Las Vegas or Phoenix? (car rental, rentals, live in)

[tecamu]

I have a choice whether to move to Las Vegas or Phoenix. I am a single woman in her 50's. I live in Florida now and spend most of the time indoors because humidity is too much. I like a cool climate not a cold one. My favorite thing to do is hiking. Can anyone tell me the difference between the 2 cities? I'll be working at the airport. Thanks so much!

[uli2000]

If you like cool and mild, really neither city would really be your cup of tea. Vegas is a little higher in elevation and runs a few degrees cooler. Both places have lots of great hiking nearby (best in late fall-early spring). Phoenix is a couple of hours away from pine forests/mountains, Vegas has Mt Charleston nearby, and lots of other mountain areas a few hours away. I grew up in Phoenix, and thought I like it, Vegas really has alot more cultural and entertainment things (with the exception of pro sports) because of the tourists. Take a couple of days if you can and visit both. Id fly into one of them, then rent a car and drive to the other, its about 250 miles or so drive. Plus, if you look around, you will occasionaly see car rental companies offering free one way rentals between PHX and LAS moving cars between areas. It may be better to to Vegas first then Phoenix, because with spring training baseball, you may be able to get one of those deals taking a unused car from Vegas to Phoenix.