SperlingViews - Las_Vegas, Nevada

I don't know what to say. I live in Los Angeles. I visit Vegas often. Not even for the gambling, but for the shopping, dining, and the overall energy of the city. For some reason, I especially think Vegas is beautiful at Christmastime. I love the lights. I love the desert landscape. The housing in cheaper. Fuel is cheaper. Everything in the world a person could want (except greenery) "seems" to be there. I'd LOVE to live there. I have no problem with L.A., other than it's expensive, crowded and distended. But I read what I see here, and what everyone says about Vegas. It's so dismal. I can't get over it. I don't understand how a place that has everything in the world to offer, practically, and is in such a beautiful setting, can be such a perfectly awful place to live. I just don't get it. Ok, so it's hot. I prefer that (myself) to the chilly coastal weather in California. No greenery--that doesn't bother me. I grew up in NY. The desert is a novelty to me. Drugs. Crime. Etc. Isn't that part of EVERY major city? [read more...]

I moved to Las Vegas in the 70's with my parents. I was a teenager at the time. I lived here for years, moved to California for a while, came back, moved out of the Country for a while and came back. So here I am, now with my own family, living back here in Vegas. I have a teenager now who is about the age I was when I moved here originally. Such an incredible contrast between the Las Vegas of then and the Las Vegas of now. I think I have blinded myself into believing it's all as it used to be, when my mother was alive and family and friends loved to come out and visit us and life in Las Vegas, as I perceived it, was fun and exciting. I have a happy memory of my mom and dad, my sister and brother and I getting into our car and going for a drive up and down the 'strip' on summer evenings. The lights were beautiful, bright and twinkling. The summer breeze was warm on our faces and for me, there just wasn't a better place to call 'home'. Now, here in Las Vegas, in 2012, I'm having to make myself wake up to the fact that 'you can't go home again'. Such a very, very different place, this is. Well... life's what you make it, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder and other such truths, but I think it might be time for us to go. Not sure where, but I'm hoping to a place that my daughter can enjoy and can look back on with fond and happy memories of her own.. [read more...]

I often come to sites like this for information from people who have lived in a certain area that peaks my interest. I am well traveled and like to live in different places to experience the local culture. Las Vegas is a bright glittery city that attracts thousands of tourists every day, and allows a mix of cultures and ideas. Due to the fact that there are so many transients here, local people tend to be isolated and prefer to carry on with their own lives, on their own time. Making friends here is Very difficult and can be wearing. If you're not a social person, you will do fine here. I am single and miss my friends/parties back east. The pros and cons: Pros: Rent is relatively cheap here if you take into consideration all of the amenities the apartments offer. Vegas has a bigger than life image to maintain, and therefore it excels at offering better options in units and amenities. For example, most apartments have a washer and dryer inside each unit, most complexes have nice pools/spas/gym, most offer better maintained units and they keep the units up to date. There are Tons of places to eat here. You name the price, and it exists. From a simple $2.00 breakfast to a $200.00 steak, it's all here baby!!! The buffets you hear so much about do abound here. Most average $10-15.00, but if you get a free players card from the casino, the price drops by 2-3 dollars per person. Some offer half price for locals, having a NV drivers license. The traffic here is actually not bad at all, and moves well. I have lived in Atlanta, Florida and other areas where you sit in gridlock for hours. Here you do not have that problem. In fact even during rush hour, the highways move well. The only gridlock you will have is on the Strip. It can be trying at times. You have to keep an eye our for pedestrians, children, people pulling out of hotels from side streets and the occasional drunk. The cops here manage the pedestrian traffic well and run a tight ship. They have to with the crowds here. I live in a town called Henderson, about 15 minutes from the strip and love it. Nice rolling hills and well maintained roads. After I moved here I discovered and was told by many, that the East and North are undesireable, but the South and South West are the Best. After living here for a year, I would have to agree. I did live on the East side, and had no problems, but it could be questionable at night. It was a very friendly area and lots of shops on the main road(Boulder Highway). Cons: People are not too quick to warm up to you, as in other parts of the U.S. I guess it's because they assume you are only here for the day, or won't be here long. There is Very little green and the dryness gets to your skin Fast! I know this sounds petty, but having lived in other parts of the US and the world, I do miss seeing a lawn, and feeling the humidity. Hand cream and lotions will become your new new friends - LOL! Seafood.... I Really miss it!!! They have seafood here, but it is flown in (naturally), but it's not the same. I would say the heat here in the summer months, but I actually love the dry heat. It penetrates your bones and feels great. However, if it gets windy, it can feel like a blast furnace!! No joke! Just imagine opening the oven door at 450 degrees. It's that same rush of heat blasting at you. But your pool clothes dry fast!! LOL! Now in looking at my Pros and Cons, I have to say Vegas is not a bad place to live. It does get cold here in the winter (30 at night, 40 in the daytime), and amazingly hot in the summer. But so long as your car has AC, and you buy some indoor greenery for your home, you'll be fine.[read more...]

After raising my daughter here for the past ten years, and putting her through college, it's time that i bounce from this place. I'm fairly young and this place sucks for the single female who wants quality. One thing i must add, the only plus is the cost of living, and at least i was able to afford sending my daughter off to college in NY.[read more...]

As in perfect weather! From September through June, there's no better place to be to avoid winters and enjoy the heat![read more...]

I'm a software engineer from New York & about a year ago I accepted a position that allowed me to telecommute. So I started looking for a more affordable place to live. I chose Las Vegas because of the EXTREME difference in cost of living. It allowed me to go from an 1,950 sq ft, half million dollar house in Westchester to a 6 year old 3,500 sq ft home in Henderson, with a pool for $275k. AND my property taxes dropped from $15,500 to $2,850 AND my state income tax went away saving another $500 a month! The house is beautiful & my neighborhood is wonderful. So I've got nothing but good things to say about Vegas. As far as the schools are concerned: my children are both in college already so I honestly couldn't tell you one way or the other. And with regard to the crime here: when I watch the news I see all the stories about the the madness going on but that mostly seems to happen in that Winchester to Sunrise Manor area & sometimes in Spring Valley. But you NEVER hear about anything happening in the nicer areas like Coronado Ranch, Southern Highlands, South Henderson, etc. Here's the bottom line: If you are a technology person, have the ability to work from home and live in an expensive part of the country like NY, LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, etc. Making the move I made is a TREMENDOUS opportunity to improve your lifestyle & take a HUGE leap forward financially. BUT, if you don't have a skill set that's in demand and move here needing to find a job, OR you bought a house when the market was booming & now you're stuck with a place worth a third of what you paid for it... Vegas can be a tough row to hoe.[read more...]

We moved from Las Vegas to Bailey, Colorado to be closer to my family who moved from Las Vegas a few years before us. Bailey is in the "foothills" of Denver but we're actually in the middle of the Rockies about 45 minutes from downtown Denver. We thought this would be the ideal place to live and raise a family but people in Colorado are no friendlier then the people in Las Vegas, the traffic is just as awful, there's crazy people trying to shoot up schools or blow up malls like every other month, there's a lot of "stepford" families and it's hard to make connections, if you don't fish, hunt or ski forget making friends, housing prices are still higher then average but we're not getting paid any more then average, more people home school here then anywhere I think because Denver's school system is in big trouble, it's extremely dry and flippin cold! I lived in Vegas for 30 years before moving here and heading back that way but probably to a little quieter town like Mesquite or Boulder City...at least there will be a lake close by.[read more...]

I was born and raised here in Las Vegas. I moved to Phoenix Az. for a couple years, when I returned to Vegas I was suprised on how different things where..... Everthing in Vegas is about sex, money, gambling, and drugs. I used to love this city, until I had my first child. The schools out here really suck, The people are rude, the crime rate is just crazy. Anywhere you look there are gangs, hoochies, and theifs. I read some of these reviews and notice people saying "the people from Las Vegas"..... Honestly, if u ask 100 people that live here if they where born and raised here about 70-80 percent will say no. There is no " Vegas culture" here. everybody hates everybody. Now I will say Las vegas has one of the best sunsets ever.... I live on the mountian, and everyday that sunset still takes my breath away. as far as weather, its HOT! From middle may to middle oct. its pretty hot. (Maybe thats why we have so many hoochies... lol) Winter it gets chilli. Vegas sits in a bowl surrounded by mountians, so it does get windy. and when it does rain ( witch is very rare) be careful, the floods here are pretty bad. Traffic.... O wounderful Vegas traffic... This city has horriable drivers, and crowded streets. road rage here is pretty bad. theres always some type of construction going on here (tax money that should be going on schools, and not digging more holes in the ground to fix whatever problem they think is wrong, witch most of the time is NOTHING) so expect to have a delay everyday. We do not pay state taxes, guess thats the states way of saying sry for this terriable place they turned Vegas into. Now i will say if you live on the outskirts of the city, its not so bad. you are not cought in the drama Vegas has to offer. Dont get me wrong vegans are nice to other Vegans. And Vegans can spot an outsider real quick. If you are single, and have some cash to spend vegas is a good place. But i would suggest you have some people out here already, dont come alone, and have a backup plan... I am moving in 2 months to denver co. I will miss what this city used to be. But I will never miss this city now :([read more...]

I can't believe there are no reviews about life in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a great place to live, for a number of reasons. Cost of living: incredible! Especially moving here from California. . .I can live in Vegas for about half of what it cost me to live in California. Weather: I need the sun for my mental well-being and Vegas provides. With 363 days of sunshine a year, you can't go wrong. Yes, summer is hot. . .really hot. Winters can be chilly. But both are tolerable for sun lovers. Entertainment: Without using the usual cliches about Vegas, there is always something to do, no matter the time of day or night. Restaurants, dancing, gambling or just plain old people-watching, Vegas satisfies on all fronts. Now, the bad: It's hot in the summer. Lots of newcomers move out after their first summer here. Because it's so hot we have extremely high power bills in the summer. Live in a one-story house to cut down on that expense. Although folks think there's a lot of crime here, I've been here for 10 years and haven't had one problem. My daughter had her car stolen but that's the closest I've come to a crime in my decade here. It's a bit hard to make friends here. It's not so much that people aren't friendly, they are. I haven't really figured out why it's difficult to establish friendships here. I just know it is. Best of all, Vegas is not California. THAT is enough to keep me here forever! Although I would love it if they'd barricade the border with California and keep the nut jobs and their whacky politics on THAT side of the border. Somehow, they've missed the fact that we Cali expats left that place to get away from it, not so that it'd follow us here.[read more...]

ive lived in vegas for about 11 years. and now that i have kids it is no place to raise a family... there is nothing to do with your family that doesnt involve chucky cheese or a gaming arcade in the casino. parks??? i can only go about 4 months out of the year other than that your kids might get a third degree burn on the slide with the 115 degree weather... everyone has there own opinion... i honestly like it here but just not to raise a family..[read more...]

I have had the chance to move around the states in the last 4 years, after living in Las Vegas 20-25 years. It was a desert city, not too far away from a one-horse town with cheesy entertainment= then it grew so fast into the "mega-stores" with world size entertainment. Working in the casinos in a non-union job was very fast paced, fun while you're young; exhausting as you age because you give 110% all day/ everyday. I got a unique look into a union paying job at the Hilton one summer. It was a city unto itself, so many workers! And they were 99% from all these other countries; all getting fantastic wages, health care, benefit packages, and retirement checks to come.(because they will all be here until then). I only wished my brother was privy to those same possibilities; he'd been out of a job 2 years straight.!!![read more...]

Hello everyone. Here's what's going on with us: I graduated high school in Fort Collins, CO (too many years ago to say), but only lived there for a short time. Two months after graduating, I married my high school sweetheart and we relocated to Las Vegas and have lived here pretty much since. (and still married ) As a union Ironworker, my husband had a great job here many years. Then, as I'm sure you can feel our pain, along came the economy crash and construction here in Vegas ended. Too young to retire, my husband has struggled along here, trying to find work. So we have finally decided to cut our losses and get out. We decided, why not live someplace with a little more green and a lot more beauty, right? We decided on Colorado! With family still there (Ft Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Denver and Co Springs) we're really looking forward to the move. But after giving it a lot of thought, our first choice is Co Springs. Which brings me to this regarding Co Springs: My husband has renewed his CDL and hopes being closer to Denver will give him more opportunity to get a local driving job. So if anyone has some information of the best places to job hunt in Colorado Springs, please share. As for me, I do customer service work for a national company from home, so I have a job anywhere I go. We plan to rent for a little while until we decide the best area to settle. So if you don't mind sharing, what areas of town should we avoid when looking for a place to rent? We're getting excited about our move and looking forward to getting on the road in the next couple of months. Any info about the area and/or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks![read more...]

i have lived in las vegas for 2 years now and am really not feeling very safe here as when i moved here 2 years ago.i really hate to badger this city but thats the way i am seeing it.i think the safest area is in henderson south of russell road but i am beginning to see it starting to deteriorate in this area.i think the type of people that are moving here are not fully functional mentally.you have to constantly be looking over your shoulder.i am seriously thinking of moving out of vegas,but i did love this city at one time.i saw some posts on here by electra and i think she said it perfectly[read more...]

Las Vegas is a very tolerant city and this unfortunately is not a good thing. Maybe the rejects who come here never were given the opportunity to learn how to interact properly with people; maybe they have a criminal record. All in all you are always being victimized on some level. There are no mores or standards. It is best to leave if you are looking for normal people who want a normal life. [read more...]

I am trying to find a message board to tell people NOT TO MOVE TO LAS VEGAS. I made that mistake. The people by far are extremely stupid and somewhat cruel. You are always being mislead or conned. There is no work and if you find work, favoritism is their motto. Don't move here. You will only have an expensive trip back when you live.[read more...]

Having read most of the reviews here, I agree with many of them. I live in Summerlin and there the house taxes are sky high, driving anywhere in Las Vegas is risky from some drivers who spend the night in a casino and drive home asleep. Yes crime is around and as it has been said, unless private education is bought, the system is wanting. However, nowhere on these posts did I see any concern for the Las Vegas water shortage. With the continuing drought and hotter summers evaporating what little water we have left, SWWA predicts that at the end of 2010 the valley was short 64 million gallons of water per day. By 2011 the gap in the water supply will effect 404,000 people and the problem rises to half a million people in 2012. With that in mind I would advise people not to move here. What water is available will cost the earth and continue to rise. As soon as I can arrange it, I am moving my family out of Las Vegas before the Real Estate takes another hit because of lack of rain, lack of drinking water and the race to find an alternative supply. In the South West that is going to be difficult.[read more...]

After reading the pros and cons about living in Las Vegas, I noticed that in everybodies' comments, one problem is not being mentioned. The problem is illegal immigration. Las Vegas' population is nearly half, yes half, latino, and most of these are illegally here in the city. If you seem to think that they are just doing jobs that no one else wants to do, you would be very wrong. They are doing ( and dominating) every single job, except in the public sector, or the upper white collar sector. Because these people are willing to work for next to nothing, wages heve been driven down to poverty levels. And you will not get a job. Period. Their people are in most of the lower level management positions and they will absolutely not hire you unless you are latino. Of course, all the big corporatins love this; more profits for them. Hmmm, do you think that the corporations might have been telling the Federal government to look the other way for all these years when one million ( yes, one million) illegals were crossing the border every year for the past decade?[read more...]

I understand why many people commenting here at Best Places hate Las Vegas. The schools are appalling in Vegas; the place is sleazy with prostitution and confidence games, vice, low-life, and gangs. Crime is high, with drive-by murders and racial tension (all races). There's a great deal of noise and light pollution. The city is rife with sociopaths. If you're someone who loves nature and quiet living, and is not worldly in any way, look elsewhere to live. On the up-side, housing is now very affordable. In fact, investors are now rushing in to grab up homes as fast as they can because the real estate market is finally appreciating, and investing in property now will yield a great return in four to five years. Jobs are also picking-up. Casinos in Vegas are hiring again, and tourism has improved. By 2012 Vegas will be on its way to becoming a boom town again. Of course, this means more people and more cars, which translates into more smog. Right now the air pollution problem has not been that bad, and crime has dropped by two points. If you are retiring and want to live in a sunny climate conducive to golfing, swimming, and other outdoor activities (wear a hat), this is a fine place in which to live, as long as you live in the "right" neighborhoods. Therein lies the rub, as there are more bad neighborhoods than good. Do your homework. Cost of living in Vegas is very reasonable.[read more...]

Moved to Las Vegas 1 year ago to escape Southern California's high cost of living, and the neo-Marxists. I don't regret the move for one minute. I recently purchased a beautiful home in a gated golf course community. In San Diego, this would have set me back a million and a half. In 2007 the home sold for $435,000 and I purchased for $225,000. Honestly, you can buy a beautiful, nearly brand new, 1800 sq ft. or larger home for $150,000 all day long. The weather in Las Vegas is amazing. Sunny days with almost no rain are the norm. The months of July and August can be extremely hot, but other than that, the weather is great. There are plenty of outdoor activities that you can do year round. I fish Lake Mead, and the Colorado river. Cycle around Lake Las Vegas. Hike at Red Rock and plan to start golfing again. If you want a change of scenery, Southern Utah is only 2.5 hours away. LA and Phoenix are a 4.5 hour drive. If you prefer flying, there is no better airport to fly out of than McCarran. Many airlines offer deep discounts into and out of McCarran. I have taken many trips to San Francisco, Montana, Texas and LA for $50 dollars or less round trip. In fact, I am flying to LAX this weekend on SWA for $38 round trip. If you aren't into outdoor activities, Las Vegas has some of the best nightlife and finest restaurants in the world. Live music can be found all over the city and seven days a week. Many restaurants and bars are open 24/7 for you night owls. I own an eCommerce business, and can live anywhere that has internet, but have yet to find a city that beats Las Vegas for overall livability.[read more...]

There is a world outside the strip,& unfortually it isn,t that great. My advice to anyone who is thinking about moving here DON'T. It is the worst place to raise children, especially the school education. I never in my life have met so many people ( I'm sorry to say ) that are so stupid. It like Vegas attracts them, and the road construction, now come on, how many times does it take to get the roads right. Vegas is known to tear up a road not ONCE OT TWICE, but how about EIGHT or NINE times on the same street or highway & still can't get it right. Oh yeh, let's talk about the greed here. Vegas MOTTO is WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS. Well thank goodness, because if I was a city or county offical I would be ashamed for anyone to really knows what goes in Vegas. My family & I are just so tired of the Vegas way & the bs that goes along with it, that we have decided to quit our jobs & leave like many other familes are doing or have done. Maybe someday Vegas will get their act together, but so far there's to much greed for that to happen now or in the future.[read more...]