[NLVgal]

I thought it was a fair assessment of Valley living. This place is NOT every city of its size, USA.

[qingguy]

We must have really gotten lucky, the schools (Elementary and now Middle) have been great. In-fact, I belive his middle school has been named a 5 star school. Teachers are great, administration is great and son is doing very well there, haven't seen his grades slip at all since we moved here three years ago. Guess we should knock on wood because I keep hearing about how bad the schools are.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by qingguy

We must have really gotten lucky, the schools (Elementary and now Middle) have been great. In-fact, I belive his middle school has been named a 5 star school. Teachers are great, administration is great and son is doing very well there, haven't seen his grades slip at all since we moved here three years ago. Guess we should knock on wood because I keep hearing about how bad the schools are.

It's the middle schools that are dismal. Some of the high schools, too. The magnet program is great.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by LV10101

I agree the school system has many contributors to the overall poor quality. Again reinvestment in to the community should be the most important thing.

I did some job comparison prior to moving here so I was aware, just pointing it out to other people possibly thinking about relocating to Las Vegas.

There are opinions and there are facts. You confuse the two.

Las Vegas is not a city of great drivers. Not a city of terrible drivers either. Fatality rates place it in the better half of US states. Accident rates place it around the middle...at the middle in Henderson a little worse in Las Vegas. No statistics for the County.

It pays reasonably well. Generally in the same range as Phoenix, Dallas LA, Riverside.

Its cost of living is not low. Just about on the US average. The cost of a house is about the middle for large US cities. Housing is affordable as the median salary and the median house allow a high proportion of the residents to own a home.

Car taxes are high. Everything else is low. The car thing is utterly over powered by the low property tax.

Gaming is less than 50% of the revenue on the strip. The money is made on entertainment, food and lodging. The percentage due to gaming decreases every year.

The schools cover a very wide range from awful to quite good. The schools in places like southern Henderson or Summerlin are fine. The schools in low socioeconomic minority neighborhoods are terrible. The school system as a whole performs about like the other very large school systems..NY and LA for instance.

And it is transient to a little less extent than Dallas TX is. For some years a lot of people came here. But mostly they don't leave. Place must have some charm.

[von949]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

It's the middle schools that are dismal. Some of the high schools, too. The magnet program is great.

Word.

This year is the first year that my daughter's grades have slipped. She went from A student to A-B student. Her math and science teachers assured me that this is good for her. They say it's better to be a solid B student that's consistently challenged daily than to be an A student that goes through the school year without being challenged. Some of the teachers have spoken "off the record" about how her previous teachers were teaching curriculum the wrong way or how they were just terrible teachers.

I love speaking frankly with teachers. Especially towards the end of the school year out in the parking lot with nobody around. You can get all of the juicy details of the school year...who got fired, this teacher hates this teacher, why the school has had three principals in one school year, which teacher has a gambling addiction... Stuff like that.

[FrostyToasty]

So "very high vehicle registration fees" is a minus but "no state income tax" is not a positive? I'm betting most will rather have no state income tax than have state income tax with lower vehicle registration.

Pay in Las Vegas is solid in comparison to other cities with similar cost of living.

Accident rates in Las Vegas is right at the US average. So drivers in Vegas is no better or worse than anywhere else.

[LV10101]

Originally Posted by lvoc

There are opinions and there are facts. You confuse the two.

Las Vegas is not a city of great drivers. Not a city of terrible drivers either. Fatality rates place it in the better half of US states. Accident rates place it around the middle...at the middle in Henderson a little worse in Las Vegas. No statistics for the County.

It pays reasonably well. Generally in the same range as Phoenix, Dallas LA, Riverside.

Its cost of living is not low. Just about on the US average. The cost of a house is about the middle for large US cities. Housing is affordable as the median salary and the median house allow a high proportion of the residents to own a home.

Car taxes are high. Everything else is low. The car thing is utterly over powered by the low property tax.

Gaming is less than 50% of the revenue on the strip. The money is made on entertainment, food and lodging. The percentage due to gaming decreases every year.

The schools cover a very wide range from awful to quite good. The schools in places like southern Henderson or Summerlin are fine. The schools in low socioeconomic minority neighborhoods are terrible. The school system as a whole performs about like the other very large school systems..NY and LA for instance.

And it is transient to a little less extent than Dallas TX is. For some years a lot of people came here. But mostly they don't leave. Place must have some charm.

lvoc...thanks for your OPINIONS on the subject.

Comparing fatality rates is not the only comparison to look at when talking about bad drivers in Las Vegas. Sorry but I have lived in many placed and have never remotely seen as many rear-end accidents than I see here in Las Vegas. I lived in plenty of places with crazy drivers, one being New Jersey, drive the New Jersey Turnpike and see some crazy stuff. You also have to compare weather with those fatalities you mention and the overall road condition...again go back East and see how the roads are in places like PA, NY, NJ and so on...we should be very thankful for the condition of most roads in Southern Nevada.

Pay doesn't compare in many areas...but again that is my opinion.

Cost of living is on average I will agree with you on that...but some things push that up. I will tell you my MPG on my car are much lower here in Las Vegas than in other cities I have lived in, possibly due to Las Vegas and their long, never ending red lights.

The car taxes (registration fee) is extremely high, much, much higher than the States of NJ, NY, WA...by the way WA doesn't have income taxes either. I believe a income tax is a more fair system than a high vehicle registration tax...more people would be paying a income tax.

Gaming is still by far the leader of revenue in Las Vegas, yes under 50% total but not one of those other things you mentioned makes up as much revenue as gaming...lets be honest.

The school system is awful...yes there are some limited good schools in Summerlin and Henderson but the majority are awful. Part of the real problem with the school system is allowing it to be a County school system...too big to fail...but failing.

[LV10101]

Originally Posted by FrostyToasty

So "very high vehicle registration fees" is a minus but "no state income tax" is not a positive? I'm betting most will rather have no state income tax than have state income tax with lower vehicle registration.

Pay in Las Vegas is solid in comparison to other cities with similar cost of living.

Accident rates in Las Vegas is right at the US average. So drivers in Vegas is no better or worse than anywhere else.

I disagree, I bet most people would rather pay the same amount in income tax they do in vehicle registration fees...why because its paid out over the whole year, not a lump sum. Furthermore an added income tax could be used for the lack luster school system we have here in Clark County.

Pay is lower...I've lived in 4 States in just over 4 years...pay is lower on average in Las Vegas.

[von949]

If a guy from Arizona rear ends a woman from Montana in Las Vegas, does this count against Las Vegas?

[Prosze]

What type of entertainment do you feel like you are missing or that you can only get on the strip?

"When you leave the Las Vegas Strip you realize this "city" is filled with nothing but strip malls and is lacking a real community feel in many ways." What would you need to make this city feel more like a community to/for you?