[Alecia_wms]

hey everyone,

I am looking to move west and I have family in ABQ and LV. I have never been to either but am definately planning trips to view both. But I would like an unbiased veiwpoint from individuals who have lived in both places or at least visited ABQ for a long while enough to make a VALID comparison. Looking forward to viewing what you have to say!!

Time to scratch that time-to-change itch ASAP!!

Alecia

[Chest Rockwell]

I spent all of my youth in Albuquerque and my adult life in Las Vegas. They both have different things to offer, so it really depends on what you value in terms of quality of life. In terms of weather, Albuquerque has more of the 4 seasons type of climate, whereas Las Vegas gives you about 3 cool months, 6 beautiful ones and 3 brutally hot ones. In terms of culture, I give the edge to Albuquerque - their identity is established and it's a wonderful mix of Native American and Mexican culture that is very unique to New Mexico and parts of Arizona and Colorado. It is something that I miss very much now that I live here. I also feel like people are friendlier and more family oriented in Albuquerque vs. Las Vegas. Obviously this is a broad generalization, but I've never been welcomed into people's homes here the way that I was in NM.

Las Vegas is not without its advantages as well. The economy is stronger, wages are better and there's more of a cosmopolitan feel to the city. The upscale shopping and dining that you'll find in Las Vegas is on par with cities like New York and LA, whereas Albuquerque feels much more like a small town in comparison, even though the populations of the two aren't that much different. People in Las Vegas pay more attention to style, status symbols, etc, than in NM. Even in the middle class areas of Las Vegas, there is a much more polished feel to the communities that gives it a feeling of wealth and luxury.

It's only my opinion, but I'd rather raise children in New Mexico, but I'd live my single life and start earning wealth in Las Vegas.

[LIS123]

[The upscale shopping and dining that you'll find in Las Vegas is on par with cities like New York and LA, whereas Albuquerque feels much more like a small town in comparison, even though the populations of the two aren't that much different. People in Las Vegas pay more attention to style, status symbols, etc, than in NM. Even in the middle class areas of Las Vegas, there is a much more polished feel to the communities that gives it a feeling of wealth and luxury.

First off, I've found the dining in LV to be good, but not necessarily at the level of NYC. It seems that, as a newer city, LV tends to emulate what has worked in NYC, SF, LA and other cities, but it doesn't always work as well. Plus, much of the best dining is in hotels on the Strip, which makes things inconvenient.
The emphasis on status may stem form such a large percentage of LV residents having come from California, especially SoCal. The same has been said for the Phoenix area for the same reasons. It's certainly one of the drawbacks of living in LV.

[olecapt]

Nice Summary -

one detail Albuquerque is less than half the size of Las Vegas presuming the metro definition. Actually Clark County has more population than the state of New Mexico I believe.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by LIS123

[The upscale shopping and dining that you'll find in Las Vegas is on par with cities like New York and LA, whereas Albuquerque feels much more like a small town in comparison, even though the populations of the two aren't that much different. People in Las Vegas pay more attention to style, status symbols, etc, than in NM. Even in the middle class areas of Las Vegas, there is a much more polished feel to the communities that gives it a feeling of wealth and luxury.

First off, I've found the dining in LV to be good, but not necessarily at the level of NYC. It seems that, as a newer city, LV tends to emulate what has worked in NYC, SF, LA and other cities, but it doesn't always work as well. Plus, much of the best dining is in hotels on the Strip, which makes things inconvenient.
The emphasis on status may stem form such a large percentage of LV residents having come from California, especially SoCal. The same has been said for the Phoenix area for the same reasons. It's certainly one of the drawbacks of living in LV.

I am an old NYC boy and I will argue some of this. I think the best food is an argument that has to be settled night by night. Las Vegas on a good night is quite good. NYC on a bad night can be awful. I think there is still more to NYC than to LV but that is about it. I strongly disagree that the the hotels on the strip are inconvenient. Relative to what? Ever do a midtown NY restaurant from Kew Gardens or Mineola? Or a La Cienega spot from Long Beach or Orange County? Las Vegas actually has most of the other places beaten hands down on convenience and you won't have to pay $15 an hour to park.

As to the status stuff you should come out and live in the NW - with all the cowboys. We generally avoid most of that. In fact the yuppies kind of turn up their noses at it...too chaotic...no CC&Rs. Note the old cowboys are being driven out mostly. One of the places they head is the rurals outside of Albuquerque. The other place though is Pahrump.

I think LV is the town built by and for the yuppies and that is where a lot of these perceptions come from. It actually a midwesterners version of CA.

[radraja]

I don't have a ton of experience with NM, but from my impressions, New Mexico has more culture and is slightly more family-oriented.

But Vegas has so much more in terms of nightlife, dining, entertainment, shopping, and job opportunities. We basically have all the luxuries of living in a city like NYC or LA, but without the traffic and high costs of living. There's also the added benefit of having neighborhood/towns within Vegas - they break up the city a little bit, and give it a more homey feel. Vegas is also boasts a really diverse population of people from all over the country and world.

And you can, of course, find great family life in Vegas, if you're willing to look for it. As I've mentioned on other posts, there IS stuff out here for families. Free lawn concerts in the summer, lots of parks and bike trails. Skiing or hiking in Mount Charleston. Boating on Lake Mead. Youth sports are really popular too.

I'm not saying that you should choose Vegas. I'm just sharing what I know (I unfortunately don't know enough about NM to give a balanced comparison).

[Alecia_wms]

thanks for replying you guys. how is the traffic from henderson to LV? Are jobs in Hendersonor does it require driving outward to work

Thanks again!!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Alecia_wms

thanks for replying you guys. how is the traffic from henderson to LV? Are jobs in Hendersonor does it require driving outward to work

Thanks again!!

Henderson is LV. They are all the same place. The strip in fact is in unincorporated Clark County and is not in the City of LV.

Portions of Henderson are very convenient to the strip. Fifteen minutes or so. The extreme areas might take a half hour or a little more in the rush hour.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Alecia_wms

hey everyone,

I am looking to move west and I have family in ABQ and LV. I have never been to either but am definitely planning trips to view both. But I would like an unbiased viewpoint from individuals who have lived in both places or at least visited ABQ for a long while enough to make a VALID comparison. Looking forward to viewing what you have to say!!

Time to scratch that time-to-change itch ASAP!!

Alecia

I'm normally the second longest Las Vegas resident on this forum. In '88 I was transferred to New Mexico to run the TV station in Santa Fe. We lived in Albuquerque and I commuted when I needed to be in Santa Fe. We came back here in '91, but go back to visit fairly often. Financially you would probably do better in Las Vegas, depending on what it is you do. Albuquerque has always run toward boom or bust, where Las Vegas is more often boom with only small downturns. But Albuq. has a lot in common with Las Vegas. Also a lot of very nice differences. For one thing, it is high desert so the climate is milder. Albuquerque (Correctly, it should be spelled Alburquerque), is a mile high city like Denver, and has four seasons. Summers are not nearly as hot as here though. Like Vegas, there is no humidity, but they get twice the rainfall at 8 inches a year to our 4. It's closer to the mountains so they get snow but not a lot. Albuquerque has more culture in a few square blocks than the whole state of Nevada. I don't mean that critically, it just is. Santa Fe, the state capitol, argues that they, not St. Augustine, have the oldest city in the U.S. Maybe, maybe not, but the history in that area goes way beyond what we have here, or even what they have in New England. Europeans were in that area in the early 1500's, way before the Pilgrims landed on that rock. Albuquerque is 300 years old, Santa Fe is over 400. Whatever happens in Santa Fe has always rubbed off on Albuquerque so the cultural opportunities are similar. Santa Fe is the get away for Albuq. It's a 45 to 60 min drive straight up I-25, and is the third largest art market in the country with a population of around 60,000. There are at least 10,000 artists in the area. Santa Fe has an opera second only to New York's. There is a state highway sign as you enter Santa Fe that says they have 191 restaurants or something to that effect. It is impossible to get a bad meal in either Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Food is mostly a gourmet blend of Spanish, Anglo. Indian, and Mexican, although all other nations are represented there. Santa Fe has something like seven museums. Albuquerque has two or three I believe, maybe more. Albuq. also has a very fine zoo, as well as the famous Old Town Plaza. There is always some kind of entertainment going on in the area. There are some nice Indian casinos there, and the Indian culture is fascinating. There are 19 pueblos left out of hundreds that once existed, and they are the descendants of the Anasazi. Other tribes such as the Apache and the Navajo have large reservations nearby. The Navajo Reservation in the four corners area is the size of the State of West Virginia. We have great scenery in Nevada, but IMO New Mexico's is even better. There are more outdoor activities, more cultural activities, 100 times more historical sites, more art, and more interesting things to do in New Mexico. Until you've eaten at Café Pasqual in Santa Fe, you haven't lived. Until you have seen nearly 1000 beautiful hot air balloons in the sky overhead all at once you ain't seen nuthin.

I could go on and on about Northern New Mexico, but I'll just stop with this. Maybe this is because of the saying that once you have drunk from the waters of the Rio Grande you will always return. If I could have a do over, I would have stayed in Albuquerque instead of coming back to Las Vegas...and I love Las Vegas.

[Alecia_wms]

Wow........