[TapEx]

Hi All,

My wife and I are 29 years old and we have been living in California since we were in our teens. A relocation opportunity just came up for me and I am excited about having a chance for us to venture out and experience life in Vegas (well... around Vegas is more like it). I have been doing some research on this forum and pretty much want to buy a place in Henderson, most likely in the Anthem area. We do not have kids yet but we are planning to have one very soon so living in an area with nice school is definitely a must.

I have couple of questions and I would really appreciate if I can get some answers..

1. My wife just read an article on MSN on places you shouldn't visit and Nevada was listed as a state that have high crime rate. My wife did grow up in Reno but that was more than a decade ago and she is really concern about that article. For folks that are living (or lived) in Henderson could you please comment on this?

2. Is it worth the extra money to live in Anthem area oppose to other part of Henderson? Houses in the Anthem area are generally more expensive than any other part of Henderson.

3. Is it really that hot in Vegas?

Thanks!

[airics]

can't tell you much about the crime since i am new here, but i believe that there is crime everywhere in a big city.. unless you are coming from a small town, i dont think you will notice much.
Schools- i dont have kids but the consensus here is that there are a few good schools (public) or a lot if you go private...
I don't know the Henderson area that much... we looked there and decided (by a large margin) to go to the NorthWest... I love it and have no regrets...
Is it hot... you bet it is... Last June, we were in the 120s... first thing we did is bought a walmart 15' round pool... (and i hate water)..it is an absolute must..

[jjameson922]

I don't know the actual crime statistics but I easily feel safer in Las Vegas than Reno.
Yes, it is extremely hot but with relative low humidity, it isn't that horrible. You can golf or play tennis in 90 degree Las Vegas heat whereas Florida would kill you at that temp.
Don't lock yourself into Anthem. Yes, it's nice but so are many other areas and many of them offer the same amenities.

[AA702]

I moved from the Bay Area (silicon valley) in 2002 and I have not looked back since. Crime is everywhere, just like the Bay Area.. there are pockets of bad areas (like richmond, east oakland, east palo alto etc..) and there are great pricey areas (atherton, woodside, los altos etc..). And there are many in the middle of the bunch. Las Vegas valley is about as big as Silicon Valley with less congestion and density...not to mention cheaper housing. For the same amount of $$$ you will have a larger, nicer and newer home. There are some good schools, and there are some bad schools just like the Bay Area, so you have to be choosy about what areas you look in. And yes, it is hot! If you love the weather in the the Bay Area, there really is no comparison because the summers are going to be 20+ degrees hotter, but everyone one in Las Vegas has A/C. Not everyone in the Bay Area has A/C because heat waves are rare. The quick fix for this is a swimming pool and there is not a shortage of those in the valley or I would be out of work! Its a different culture than the Bay Area, but its up to you to decide if you will fit in. Just don't nitpick and compare apples to oranges.. just my $.02

[lvlover]

Crime in Las Vegas is middle of the pack. Not good enough to brag about not bad enough to try and fix.

Nevada looks worse than it really is because it is very urban. Urban areas score worse for a number of reasons...Nevada is actually the third most urban state in the US after NY and CA. Basically virtually everyone lives in LV or Reno area.

There is little difference between the various nice areas of Las Vegas.

Anthem for instance is nice but very heavily hit by foreclosures. Seven Hills, Green Valley, Summerlin, Queens Ridge, Southern Highlands, Scotch 80, Sectoin 10, Lone Mountain, Northwest are all as nice in one way or another. The differentiation at the elementary level is negligible. It might make a difference for you but not for 10 or 12 years.

[flyingtigers]

Where in the Bay Area? I'm North Bay.

Keep in mind that the entire area you think of as Las Vegas is big...just like the area you think of as the Bay Area. Are Oakland and Pacific the same? No more the same then Summerlin and North Las Vegas are.

[hockeygirl4]

I recently relocated here from Buffalo, and in my two years of researching the areas around the city, I've heard differing opinions from everyone I've talked to. It's all going to come down to you checking out these areas during the daytime and in the evening and personally deciding your own comfort level. Everyone reads about Summerlin and automatically assumes it's a safe place and crime free, but think about it. If you were a crook, would you stay in the "poor" neighborhoods to steal? Probably not, you'd find the more expensive areas of the city to rob. I'm not downplaying Summerlin as I drive through there day and night at least once a week, it's a great area to live, but because it's expensive, don't assume there is no crime. Same with Anthem, Southern Highlands, etc.
I assumed having a gated community would be safer than a non-gated. Low and behold, there are gaps in the fence people can just walk through, it stays open long enough for 2-3 cars to go through it, and I've seen people standing outside the gate as well. People always find a way.

[lvkewlkid]

personally i wouldn't live in Anthem, it is so isolated from civilization, especially Anthem Highlands and Madeira Canyon and its very far from a decent mall, shopping, restaurants, and the Strip, and Eastern has a lot of traffic, plus there's only 2 ways out, and one involves a school zone...to the north Sunridge is better, but still has that Eastern traffic or if you want to live in that general area, Silverado Ranch or Green Valley South are in much better locations, and have other ways of traveling besides Eastern, if you still want to live in the southern section of the valley...

and yes, Vegas gets very hot, it feels like a hairdryer blowing on you or like sticking your head in an oven...

[airics]

I reckon its more like sticking your head in the oven.... and (very important... trust me) Don't fall asleep in the pool!!

[RandalR]

Originally Posted by TapEx

1. My wife just read an article on MSN on places you shouldn't visit and Nevada was listed as a state that have high crime rate. My wife did grow up in Reno but that was more than a decade ago and she is really concern about that article. For folks that are living (or lived) in Henderson could you please comment on this?

2. Is it worth the extra money to live in Anthem area oppose to other part of Henderson? Houses in the Anthem area are generally more expensive than any other part of Henderson.

3. Is it really that hot in Vegas?

Thanks!

1) I wouldn't worry much about the crime - especially in the nicer parts of Henderson. I moved permanently from San Francisco in October, 2008 after commuting back and forth from the Bay Area for a year and a half. No part of the Las Vegas valley feels half as dangerous to me as Market or Mission Streets after dark. Henderson is a lot like San Ramon, if that gives you a good yardstick to compare to. Your biggest crime risk will be property crime by teenage white kids who think they are going to grow up to be the next Tupac or Snoop Dogg. Of course, with the economy going south, it's entirely possible we will see a rise of roaming gangs of unemployable men wandering around and robbing everybody they encounter in the next couple of years. But that's a nationwide risk and nothing unique to Las Vegas.

2) To continue the analogy, Anthem is about like Danville as opposed to Henderson's San Ramon. You'll have to see it yourself to decide if it's worth the extra distance from the nearest grocery store.

3) Depends on your climate control system. Las Vegas is a few degrees hotter than San Ramon on San Ramon's worst summer days but feels far less oppressive because of the dryness. It's just that there are many more of those days in any given Las Vegas summer. I think humidity control is a must for anyone moving from a wetter climate, so look for a house that has it built in. Native Las Vegans don't seem to have much trouble living with the low humidity, but Nevada immigrants sure do.