[Rwarky]

Is living in Las Vegas overrated? Please list the pros and cons of living in this city.

[RedWingsFan]

Yes, it's overrated. While thousands move to Vegas each month there are thousands that also move away each month because they realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. Here's some of my reasons:

I lived in Vegas for over 9 years (just moved away 2 months ago). I didn't like it there, there are a lot of problems with this city. If you have kids you especially do not want to raise them in this city. While it was just me and my husband it wasn't as bad but now that I have kids I will not raise them here.

Lots of crime. The state of Nevada was named the most dangerous state in the country for the third year in a row.

Lots of gang activity and graffitti everywhere.

It's not cheap to live here anymore. Housing has gotten out of control and apartments are getting hard for people to find because so many are being converted into condos and sold. As of this month the average price of a home is $309,000. That's not cheap. This city used to be a decent cheap place to buy a home. Not anymore.

Lots of homeless bums that want your money so they can drink and gamble it away. The city builds parks for kids and they can't use them because they are filled with bums using them as hotels. You can't leave your house without someone asking you for your money.

The school system is awful. The schools here are ranked 48th state out of 50. They are really bad!

The city has been over taken by illegal Mexican immigrants. The school system is now a minority majority district. Over 52% of the 300,000 students in the district are Mexican, many of whom can't or won't speak English. So the city caters to the Spanish speaking. There are even public schools here where half the day is taught in Spanish and half is taught in English.

**** everywhere. You would think it would be kept to the strip, but it's not. There are skanky billboards and posters everywhere. Two weekends ago we attended a family activity - it was a 2pm hockey game, attended by many families and kids. There were TWO strip clubs on-site promoting their strip club. Not a family-friendly place.

Government corruption - the politicians in this city are so corrupt it's nuts. They are always getting in trouble for taking money and bribes for things.

Summers are a living hell. It will be over 110 degrees... I don't care if it's a "dry heat" it's a HOT heat. Like sticking your head in an oven when you walk outside. It's very uncomfortable.

Medical - In 9 years I haven't been able to find a good family physician. Many of the doctors have left this town due to the rise in medical mailpractice rates going up.

Anything you want to do in this town involves going to a casino. Bowling, movies, etc. you pretty much need to go to a smoke-filled casino to do those things. Personally I'm not into the casino scene so that gets old.

Jobs. This city has jobs...but... most are in the service industry and many are being filled by illegal immigrants. Tons of jobs in housecleaning the hotel rooms, serving up drinks, waitressing, etc. There is a lot of building going on, but don't look to get a construction job, they are all going to illegal immigrants who will do it for a fraction of the cost that you will do it for.

HOA's - they will kill you with the amount of money you have to pay them each month so they can tell you how you must live.

I could go on and on with what's wrong with this city. But you all get the point. If you do still decide to come here only look to move to the Summerlin or Green Valley areas. Summerlin is the nicest by far. But it will cost you to move there.

Some of the pros? Hiking in Red Rock Canyon is the best thing around there! It's wonderful and I will miss it a lot. The Dam is really cool as well. I also like the wide open spaces with so many lights, that's really pretty at night. Also, I never had a hard time finding a good paying job in that city- it's got a good supply of jobs. I enjoyed earning my degree at UNLV and thought it to be a good university. It's a great city to have company visit you in, there's always some way to entertain them.

:-)

[MoMark]

I lived there for five years and I LOVED it! Las Vegas was my favorite place to live in my 43 years except for where I live now. I love the open vistas, blue skies, dramatic topography of the sharp mountains surrounding the city in broad outline, the drama of the lights on the Strip in the center of the valley that make for wonderful nighttime views, as well as serving as directional markers when you drive around and need to figure out direction. Just look at where the Stratosphere Tower versus the Luxor is and you'll know where you are. I like the summer dry heat, the lack of flying bugs, the warmth at night, the general overall stucco/Mediterranean architecture, the casinos for buffets and entertainment, etc. I never once experienced any crime there and I find the Strip to be almost Disneyland clean and tidy, and my neighborhood there was also very well taken care of. There's all the shopping you need, it's a short drive to Primm on the California border for outlet shopping, you can get anywhere in town on the beltway (though traffic is an issue almost everywhere now). There's not much I don't like about living in Las Vegas. I left not because I didn't like it, but because of the housing bubble and I was afraid if I waited to sell for too long I'd miss the opportunity to cash out of the ridiculous price surges. In hindsight, I timed it perfectly as the house I sold is now valued almost $25,000 less than I sold it for. I had dreams of a country home on acreage in the Midwest, so that's what I did, but... I love Las Vegas and truly enjoyed living there. People either hate or love it. I loved it.

[olecapt]

Our Vegas basher having gotten in the first licks a little reality.

Las Vegas is a Southwestern city. It is very much like the other such cities.

Its primary industry is entertainment. That is a nice side benefit but has its down side. If you like to gamble be very cautious. On the other side it is our industry. And you can ignore it as you might any other industry.

The town does run 24 hours. So you can do many tasks whenever you like.

The schools are quite similar to the rest of the SW neither better nor worse. The good suburban schools are interchangable with their equivalents elsewhere. The district is a little less than 40% hispanic of which about 2/3 are American born. So hispanic illegals are someplace less than 15% of the school population. Not to be ignored but not an over-powering problem.

Hispanic immigrants are a mixed construct. They provide some stress on the society, particularly the schools. They hold costs down though over the years the wage of the illegal has risen. It now is $12 to $15 an hour to get a couple of guys to do your yard cleanup.

Crime rate is not great but reasonably good. Better than most of the eastern cities.

Corruption in government does occur. About the same as in most cities I know of...corruptions follows the money.

Housing is half that of California twice that of the less expensive midwest.

The heat is to be reckoned with. Something like 20% of the people who come here leave within a couple of years over the temperatures. I personally prefer it to hot and wet places. Your mileage may vary.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by MoMark

People either hate or love it. I loved it.

That is absolutely true! There's nobody really in the middle. People usually love it or hate. It varies even in the same household. While I didn't like it, my husband did. Although he agreed it's not a city to raise kids in and therefore we moved.

[UB50]

I hated it.

I love this quote:

it's a short drive to Primm on the California border for outlet shopping

Oh yeah! If you are in the market for a $2500 Versace dress marked down to $1250! That's hardly outlet shopping they have in Primm! It's nothing but very high-end designers who probably put stores in that area so they could write off trips to Vegas!

There is an outlet mall on the outskirts of Las Vegas that is a lot more like what people think outlet shopping is. It actually has things people can afford.

I also remember doing one of those tasks you can do 24-hours a day: grocery shopping. We spent over an hour picking out the stuff we wanted to buy and right when we were in the last aisle of the store, the management hustled us out. Someone had called in a bomb threat. Was there a bomb? No. Did we go home without groceries? Yes.

Las Vegas is loads of fun to visit but it is one place I would never want to live in again!

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by UB50

Las Vegas is loads of fun to visit but it is one place I would never want to live in again!

I agree. The outlet stores out by Primm stink. I wouldn't waste the gas money driving out there. I think they are primarily there to give the California tourist a break along their drive (and take some of their money).

Vegas is a nice place to visit...once or twice... but not to live...

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by UB50

I hated it.

I love this quote:


Oh yeah! If you are in the market for a $2500 Versace dress marked down to $1250! That's hardly outlet shopping they have in Primm! It's nothing but very high-end designers who probably put stores in that area so they could write off trips to Vegas!

There is an outlet mall on the outskirts of Las Vegas that is a lot more like what people think outlet shopping is. It actually has things people can afford.

I also remember doing one of those tasks you can do 24-hours a day: grocery shopping. We spent over an hour picking out the stuff we wanted to buy and right when we were in the last aisle of the store, the management hustled us out. Someone had called in a bomb threat. Was there a bomb? No. Did we go home without groceries? Yes.

Las Vegas is loads of fun to visit but it is one place I would never want to live in again!

Pass the grain of salt. Did the cops come? The fire trucks? the Bomb squad? Did you call 911 to verify it was for real? If it was for real the show is worth the price. If no show someone took advantage of you.

Often they end up surrounding a back pack or an attache case. Which turns out to have someones lunch. Enjoy the weirdness of life.

[chantelle_sa]

Hi, can anyone suggest a good doctor. i know there must be many. i am new to the area, and would love a recommendation. thanks. beth

[UB50]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Pass the grain of salt. Did the cops come? The fire trucks? the Bomb squad? Did you call 911 to verify it was for real? If it was for real the show is worth the price. If no show someone took advantage of you.

Often they end up surrounding a back pack or an attache case. Which turns out to have someones lunch. Enjoy the weirdness of life.

This was years before 9/11. I don't know if the cops came or anything else because we went home after that. It didn't make any sense to sit in the parking lot and wait.