[Las Vegan Cajun]

When it comes to a bad school system I don't think any place can be as bad as where I grew up...New Orleans. I guess it's a good thing we didn't raise our kids there.

Our kids were born in Phoenix when we were living there, a quick look in the Arizona forum and I can find all kinds of reasons not to live there, good thing we moved I guess.

My wife if from Chicago and after reading that forum I'm glad we didn't raise our kids in that city either.

I wish I would have read this Las Vegas forum before moving here, I could have avoided this place too.

Now that we are considering moving to Alaska in a few years, I have looked at that forum and I read all the problems in that state also.

Lord have mercy, if I read every forum on this website I can find problems in every state, so where is the best place to raise kids and live?

Ah-Ha...Antarctica, that's the place. Live with the penguins and fur seals, bet they don't rob, rape, murder or sell drugs to your kids...I bet life is goooooood down south. LOL!!!

[yellowsnow]

There is no perfect place except maybe North Dakota. You won't be murdered there but you may die of boredom!

[RedWingsFan]

I agree that there is no perfect place to raise kids. But it's just part of many of us parents to try to find that perfect spot. I left Las Vegas in large part because I didn't think it was a place to raise kids (the other reason was to get them closer to family).

We just bought a house in Florida. Is it "perfect" here? No. There are hurricanes and tornadoes. But I still think it gives my kids a better place to be raised. Where I bought a house has A rated schools, lower crime than average, good demographics, excellent communities, etc. It's a good start at a good place to raise the kids.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

I agree that there is no perfect place to raise kids. But it's just part of many of us parents to try to find that perfect spot. I left Las Vegas in large part because I didn't think it was a place to raise kids (the other reason was to get them closer to family).

We just bought a house in Florida. Is it "perfect" here? No. There are hurricanes and tornadoes. But I still think it gives my kids a better place to be raised. Where I bought a house has A rated schools, lower crime than average, good demographics, excellent communities, etc. It's a good start at a good place to raise the kids.

Well how about a city and a general neighborhood? I know Florida pretty well. Maybe we can help you understand your new community.

and you can feel comfortable that I will only truth tell. I am not licensed in Florida and have no interest in living there.

Why is it I think you will duck?

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by Las Vegan Cajun

When it comes to a bad school system I don't think any place can be as bad as where I grew up...New Orleans. I guess it's a good thing we didn't raise our kids there.

Our kids were born in Phoenix when we were living there, a quick look in the Arizona forum and I can find all kinds of reasons not to live there, good thing we moved I guess.

My wife if from Chicago and after reading that forum I'm glad we didn't raise our kids in that city either.

I wish I would have read this Las Vegas forum before moving here, I could have avoided this place too.

Now that we are considering moving to Alaska in a few years, I have looked at that forum and I read all the problems in that state also.

Lord have mercy, if I read every forum on this website I can find problems in every state, so where is the best place to raise kids and live?

Ah-Ha...Antarctica, that's the place. Live with the penguins and fur seals, bet they don't rob, rape, murder or sell drugs to your kids...I bet life is goooooood down south. LOL!!!

Like olecapt mentioned on another thread, forums like these bring out the negative people. If you honestly believe everything you read about our lovely town of Vegas here from mostly negative thinking posters, then you won't be happy anywhere. Because every single town in every single state has something slightly negative about it. But you have to decide what is best for you. Never just take someone's word for it.
Research til the cows come home. Then make your move.

[lvkewlkid]

You also need to visit some place before you decide to move there. Don't move on a blind eye.

[5kingsinvegas]

Moved here from Michigan with 3 children in June. We live in Summerlin and my 10 year old is zoned for Gibson Elementary and my 12 year old is zoned for Rogich. High School is Palo. We decided to put them into a private school mainly because we discovered that the curriculum here is 1 to 2 years behind what they were doing in Michigan. Another factor, at least for the Middle Schooler, was the size of the school. Rogich is probably 2x the size of the school she attended in Michigan. We are not 100% sure what we are doing for highschool yet. She wants to go to Bishop Gorman with most of her friends but we aren't sure we can afford the tuition. I have heard good and bad about Palo.

Overall, I would say that moving to Vegas was a good move for our family. However, my husband and I are very involved parents and are willing to put the time and energy into raising our children and not letting the school system or peers have all the say. My 4 year old will start kindergarten in the fall and she will be going to private school also. I really think that no matter where you are there will be good and bad, it is really how you choose to look at the situation. I realize we haven't been here that long but so far we love it.

Downside: It's HOT; Lots of traffic; Schools aren't the best(I am speaking academically), people aren't as outgoing as midwesterners

Upside: The weather is beautiful almost ALL the time, NO SNOW, lots of beautiful parks and the soccer fields rock, utilities are a lot lower, I can plant some really cool desert plants in my yard, no humidity--my hair looks great year round!!!

This is a really small list, but I thought you would get the point. Anyway, to answer the original question, the best place to raise a family really depends on the kind of parents you are and what is important to you to instill in your children.

[lvkewlkid]

you have the right idea, you are taking part in your children's life. maybe they have scholarships at Bishop Gorman for high school? I know this girl that had a full scholarship there, but didn't continue her junior year because she wanted to go to Las Vegas Academy, she got accepted and now she is going to college in Germany for free!

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Well how about a city and a general neighborhood? I know Florida pretty well. Maybe we can help you understand your new community.

and you can feel comfortable that I will only truth tell. I am not licensed in Florida and have no interest in living there.

Why is it I think you will duck?

Olecapt, I'm not sure I understand what you are asking of me? Do you want to know where I bought a house? Port Orange, Fla. Just south of Daytona Beach.

I have nothing to "duck"... I'm still not sure if this is what you were asking. Are you wanting to pick apart the city or communit? Pick away. I have no problem with that. But you will be picking based on what you read because you've probably never been here. On the flip side, I lived in Vegas almost 10 years, so when I speak of it I have the experience and have been there. Big difference.

As I said in my original post - it's not "perfect" here, but I think it offers a good place for my kids to grow up. I can't even say that I will stay here the next 18 years while they do. It's a place to start, you never know what the future holds.

[dude66]

Originally Posted by Las Vegan Cajun

Lord have mercy, if I read every forum on this website I can find problems in every state, so where is the best place to raise kids and live?

I can pretty much guarantee you that Denver is a great place to raise kids. I grew up there and still haven't found a city that can match it. There's obviously bad parts of the city (like any other), but if you're in a decent neighborhood in Denver, you'd do just fine.