[Upstateman92]

Every time I've gone I've loved the weather can't get enough of that dry heat

But a few questions I have about living there :

Do you need to do anything to your vehicle to " Sumerize" it or can I can take my pickup from the harsh winters of upstate New York and throw it into 115 heat ? Special type of engine oil / different Laurence technique etc

What is a swamp cooler , and what is there to know about cooling your apartment in the summer

How bad are the critters ? Am I gonna get bit by a poisonous spider in my bed or hiding in my shirt ?
What about a scorpion finding its way into my shoe or bed

How are the winters


I did a little research I understand that not far from the strip in the mountains it turns into forested mountains and snows in the winter.?

And lastly . Working at mccaren airport where should I look at renting an apartment ? I prefer a complex/community so I don't have to deal with a stand alone land lord

[foundapeanut]

You will burn through car batteries about every three years. Buy an AAA card. Otherwise changing oil at Jiffy Lube, they will put in what is appropriate for the weather.

You don't want a swamp cooler unless you work in a warehouse. They are worthless over 100 degrees. You don't want one where you live. You are moving to get away from humidity. Swamp coolers use a fan and water to cool. You might find them in homes built in the 50's.

I have lived here 17 years and have NEVER seen a Scorpion, Tarantula or any kind of snake. If you leave closed toed shoes outside, you will want to pound them by the heal before putting your foot in it. Scorpions like feet funk. So they can hide in them.

Winters are wonderful, you'll need a jacket but no bundling up. That is probably Mt Charlston you are thinking of. So you can be skiing here in the winter, come home and not have to deal with shoveling.

Up till June from here on out is wonderful here.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

Do you need to do anything to your vehicle to " Sumerize" it or can I can take my pickup from the harsh winters of upstate New York and throw it into 115 heat ? Special type of engine oil / different Laurence technique etc

In general you won't need a special type of engine oil. HOWEVER, you might have put in a different oil for the brutal winters of upstate New York in which case you might need an oil change to get back to normal oil. Just look at your truck's owner's manual. It will list viscosity ranges for expected ambient air temperature ranges.

In general, car batteries do not last as long here -- especially the "sealed" batteries. Figure 2 years on a battery. If you get 3 or 4, you are lucky. If you have the kind of battery where you can add water, then checking & adding distilled water will extend the life of the battery.

After a few years here, it is not uncommon for your tires to develop lots of hairline cracks in the sidewall.

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

What is a swamp cooler , and what is there to know about cooling your apartment in the summer

A swamp cooler is another name for an evaporative cooler. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler

I'm not aware of any apartments that have them. When you find them, I think they would be in a house. In apartment buildings, I think you'll find regular air conditioning instead.

The main thing about keeping an apartment cool is to remember that hot air rises, so don't be on the top floor. Bring a compass and make sure you do not have a unit with substantial west-facing glass. Ideally, your unit would have north facing glass and have shade on the west. Cooling it is mostly a matter of paying the electric bill.

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

How bad are the critters ? Am I gonna get bit by a poisonous spider in my bed or hiding in my shirt ?
What about a scorpion finding its way into my shoe or bed

In the summer, it is not uncommon to find cockroaches around. In certain residential areas you'll find scorpions. Rumor is they come in from Arizona on palm trees. You are very unlikely to be bit by a spider or stung by a scorpion. At the local Home Depot or Lowe's you can buy an ultraviolet flashlight and at night shine the light around. Scorpions are fluorescent at night so you will easily find them if they are there. Pick them up with a pair of needle-nose pliers and squish them.

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

How are the winters

By upstate New York standards, winters here are very mild. It will get down below freezing several times each winter. Once or twice it may get down to the low 20s. Once a decade or two it will snow.

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

I did a little research I understand that not far from the strip in the mountains it turns into forested mountains and snows in the winter.?

Yes. In fact, during the winter, you can go snow skiing in the morning -- and drive down & go water skiing on Lake Mead in the afternoon. I've never met anyone who has done it, but it is possible.

Lee Canyon - Home

https://www.mtcharlestonresort.com/m...-las-vegas.php

and a bit farther away:

Ski & Snowboarding Resort in Utah | Brian Head Resort

Mt. Baldy | Mountain Stats & Info | OnTheSnow

Note: we have "western snow." This is very different from "eastern snow." Most skiers prefer western snow as it is lighter, powderier, and with a lower moisture content compared to upstate New York.

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

And lastly . Working at mccaren airport where should I look at renting an apartment ? I prefer a complex/community so I don't have to deal with a stand alone land lord

Pull up Google Maps for Las Vegas. I'd suggest south and east of McCarran. When you go immediately north of McCarran, you'll find lower quality apartment complexes, lots of UNLV students, and some transients. Most things south of I-215 and east of I-15 are fine. There are other nice places too - I'm sure someone else will chime in.

[Upstateman92]

Thank you for all
The replies everyone ?

I can deal heat with no humidity but my favorite climate range is like 60-70 during the day 40s at night . I feel based off my research that would be fall and winter and spring in Vegas

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

Thank you for all
The replies everyone ?

I can deal heat with no humidity but my favorite climate range is like 60-70 during the day 40s at night . I feel based off my research that would be fall and winter and spring in Vegas

Four months you will be in heaven . The rest of the year is warm or hot.

You can go south and east or west . Pretty much stay near Trop or the 215. Trop area west of Decatur is fine or go to the 215 and anything between Stephanie and Fort Apache or further will work. IF you go that way stay near the 215. The 215 generally flows pretty well but getting to it from a few miles off can be a bear in the rush hours.

The cool places are up high. The commute however from those will be difficult. Over an hour to the airport. You can also find high out toward Pahrump...but again a long commute.

[FullArmor]

As far as vehicles go I always used an oil with a slightly heavier viscosity in the summer. Also, make sure you service your cooling system and use a high-quality antifreeze.

I used to find scorpions in swimming pools one and awhile. There were a lot of cases of homeowners having palms planted and they were full of them. But I never had one in my home or yard when I lived there. If it's a concern I'd just hire a monthly pest control service, or make sure the community you choose does.

Vegas winters are generally sunny, though some days will feel very cold just because the air is so dry, winters are extremely mild for the most part. I recall the average winter day to be between 50-60 degrees for a high.

If I were looking for an apartment I would strongly consider the Green Valley area off the beltway, or out by Rhoads Ranch. Both areas would be good for a commute to the airport.

[johninvegas]

When I lived in the southwest area of town, I never had a live scorpion in my home in 6 years. I did find a couple of dead ones in the garage before the rest of the subdivision was built out. I now live in the northwest and find them every couple of days in the yard and every now and then in the house.

The key to good scorpion control is don't buy a house with old, untrimmed palms, and use a good pest control service.

"Snow skiing in the morning and waterskiing in the afternoon" LOL! I guess you could do that, but the lake water temperatures when there is snow on the mountains is about 50 degrees. You'd definitely want a wet suit if you try that!

[orca17]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

Do you need to do anything to your vehicle to " Sumerize" it or can I can take my pickup from the harsh winters of upstate New York and throw it into 115 heat ? Special type of engine oil / different Laurence technique etc

This is more about traveling than summarizing your car, but...make sure to carry some water with you. You could get stranded for a while, and it gets very hot here. A dash cover and sun shade are essential for your interior. Always carry a dry washcloth in your car. Any chrome surfaces on the inside get extremely hot, and touching them with your bare hands after the vehicle has been sitting in the summer sun isn't a lot of fun. Also remember that the best parking place is the one in the shade, not the one nearest the door.


During the hottest part of the year is when we get most of our rainfall. It's best not to drive through water that is rushing down streets. We get flash flooding, because the ground is baked so hard by the sun that everything runs off.


Honestly, the worst part of the weather here is the wind, not the heat.

What is a swamp cooler , and what is there to know about cooling your apartment in the summer

Others have covered this, but just don't.

How bad are the critters ? Am I gonna get bit by a poisonous spider in my bed or hiding in my shirt ? What about a scorpion finding its way into my shoe or bed

I notice this more where I work (about 40 miles north of downtown, in open desert) than I do at home. I have never seen a scorpion or snake at home, have seen quite a few at work. As others have mentioned, scorpions seem to love palm trees, especially low growing ones. At work we get the annual migration of the tarantulas, going from higher elevation to lower as winter approaches. I have never seen one at home.

How are the winters

Generally mild, although it does get cold enough for a coat at times. Subfreezing temperatures happen, but they aren't frequent. Ditto snowfalls. We do get snow in the city, but not even every year. Last year, we had a few flurries but that was it. The surrounding mountains can get buried. During the winter months, sometimes you will see advisories that four-wheel drive or tire chains are required to go up Mount Charleston (where there is a great restaurant, BTW). The police stop people heading up that way to make sure that they are properly equipped. Mount Charleston provides a great respite from the heat during the summer (usually about 25 degrees cooler than the city), but winters can be a challenge up there.

I did a little research I understand that not far from the strip in the mountains it turns into forested mountains and snows in the winter.?

That would be Mount Charleston. North on US 95 until you see the signs for the turnoff. You will pass through a national forest on the way up. The mountain peak is just under 12,000 feet above sea level. About as high as you can go driving is about the 8,000 foot level or so.

And lastly . Working at mccaren airport where should I look at renting an apartment ? I prefer a complex/community so I don't have to deal with a stand alone land lord

I'm not an authority on apartments, so I will leave that to others.

[Upstateman92]

I'm sure this is a dumb question , but would it be possible for someone to live near mt charlston in higher elevation and commute to the airport ?

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

I'm sure this is a dumb question , but would it be possible for someone to live near mt charlston in higher elevation and commute to the airport ?

Minimum of an hour. Hour and a half in the rush hour. You can also find some higher ground on the way to Pahrump. But probably an hour commute. Less than Mt Charleston as you don't need to come through much of the congestion. Not sure you can find any conventional rentals though in that area.