[lolalucy]

Hi all! I have been lurking for a while and learned quite a lot. My husband and I are planning on moving to Vegas next year. Target date is June after my youngest son is done with his next semester in college. We both have jobs on the internet and have worked for the same company for over 6 years so no worries about jobs. I think we are wanting to live in the Henderson area but am not quite sure yet. We are visiting again in January and will rent a car and scope out some of the areas I have been reading about here, I have made a list. And then will go from there.
I just wanted to introduce myself. I am 44 hubby is 54 and we both love Vegas. We decided to rent for a year to give it a shot and make sure it is for us. If not then no harm no foul as we can easily pick up and move if it isn't our cup of tea. I think it will be though, as it will be nice to have lots of concerts and shows to pick from, plus we both do enjoy casinos, but we are smart enough to stick to the budget. Also it will be easy for our sons to visit us, as Allegiant always has great prices to Vegas from the nearest airport.
Thanks for all the great advice I have received just from lurking on past threads!

[BWNLV]

I was a former lurker too and yes you can find a lot of good information on this site. Sounds like you have thought things out very well - it pays to do your research! I moved here in June and have been very pleased with my decision. I lived in a rural area so I find Las Vegas has a lot to offer. And you can't find better housing values in the US. Good luck in move and I wish you the best!

[lolalucy]

Thanks for the good luck! I too live in a rural area. I live in Mountain Home Arkansas, and although I do enjoy the lack of traffic, and the nature, I do not enjoy it enough to stay here as it seems on our days off we end up grasping at straws trying to think of something new or fun to do. I do not believe I would be happy dead in the city of Vegas, since I do like a bit of calmness in my life, but it will be so nice not to have to drive forever just to have some fun and entertainment.

[jet757f]

I used to think Henderson would be the best place to live because people had told me this for many years. When I started looking I realized that this was old conventional wisdom from probably 10/15 yrs ago. Henderson is nice but older and the city has grown out to it.

Now there are a lot of nicer newer areas. Be sure to check them out.
Also be sure to look at the crime map that is on this forum. I also used that as a reference.

[lolalucy]

Thanks and yep I have bookmarked that map while cruising Craigslist. I am not now actively looking since it will be quite a few months before the move, but just checking to see what kind of places are available in the areas that are green or yellow on the map. My biggest fear is that I will be taken on craigslist since from what I have read it is very common. I am going to try to stick to the places that have their own website and post them under the listing as I am assuming those are on the up and up. I would hate to drive up there with our uhaul and not have a place already rented and waiting on us.

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by jet757f

I used to think Henderson would be the best place to live because people had told me this for many years. When I started looking I realized that this was old conventional wisdom from probably 10/15 yrs ago. Henderson is nice but older and the city has grown out to it.

Now there are a lot of nicer newer areas. Be sure to check them out.
Also be sure to look at the crime map that is on this forum. I also used that as a reference.

Centennial Hills and Aliante, being the nicer newer areas that immediately come to mind.

[lolalucy]

Originally Posted by Robustus

Centennial Hills and Aliante, being the nicer newer areas that immediately come to mind.

Thanks they are both on my list!

[tadtam]

I just purchased a house in Centennial Hills area. Will be moving next summer as soon as my present house is sold. Before deciding where to buy here is what we did.
We drove out to LV from Cape Cod, MA four times over five years, staying for 14 to 16 days each time. We did not just stay on the strip. We drove all over the southern NV area.
One most important thing we did was visit the stores. Especially the food stores to see what the "real" las vegas people were like. We talked to people and found ALL of them to be very friendly and helpful. At one Walmart a guy was filling water jugs, I asked him if there was a problem with the drinking water in Las Vegas. He said, no but he just didn't like the taste.
The other main thing we did was to get a bus pass and ride it from one end to the other. Centennial Hills has a large bus terminal with commuter parking.
Being from a rural area we did not want to be downtown and we found the housing to be less expensive on the outskirts.
We also found a website/podcast called Vegas Video Network that was very helpful with tons of information about living in las vegas.
So it took us about 3 years before we finally decided to purchase a house. Glad the people did not accept our offer 3 years ago.
Bought a foreclosed property at a much reduced price.
Good luck in your search...

[von949]

Originally Posted by tadtam

I just purchased a house in Centennial Hills area. Will be moving next summer as soon as my present house is sold. Before deciding where to buy here is what we did.
We drove out to LV from Cape Cod, MA four times over five years, staying for 14 to 16 days each time. We did not just stay on the strip. We drove all over the southern NV area.
One most important thing we did was visit the stores. Especially the food stores to see what the "real" las vegas people were like. We talked to people and found ALL of them to be very friendly and helpful. At one Walmart a guy was filling water jugs, I asked him if there was a problem with the drinking water in Las Vegas. He said, no but he just didn't like the taste.
The other main thing we did was to get a bus pass and ride it from one end to the other. Centennial Hills has a large bus terminal with commuter parking.
Being from a rural area we did not want to be downtown and we found the housing to be less expensive on the outskirts.
We also found a website/podcast called Vegas Video Network that was very helpful with tons of information about living in las vegas.
So it took us about 3 years before we finally decided to purchase a house. Glad the people did not accept our offer 3 years ago.
Bought a foreclosed property at a much reduced price.
Good luck in your search...

You really did your homework. I didn't even know about that podcast. I'm listening to it now. They are about to interview some Vegas top chefs.

[lolalucy]

Originally Posted by tadtam

I just purchased a house in Centennial Hills area. Will be moving next summer as soon as my present house is sold. Before deciding where to buy here is what we did.
We drove out to LV from Cape Cod, MA four times over five years, staying for 14 to 16 days each time. We did not just stay on the strip. We drove all over the southern NV area.
One most important thing we did was visit the stores. Especially the food stores to see what the "real" las vegas people were like. We talked to people and found ALL of them to be very friendly and helpful. At one Walmart a guy was filling water jugs, I asked him if there was a problem with the drinking water in Las Vegas. He said, no but he just didn't like the taste.
The other main thing we did was to get a bus pass and ride it from one end to the other. Centennial Hills has a large bus terminal with commuter parking.
Being from a rural area we did not want to be downtown and we found the housing to be less expensive on the outskirts.
We also found a website/podcast called Vegas Video Network that was very helpful with tons of information about living in las vegas.
So it took us about 3 years before we finally decided to purchase a house. Glad the people did not accept our offer 3 years ago.
Bought a foreclosed property at a much reduced price.
Good luck in your search...

Thanks! I really appreciate all the tips I have been getting. I won't have the time or funds to take a lot of trips between now and next summer, however I will be sure and scout out the areas that seem the safest and best to live in during our trip in January. I do like the idea of going to the local stores and such to see what it is like there. I would not have thought of that.