Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Might be moving to the Las Vegas area for my job. I'm very nervous about this because I have heard nothing good about Vegas. Rampant drug use, high crime, nothing like Boise.
Is there any place near Vegas that is small town, Boise-like? I just need to be relatively close to the airport. No more than an hour or so away.
I don't live in Boise and have never visited it either (I plan on a trip in July). Las Vegas has it's share of drug use, while I can't say it's rampant, it does exist. In addition, the state has recently allowed recreational marijuana. There is also a lot of crime by Boise's standard. That said, I've not had any interaction with either drug use zombies or criminals in the 21 years I've lived in Las Vegas.
The major problems of living in Las Vegas are the high summer temps (one of the reasons I want to leave), a large amount of traffic with seemingly idiot drivers, and, for some people, a gambling addiction. Also, the cost of living in the city have been rising for many years and our real estate is in ascendancy after a period of lower home prices. And while I don't have any children or grandchildren I've been told the schools are not very good.
Also, depending on how you feel about politics, the state has recently turned blue due to Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. All the other 16 counties are red, but Clark has a vastly larger population than the rest of the state.
There is one small town outside of Las Vegas, Boulder City (about 16,000), that might remind you of a small town in Idaho, it's quite a nice little town. It's also about 40 miles from the strip and the airport if that's where your job might be. Pahrump is also a smaller town (40k or so) outside of Vegas, but it's about 70 miles away so really isn't commutable if you ask me. The Las Vegas Valley is basically a large bowl surrounded by mountains so all the towns close by are crunched together, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson are all together, separated by signs. The entire valley is about two million people.
The pluses to Las Vegas are that nine months out of the year, the weather is great. It has some of the best restaurants in the country (if you can afford them), lots of entertainment, fairly high wages and lots of diversity (if that interests you).
It also has some great recreational opportunities close by: Valley of Fire (60 miles), Red Rock (just on the outskirts of the city) and Mt. Charleston offer great hiking. Red Rock has some world class rock climbing and Mt. Charleston actually has a ski and snow board resort (the local secret is that when the snow is just right, it has the best powder in the country). Lake Mead (5 miles from Boulder City) is a very large reservoir offering boating, water skiiing, fishing and yes, even scuba diving.
Two hours from Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park in one direction and Zion National Park in the other. Also near Zion is Brian Head which has really good skiing.
I wouldn't presume to tell you whether to take the job or not, if money is most important to you, Vegas might be a good fit. If you have children and can't afford a private school, maybe not.
A good friend (and former boss) transplanted his business to Vegas and liked living in Henderson just fine. He and his wife raised their small kids to teens there, and he said that living in Henderson was pretty much like living in Boise but with more big city perks.
He's a native, and Idaho seeps into native bones. After about 18 years of life in Nevada, he sold the biz and moved back here to Nampa. Happy to have lived there, happy to be back again.
I tried Reno for one month, back in 1989, and I didn't fit nearly as well. Different town, different people, different results.
I don't live in Boise and have never visited it either (I plan on a trip in July). Las Vegas has it's share of drug use, while I can't say it's rampant, it does exist. In addition, the state has recently allowed recreational marijuana. There is also a lot of crime by Boise's standard. That said, I've not had any interaction with either drug use zombies or criminals in the 21 years I've lived in Las Vegas.
The major problems of living in Las Vegas are the high summer temps (one of the reasons I want to leave), a large amount of traffic with seemingly idiot drivers, and, for some people, a gambling addiction. Also, the cost of living in the city have been rising for many years and our real estate is in ascendancy after a period of lower home prices. And while I don't have any children or grandchildren I've been told the schools are not very good.
Also, depending on how you feel about politics, the state has recently turned blue due to Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. All the other 16 counties are red, but Clark has a vastly larger population than the rest of the state.
There is one small town outside of Las Vegas, Boulder City (about 16,000), that might remind you of a small town in Idaho, it's quite a nice little town. It's also about 40 miles from the strip and the airport if that's where your job might be. Pahrump is also a smaller town (40k or so) outside of Vegas, but it's about 70 miles away so really isn't commutable if you ask me. The Las Vegas Valley is basically a large bowl surrounded by mountains so all the towns close by are crunched together, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson are all together, separated by signs. The entire valley is about two million people.
The pluses to Las Vegas are that nine months out of the year, the weather is great. It has some of the best restaurants in the country (if you can afford them), lots of entertainment, fairly high wages and lots of diversity (if that interests you).
It also has some great recreational opportunities close by: Valley of Fire (60 miles), Red Rock (just on the outskirts of the city) and Mt. Charleston offer great hiking. Red Rock has some world class rock climbing and Mt. Charleston actually has a ski and snow board resort (the local secret is that when the snow is just right, it has the best powder in the country). Lake Mead (5 miles from Boulder City) is a very large reservoir offering boating, water skiiing, fishing and yes, even scuba diving.
Two hours from Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park in one direction and Zion National Park in the other. Also near Zion is Brian Head which has really good skiing.
I wouldn't presume to tell you whether to take the job or not, if money is most important to you, Vegas might be a good fit. If you have children and can't afford a private school, maybe not.
My in-laws had a second house in Boulder City, nice little town. It's got a neat little downtown, and definitely a smaller town feel.
I never did anything but visit though, so no idea about the crime, schools, etc. It's also hot as hades in the summer, but some people don't mind that.
My husband lived in Vegas when we first met. Henderson seems nice, clean, and safe, if a little generic.
Sunset mentioned this place in an article I saw this morning:
“Las Vegas
Most visited zip code: 89129
Real estate in the Lone Mountain area enjoys exceptional value: larger, newer-build homes with a relatively low price per square foot—and positioned for spectacular views of the entire Vegas metro area. It’s also an incredibly family-oriented community, as 45 percent of the population is married and 57 percent of households include children.”
We have a place in Boulder City, and love the little town. However, Nevada has become - politically - like East Kalifornia, and we are now looking to escape. We are looking at Cheyenne, WY and the Boise suburban area..... need to find a state that is going to stay Red for the rest of our years!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
