For those of you that have visited and then lived in Vegas (Las Vegas: new house, construction)
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I think it depends on where you are moving from. I moved to Las Vegas from Cleveland back in 2003. I left Vegas for New Jersey in 2010.
What I loved:
The weather. Moving from Cleveland, March can still be a miserable month of the year the temp can swing from 30-60 degrees in a day or two. Feb and March in Vegas are absolutely beautiful and comfortable. Yes, the summers are hot, but I adapted to it well.
The scenery. Palm trees, mountains, huge blue sky. Its a scenic and beautiful place to live once you get used to the lack of greenery.
The attitude. There is an overall live and let live feel. Nevada has sort of a libertarian vibe which I like.
Never bored. My weekends were full of either hiking mount charleston or chillin on my buddies boat in lake mead. Recreation is abundant and in the seven years I lived there I never felt like there was nothing to do.
Traffic. Though many people tell you the traffic is horrible, the roads are really wide and I never thought the traffic was awful. I was back in Vegas last year for work and spent a week commuting from Henderson to the office we have in Spring Valley. It was heavy, but not bad. Keep in mind, ive acclimated to New Jersey traffic, so I might be not be the best gauge. If you are coming form LA or Phoenix, you will consider Las Vegas traffic easily managed.
Local governement. I found the mayor, city council, and county commissioners to be very engaging and responsive. They were heavily envolved with the community and there was an overall feel that they wanted to make quality of life for the residence an absolute goal.
Pro business. This ties in with local government. The pro-business / entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well when I was living there.
What I did not like about Las Vegas:
Transient nature. Many of the people I formed connnections with moved on to other places. People seem to come and go quite a bit in Vegas, but I was among them so...
Tourism. Its not easy living in a big tourist town. Hard to put my finger on why, but It all seemed like too much. Sounds stupid considering its Las Vegas. Of course its a tourist town and I knew that moving there.
Culture. Being a tourist town, there is not much sense of identity for the community. Casinos are the main focus. I understand this has changed a bit since I moved away. The Smith Center and other venues have opened that allow for some more cultural experiences.
Urban Sprawl. Vegas is very spread out. It feels like one strip mall after the other and every corner seems to be a mix of gas stations and fast food joints. It can have a very suburban and dull feeling. This would depend on where you are moving here from.
All in all, I never regret the time I spent in Las Vegas. I was a bit over Vegas when I left, but it was during the economic downturn and my employer moved me out to the East Coast. It allowed me to save my job. Life is much different here in New Jersey, but no better or worse. I have a great job now, but it all started in Vegas. I still have some very close friends there who I still stay in touch with and see when I can. I do miss it sometimes, but can always visit and im back frequently for work and trade shows. I hope you make the move and enjoy it. Its a special place like no other.
One important thing I missed. If you are enchanted by Vegas because you visited on a vacation and think... "I should move here"; remember life in Vegas will not be a party or vacation. Once you get into the daily grind of work, commuting, paying bills, etc..., all of the gilts and glamour of the strip and the beauty of being away from home and on vacation is not what your daily life in Vegas will be.
I was in Key West last year and loved every second of it. Did not mean that I should pack-up and move there.
Some great replies on here but no one has mentioned something I never thought of before moving and now miss. The foods I became accustomed to while living in the mid-west. I have yet to find a deep red, tasty juicy tomato. Talked to produce managers and they say all they can get are the little pink tasteless kind. In Ohio, I grew to love lake fish. Las Vegas has no idea what perch are. The east and mid-west have chains of Frisches Big Boy restaurants and Bob Evans and their products. Unheard of here. I'd give a bundle for a delicious coney island hotdog with meat sauce and here they claim they have them when what it happens to be is a strong beefy tasting kosher weiner with beans. Clam strips are impossible to find and so is Cantonese chow mein.
I also did not know the winds could be so strong and that golf course communities are attractions for wild coyotes. Or that it is wise to knock your shoes out before putting them on because there are ugly lobster looking insects called scorpions. And silly me, I packed and brought along a horde of gardening tools only to learn we do not have soil in our yards. It's cliche and mountain top.
Love Las Vegas and never regret spending 4 days on the road to get here.
Some great replies on here but no one has mentioned something I never thought of before moving and now miss. The foods I became accustomed to while living in the mid-west. I have yet to find a deep red, tasty juicy tomato. Talked to produce managers and they say all they can get are the little pink tasteless kind. In Ohio, I grew to love lake fish. Las Vegas has no idea what perch are. The east and mid-west have chains of Frisches Big Boy restaurants and Bob Evans and their products. Unheard of here. I'd give a bundle for a delicious coney island hotdog with meat sauce and here they claim they have them when what it happens to be is a strong beefy tasting kosher weiner with beans. Clam strips are impossible to find and so is Cantonese chow mein.
I also did not know the winds could be so strong and that golf course communities are attractions for wild coyotes. Or that it is wise to knock your shoes out before putting them on because there are ugly lobster looking insects called scorpions. And silly me, I packed and brought along a horde of gardening tools only to learn we do not have soil in our yards. It's cliche and mountain top.
Love Las Vegas and never regret spending 4 days on the road to get here.
Grow your own tomatoes. You have to replace that yellow, lifeless dirt though, and put in a cheap drip irrigation system. Google " sweet tomato test garden Las Vegas " for more LV gardening advice. Sadly, I can't help you with Perch. Lake Mead has bass and trout, but no perch.
Scorpions aren't insects. Wrong number of legs. They are terrifying denizens of hell that I've never seen in my vicinity ( Thank The Good Dude ) . Diatomaceous earth and kitty cats help to control the population of said nightmare inducing beasts, but mercifully it has never come up in my lifetime here.
The wind sucks. It is either a hair dryer blowing in your face or a whip-sharp, dry, bitter wind that makes you feel like your skin is being flayed.
Right now, we are entering the pleasant season, and I am very happy about that. Vegas is wonderful in the fall.
Grow your own tomatoes. You have to replace that yellow, lifeless dirt though, and put in a cheap drip irrigation system. Google " sweet tomato test garden Las Vegas " for more LV gardening advice. Sadly, I can't help you with Perch. Lake Mead has bass and trout, but no perch.
Scorpions aren't insects. Wrong number of legs. They are terrifying denizens of hell that I've never seen in my vicinity ( Thank The Good Dude ) . Diatomaceous earth and kitty cats help to control the population of said nightmare inducing beasts, but mercifully it has never come up in my lifetime here.
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Right now, we are entering the pleasant season, and I am very happy about that. Vegas is wonderful in the fall.
I love the wind especially during Spring, late Summer and Fall. I don't mind it at all. It has been beautiful this week, Summer is on its way out. Be thankful we don't have to deal with Tornado, Hurricane, Storm surge/flooding and Sinkhole in Clark County.
As far as the little critters, I have wild geckos taking care of that outside. Occasional spraying of insecticide will take care of the problem especially toward the back of my unit, I try not to do it in front of my condo, that is where the geckos are feasting on unwanted critters. I also keep the porch clean on a daily basis. Being clean makes a big difference. I also empty the kitchen garbage can on a daily basis. No food smell nor food scraps in my unit, those invite critters.
I no longer garden near my unit, the more you disturb the ground the more the critters surface. My front yard is already beautifully landscaped. There is no need for me to do some digging.
As an aside, two years in a row I have tried growing Big Boy tomatoes in containers. I baby them and nurture them and still no luck. They grow to be about 5 feet tall and put out loads of less than golf ball size tomatoes. Even tried a gardening suggestion of epsom salts. This summer it was so hot, they cooked up on the plant. Yet not a brown leaf. It breaks my heart to pitch them at the end of August without gaining one tomato so I will not go down that path next year.
We've only moved here last week. Right now the worse things I can say about this is the extended stay is crappy. Also traffic, and the lights. What's up with the long red lights? I mean I know I'm going to complain about traffic no matter where I'm living, but what's up with the lights?
Love the part about living around the desert, nice views, also lightning storms are cool to watch.
I think it depends on where you are moving from. I moved to Las Vegas from Cleveland back in 2003. I left Vegas for New Jersey in 2010.
What I loved:
The weather. Moving from Cleveland, March can still be a miserable month of the year the temp can swing from 30-60 degrees in a day or two. Feb and March in Vegas are absolutely beautiful and comfortable. Yes, the summers are hot, but I adapted to it well.
The scenery. Palm trees, mountains, huge blue sky. Its a scenic and beautiful place to live once you get used to the lack of greenery.
The attitude. There is an overall live and let live feel. Nevada has sort of a libertarian vibe which I like.
Never bored. My weekends were full of either hiking mount charleston or chillin on my buddies boat in lake mead. Recreation is abundant and in the seven years I lived there I never felt like there was nothing to do.
Traffic. Though many people tell you the traffic is horrible, the roads are really wide and I never thought the traffic was awful. I was back in Vegas last year for work and spent a week commuting from Henderson to the office we have in Spring Valley. It was heavy, but not bad. Keep in mind, ive acclimated to New Jersey traffic, so I might be not be the best gauge. If you are coming form LA or Phoenix, you will consider Las Vegas traffic easily managed.
Local governement. I found the mayor, city council, and county commissioners to be very engaging and responsive. They were heavily envolved with the community and there was an overall feel that they wanted to make quality of life for the residence an absolute goal.
Pro business. This ties in with local government. The pro-business / entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well when I was living there.
What I did not like about Las Vegas:
Transient nature. Many of the people I formed connnections with moved on to other places. People seem to come and go quite a bit in Vegas, but I was among them so...
Tourism. Its not easy living in a big tourist town. Hard to put my finger on why, but It all seemed like too much. Sounds stupid considering its Las Vegas. Of course its a tourist town and I knew that moving there.
Culture. Being a tourist town, there is not much sense of identity for the community. Casinos are the main focus. I understand this has changed a bit since I moved away. The Smith Center and other venues have opened that allow for some more cultural experiences.
Urban Sprawl. Vegas is very spread out. It feels like one strip mall after the other and every corner seems to be a mix of gas stations and fast food joints. It can have a very suburban and dull feeling. This would depend on where you are moving here from.
All in all, I never regret the time I spent in Las Vegas. I was a bit over Vegas when I left, but it was during the economic downturn and my employer moved me out to the East Coast. It allowed me to save my job. Life is much different here in New Jersey, but no better or worse. I have a great job now, but it all started in Vegas. I still have some very close friends there who I still stay in touch with and see when I can. I do miss it sometimes, but can always visit and im back frequently for work and trade shows. I hope you make the move and enjoy it. Its a special place like no other.
you hit it on the nose!! I'm also from Cleveland.....
Love the weather (as I get older the heat bugs me a little jun-aug) but compare to Cleveland.. its great
Traffic... definitely worse than Cleveland.. and more and more people are moving here....for me, its 45minutes minimum to the strip due to the construction.. I am in the northwest
People... thats my biggest issue...people in the midwest in my opinion are much much friendlier... everyone to themselves here and circles about money.. sorry but Summerlin wins for snobbiness.
Culture... a little better now than it was
Crime... better than Cleveland
Cost of Living... way better than Cleveland
HOA's... absolutely despise them
ill probably be here only a couple more years and head back to the midwest (not Ohio though)... figure in a year or two, I can sell the house and take the equity and buy one free and clear elsewhere..
We've only moved here last week. Right now the worse things I can say about this is the extended stay is crappy. Also traffic, and the lights. What's up with the long red lights? I mean I know I'm going to complain about traffic no matter where I'm living, but what's up with the lights?
Love the part about living around the desert, nice views, also lightning storms are cool to watch.
Wait till you move somewhere and then notice construction on the same road over and over again. They take forever to "fix" it, only to have to do some more fixing a few months down the road
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