Idea -- a zip-code guide (Las Vegas: apartments, transfer, subdivisions)
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Ok, well, the right way to do this is to put it on a site based around an embedded Google map. The site would need an interface for accepting geo-located user reviews/opinions/info, but would also have to be anchored by other data; namely, publicly available crime data and home-price/ownership data.
The Metro PD and NLV PD provide CrimeView, which can be parsed/scraped, and the Clark County Assessor's office similarly provides a ton of info online that's free. You could glean great tract info from this database (eg, percentage of rentals in a track, avg price, price trajectory, avg turnover, etc, etc. The problem is that the interfaces for both these tools TOTALLY SUCK and are not combined in any way. Putting together an easy-to-use, elegant combination of the two with resident-provided reviews/opinions of various areas would be an incredible tool, in my opinion.
This is something I could build. I'm a web/web-app developer, and this is right up my alley. It is, however, a large undertaking (and I'm slammed work-wise right now anyways). So, I'm curious if people think this take on it makes sense... If there's really demand, I'd consider working on something like this as a pet project.
Yes. That is how the crime map is built. It would be even better to do it on a google map base. The crime map uses an underlying and high precision street map from the city of Las Vegas combined with federal crime data distributed according to the crime maps of Metro, NLV and Henderson. I have it as an active graphic where a simple macro table controls the color of each zip. It is however difficult to offer as a tool as it requires Corel Draw or similar and an ability to deal with a smart multi-layer graphic.
Zip codes are very tricky things. Graphically they are often simplified. It is actually common for them to have non congruous pieces. There are some reasonably accurate zip outlines at...
Ok, well, the right way to do this is to put it on a site based around an embedded Google map.
Sure. But put WHAT around an embedded Google map? Nobody has stepped up to contribute. [mod cut-- personal]
The information won't be hard at all to port. Once we HAVE information. But at the moment y'all are acting like a design committee that insists that, "The bicycle sounds like a pretty good idea, and we'll build one as soon as we have jet-engines to power it."
Let's stick to building a bicycle. There's always time to make it better. A good plan implemented today is 100 times better than the perfect plan implemented next year.
See if 20 people will step up and write up their zip codes. Or even TEN. Otherwise, there's really nothing to debate -- the project is going nowhere.
Last edited by observer53; 07-24-2012 at 01:09 PM..
Sure. But put WHAT around an embedded Google map? ...
I believe I specified exactly WHAT. To re-iterate: data from the CCA site, and CrimeView. If you had that with a nice interface for people to add their own opinions/area-reviews, you'd start to get people happily providing their input. The key is an elegant easy-to-use site that does that...
Whether people are willing to type up a couple zipcode-review paragraphs for insertion into a thread on CD is a different issue. I agree that such data would easily port, but I also assert that to really do this, you need to provide an outlet for people to type up maybe a few sentences about their particular neighborhoods, or areas a good deal more localized than a zipcode.
But whatever. Different visions/approaches. (Sidenote: I'll largely ignore your hyperbole and simple assume that you're just still pissed off from your back and forth with OC (which I only barely skimmed)).
you need to provide an outlet for people to type up maybe a few sentences about their particular neighborhoods, or areas a good deal more localized than a zipcode.
But people don't come here and ask "Is the Breaking Desert Wind development at the intersection of Big Butte and El Colon a good place to live?"
They come here and ask "Is 89109 good?" or "I heard Summerlin is good." or "Which is better, Summerlin or Henderson?"
So let's give them an easy way to find information on their own. And I think Zip Codes is the best way to do it because that's what people ask for when they come here for information. How many times have we seen someone post, "I'm looking at buying a house in 89103, 89121, 89142 or 89124. Which is better?"
Also, could we PLEASE get rid of crime statistics? Why is everyone so hung up with crime statistics? It is not necessary to know the exact number of burglaries per fortnight when saying things like "The houses and apartments around Nellis are small, covered in graffiti, with security bars on the windows."
People want to know about "small, covered in graffiti, and security bars." Say that, and people know EXACTLY what that area is like. They don't give a Big Butte about the exact number of burglaries per fortnight.
For the umpteenth time. There is no reason to make this more difficult. Anyone who has lived at the same address for a few years should be able to write up their zip code in 30 minutes or so. In the amount of time you two have been explaining how the project could be made better, you could have actually done a couple zip codes. Thus TANGIBLY making the project better.
If we had zip-code write-ups of 89109, 103, 118 and 119, that could be answered with one link. "Lazar627" doesn't live in Las Vegas. He or she doesn't know enough about the valley to even ask the right questions. Once Lazar has read about 109, 103, 118 and 119, he or she might get the bright idea to ask, "Well where do the locals who want to visit the strip live?"
We answer the same questions over and over and over. People come here to get unvarnished opinion about the valley. They don't WANT statistics. Statistics are useless. They want to know which areas have developed landscaping. And which areas have better schools. And which areas are unkempt with security bars in the windows.
We answer the same questions over and over and over. People come here to get unvarnished opinion about the valley. They don't WANT statistics. Statistics are useless. They want to know which areas have developed landscaping. And which areas have better schools. And which areas are unkempt with security bars in the windows.
This is true. This is exactly what I was researching before I moved here. (oh, and the bugs! ) I could find crime stats, I could even find stats on school stuff, but I couldn't quite get a grasp on the whole zip code thing. They do not use zips in SE MI to define areas so much as they use counties and then you go from there breaking it down by cities. LV doesn't have that so much. It was completely confusing and took a few to get.
I loved reading the posts from people who lived in the potential areas I was interested in. That meant more to me than any crime stats. Crime is everywhere. I also knew that lower income areas might have more crime and worse schools. I believe that people who are researching general areas are looking for personal input about the things you mentioned. They have already checked out the crime/schools.
Like someone earlier mentioned, it is difficult to give opinions on a whole zip code because you may not know everything about that zip. So, I guess I would just state the zip I live in and then go further by giving some main cross streets.
Like someone earlier mentioned, it is difficult to give opinions on a whole zip code because you may not know everything about that zip. So, I guess I would just state the zip I live in and then go further by giving some main cross streets.
I disagree with this. I live in 89110 and know where all the good and bad places are because I travel in and through that zip code every day.
And while I agree that zip codes are not the best way to gauge this valley, it is the way that the newbies who come here use. So let's go with that. Using the more-logical "major cross streets" that locals use isn't logical for newbies and out-of-towners because they don't know the major cross streets. But they can look up a zip code map. So that's what they do. They hop on a real-estate website, find a few houses that look good for their price range. Then they come here armed only with the zip code asking if that area is "nice."
That's how they're doing things, so let's oblige them.
That's fine. I was that newbie. I haven't been here long enough for any length of time to know my whole zip. I can lend comments on my area to those who want to write one up about 89143. Or, I can lend a few comments on the area I lived in Henderson, which I believe was 89152.
I am not saying that zip codes are hard to gauge, that's they way I started in my search. Then I had to focus in a bit. Basically, I am agreeing with your take on it.
If we had zip-code write-ups of 89109, 103, 118 and 119, that could be answered with one link. "Lazar627" doesn't live in Las Vegas. He or she doesn't know enough about the valley to even ask the right questions. Once Lazar has read about 109, 103, 118 and 119, he or she might get the bright idea to ask, "Well where do the locals who want to visit the strip live?"
We answer the same questions over and over and over. People come here to get unvarnished opinion about the valley. They don't WANT statistics. Statistics are useless. They want to know which areas have developed landscaping. And which areas have better schools. And which areas are unkempt with security bars in the windows.
That might well be a good example. But how would you ever sort it for him? His real options are the LVCC, perhaps Meridien or the area south and west of Trop (or Spring Mountain )/Decatur. And as you get into that it can really get complex. For instance one of the condos on Hacienda just west of Decatur is serviceable but only if you avoid the northern buildings which have problems. The apartment complex across the street is considered very difficult. That level of detail means a though out paragraph at the tract level. There are an awful lot of tracts..
And what do we imply by safe? There are a couple of complexes on Shadow that could work...but the surrounding neighborhood is quite challenging. I would not walk outside of the gated areas after dark and would be leery of neighborhood stores including the Smiths on Rancho. So do you suggest the properties are safe even though you take a risk going to the corner store?
So do we rate the complex? Or the complex and its surround?
While the "crime occurs everywhere" is a convenient crutch it is practically untrue. We are talking about the risk of being robbed, or hurt, or simply harassed. And we are talking about 1000 to 1 differences. From unlikely ever in your lifetime to someplace in the next 6 months. It is not the only parameter for a residence but it is probably the most important. Price of course selects the available areas. But safety determines their suitability.
WE are not trying to imply safe. [mod cut-- rude, bickering] Let "safe" go and embrace "nice."
If I say the area east of Hollywood Blvd. is nice, with large lots and a stellar view -- THAT'S ALL PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. And if I say the area around Nellis and Lake Mead is an eyesore, with graffiti sprayed every 100 feet and bars in the window, THAT'S ALL PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, TOO. They don't care about how many homicides per eon or burglaries per decade or the daily assault and battery report. YOU seem to have a hard-on for crime statistics. But the people who come here for information about the valley do not.
You have some almighty desire to be able to back up your words with numbers. And I'm shouting it from the top of the Stratosphere -- IRRELEVANT. People just want to know if an area is nice. And they'll be very happy to be able to get that information without slogging through statistics from the NSA, the Kiwanis Club, and James Freakin' Bond. The web is already overloaded with useless statistics. For the umpteenth-plus-one time, all people want is to know whether an area is nice or not.
You might say, "Well, they can just use the price of the house to figure out if the area is nice." You'd think so. It's certainly logical. But it doesn't work that way. That silly little map I made on post #3 of this thread is ALL PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. Just by looking at that silly little map, they know one section is rough, one section is blue collar, one section has a lot of horse lovers, and one section is nice. THEN, they can go to a real estate website and see if they can afford anything in the nice area. I cannot stress this point enough -- THAT IS ALL PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. They don't want aggregate crime statistics indexed by year since the 1900s.
This is not for the benefit of the long-time local who already knows the area and is looking for very specific information. This is for the young Air Force family who just found out they're being sent to Las Vegas and are SCRAMBLING for information before they transfer. This is for the student who just got accepted at UNLV and is looking for appropriate housing. Or the retirees who are sick to death of Michigan and are looking for an appropriate community for them.
None of those people can fly here, do a detailed reconnaissance mission then make a reasoned, patient and informed decision. THEY ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE GUIDANCE SO THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT THE VALLEY FROM HOME.
[mod cut-- personal, bickering]
Last edited by observer53; 07-24-2012 at 01:12 PM..
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) I could find crime stats, I could even find stats on school stuff, but I couldn't quite get a grasp on the whole zip code thing. They do not use zips in SE MI to define areas so much as they use counties and then you go from there breaking it down by cities. LV doesn't have that so much. It was completely confusing and took a few to get.
