[islanders2021]

Looking for advice from locals and/or transplants who've lived in the Vegas area for a while.

Single male/early 50s from NYC. Planning on relocating eventually (no set time table). Exploring possible cities and Vegas is on my list. Recently spent a few days in the Ft. Lauderdale area also exploring various cities/towns, especially areas with condos (I'll eventually be buying a 1br hopefully for under $300k). I'm a man of simple means!

Been to Vegas many times. Strip. So been there/done that. I'll be renting a car and will have 3 days to drive the heck wherever I want in the valley/surrounding areas. I really want to see the nitty/gritty, if you will, of off the strip Vegas and to see how the locals do it. Traffic patterns, coffee shops, supermarkets, the hood! Lol. I want to see the good and the bad. All of it. During the day and at night.

So how would you spend your 3 days by car?

Thanks.

[Chappy2017]

We live in N Las Vegas near the VA, in a 55+ community. The area is growing and I know there are condos around the Decatur/215 area, great shopping.
My spouse is an RN at the VA, so 6 years ago this was a good choice for us. Now that my spouse is retiring, I would like a condo, 1 bdrm, 1 and a half baths, not over 895 sq ft. We have 1811 sq ft and cleaning is a thing when you hit 61. We have been looking at the Turnberry, The One, The Sky, and the Martin—also the Ogden, near Fremont.
I'm sure everyone will recommend, Henderson and Summerlin. I like both, but Henderson is too far out for what we enjoy, and with vision problems, we use Uber when we go anywhere outside of grocery shopping.
I lived in Miami, Coconut Grove area, in the 80s. I really liked Ft. Lauderdale, but that was years ago, when I was young and handsome, lol. I will say 6 years here and I still love it! I do want something smaller, even if the HOA dues are higher. If it were just me, I would look for a studio, 545-635 sq ft. Palms and Trump Towers have those for under 300,000. I'm not sure what the HOA dues are, but the Trump Towers is a great location, right across from the Wynn. Shopping would be a problem for me, but then I only eat one meal a day and I would probably do that out. The Walgreens and CVS on the Strip have all the essentials one would need. The simpler your life is, the more time you have to enjoy what you like about Vegas. You may want to check out Green Valley in Henderson since you drive.

[movin1]

I lived in Naples, FL for five years, I couldn't stand the humidity - Vegas works much better for me. I explored the options when I moved here. I like the northwest corner (Providence), just east of there (Aliante), Summerlin and Henderson. I'm in 89052 area now. Everything I need is close and convenient, but many areas of Vegas/Henderson are like that. Condo HOA fees are too much IMO, but they are everywhere, not just here. I owned a condo in a high rise building in Chicago, I'll never do that again. Be sure you know exactly what the housing budget includes. I'd rather own a house (and do), property taxes are low here. Power bills just doubled recently, but are still reasonable. Be careful in the bad areas at night.

Get info from a realtor before you come, ask about buying something in your price range and get zip codes to explore. It's not possible to get in to see gated communities without a realtor.

3 days is not a lot, I'd add a few more if you can. It takes time to drive from one are to the next and explore. I'd stay in the Summerlin area so you can drive north one day and south the next. Drive around Desert Shores, it's nice, reminds me of Florida. Folks here say to avoid the Nellis area (Northeast corner), but obviously people live there.

Have you ever been here in the summer when it's very hot? It's too much for some people, I find it easier to tolerate summers here vs Florida due to the high dew points there.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by islanders2021

Looking for advice from locals and/or transplants who've lived in the Vegas area for a while.

Single male/early 50s from NYC. Planning on relocating eventually (no set time table). Exploring possible cities and Vegas is on my list. Recently spent a few days in the Ft. Lauderdale area also exploring various cities/towns, especially areas with condos (I'll eventually be buying a 1br hopefully for under $300k). I'm a man of simple means!

If you can raise your budget you'll have a much better outcome.

Originally Posted by islanders2021

Been to Vegas many times. Strip. So been there/done that. I'll be renting a car and will have 3 days to drive the heck wherever I want in the valley/surrounding areas. I really want to see the nitty/gritty, if you will, of off the strip Vegas and to see how the locals do it. Traffic patterns, coffee shops, supermarkets, the hood! Lol. I want to see the good and the bad. All of it. During the day and at night.

So how would you spend your 3 days by car?

Thanks.

In the pic below, explore the area called "West Las Vegas." Also, at that same latitude, explore east of I-15.




In the pic below, explore "The State Streets" and also "Downtown South":

[islanders2021]

Originally Posted by movin1

I lived in Naples, FL for five years, I couldn't stand the humidity - Vegas works much better for me. I explored the options when I moved here. I like the northwest corner (Providence), just east of there (Aliante), Summerlin and Henderson. I'm in 89052 area now. Everything I need is close and convenient, but many areas of Vegas/Henderson are like that. Condo HOA fees are too much IMO, but they are everywhere, not just here. I owned a condo in a high rise building in Chicago, I'll never do that again. Be sure you know exactly what the housing budget includes. I'd rather own a house (and do), property taxes are low here. Power bills just doubled recently, but are still reasonable. Be careful in the bad areas at night.

Get info from a realtor before you come, ask about buying something in your price range and get zip codes to explore. It's not possible to get in to see gated communities without a realtor.

3 days is not a lot, I'd add a few more if you can. It takes time to drive from one are to the next and explore. I'd stay in the Summerlin area so you can drive north one day and south the next. Drive around Desert Shores, it's nice, reminds me of Florida. Folks here say to avoid the Nellis area (Northeast corner), but obviously people live there.

Have you ever been here in the summer when it's very hot? It's too much for some people, I find it easier to tolerate summers here vs Florida due to the high dew points there.

Thanks for the tips. I'm not in the buying window now so not looking at actual condos. I'm more exploring neighborhoods at this point. For down the line. Could be later this year or 5 years from now. No idea. I have an elderly parent I care for.

3 days will be plenty. I hit every inch of Broward/Palm counties in 2 days when I was in FL a few weeks ago.

Yea both Vegas and Florida heat and summers are rough but so is NYC. Brutal. Maybe worse because the heat can't escape since it's all tall buildings. 95 degrees with 90% humidity is the norm from July to Sept. And then sub zero wind chill and mountains of snow in the Winter. The NorthEast has the worst weather in the country. Trust me.

[cunningja]

We retired to Vegas 2 years ago from Maryland, and couldn't be happier...we fell in love with the NW portion of the valley, just east of Skye Canyon, which is a up and coming area with lots of new construction and everything we need within 5-10 min drive.

[homerboy]

Originally Posted by islanders2021

Yea both Vegas and Florida heat and summers are rough but so is NYC. Brutal. Maybe worse because the heat can't escape since it's all tall buildings. 95 degrees with 90% humidity is the norm from July to Sept. And then sub zero wind chill and mountains of snow in the Winter. The NorthEast has the worst weather in the country. Trust me.

Completely agree. I went to grad school in Boston for 4 years. Summers are hot and humid, 90s and near 100% humidity. Step outside for a few minutes and come back inside drenched with sweat. Winters 20s/30s for highs with 20+ inch snow storms the norm. Can't really remember if there was ever a true Spring or Fall. Don't think I'll ever live in the NE ever again.

[islanders2021]

Originally Posted by homerboy

Completely agree. I went to grad school in Boston for 4 years. Summers are hot and humid, 90s and near 100% humidity. Step outside for a few minutes and come back inside drenched with sweat. Winters 20s/30s for highs with 20+ inch snow storms the norm. Can't really remember if there was ever a true Spring or Fall. Don't think I'll ever live in the NE ever again.

There's def no Spring anymore. Maybe a week in June at the most. Then to the heat. However Autumn is still a great time of the year in the NE, especially around late Oct/early Nov before Thanksgiving. And then right into the blizzard.

[movin1]

In the five years I lived in Naples, many people noticed a change in the length of the hot/humid season. 90 degree or higher temperatures with a dew point of 75 degrees lasts almost 9 months a year now. Temperatures stay close to 90 degrees year round. People who lived there many years were leaving.

I lived in Central Illinois most of my life and wanted to escape cold and snowy winters. This winter Vegas has been much colder than normal, but it's still way better than most places. I really like the low dew points here, it makes a huge difference in comfort levels.

[cre8lite]

if vegas itself is too much "town" for you, you could always try pahrump:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/nevad...ye-county.html