casinos.
I can see a lot fewer stars from my front yard now than I could 20 years ago. Some of it may be my failing eyesight but the majority of it is from lights of the city to the east about 20 miles.
Interesting thing, the city population has increased by about 1/3 in the last 45 years, losing manufacturing jobs but the light pollution is increasing significantly. So much for energy conservation of years past.