[silverslc]

Hi all I stumbled across this forum by accident and was reading some of the posts... in some cases almost laughing. I’ve been a resident here now for 6 years. I’m writing this to try to give yet another opinion from being born and raised in North County San Diego, (Rancho Penasquitos) and living here in Las Vegas Nevada.

My wife and I moved here because of the opportunity to have a nice home and comfortable standard of living. We both are strong Christian individuals who love God and family. I do not work in the hospitality business nor am I affiliated with any casinos. There is nothing wrong with that I’m just trying to paint a picture of me and my situation. FYI I am a graphic designer/ animator. We don’t gamble and I can tell you for the 6 years of being here I have not put one cent into a game of gamble. I see a lot of people complaining about living here. News flash I heard it in San Diego! Yes it’s true there are people in arguably the world's most pleasant city who are very unhappy and love to complain. It’s very simple really, If you don’t like it here than simply leave. There are thousands of people here who are unaware or just don’t care as to what people are saying about Las Vegas. It continues to grow and the economy continues to diversify. If your living here to suck what you can out of this town and leave, I cant help to think what does than tell me about the values of where you were originally from? I live just south of Summerlin and I know my neighbors. There are kids who walk with their parents and couples who jog together everyday. I always see someone walking their dog or working on their yard. All these people have something in common. I’d like to quote Red from the movie Shawshank Redemption, "Either get busy living or get busy dying". Your outlook is what makes a place happy or unhappy. If you are unhappy, first look at yourself. Is your relationship struggling? Do you have social issues, family problems? How do you like your job? Those things should be checked first before passing judgment of proceeding elements. However Vegas is not for everyone just like San Francisco is not for everyone or Dallas, L.A., etc, etc. I personally like the heat I hate the cold. My job requires me to be in an air-conditioned building all day. If you are someone whose field requires being outside, Vegas may not be for you. 3 months of the year can be brutal but the rest of the months make up for it. I live 2 miles away from my work. I don’t have to worry about traffic; I get paid really well and love my job. I own a 2500 sqr ft home with a $1500 monthly mortgage and a loving wife. Minus the wife everything else was a pipe dream if I stayed in Socal. My wife was also raised In San Diego and loves it here too. We like to hike out at Red Rock national park. I fly RC airplanes at the local RC club and take our dog cinnamon on walks in the park. You see we both feel the same way. Negativity shrouds us, it makes us do things we feel we have to do. If my wife felt differently than it would be hard to see this place as nice when my partner is unhappy. For us waking up to a blue sky nearly everyday of the year is so awesome! You see many of you have this conception that San Diego is sunny all the time with nice warm temps daily. Ummm, overall the temps are mild but by no means is it sunny daily. For those who don’t know, there is this thing called the marine layer. It’s a thick gray gloom that moves inland in the early mornings and just sits. Typically it would burn off by lunch but during May and June it lasts all day everyday. Its very depressing and it gets quite chilly outside as well. So my wife and I do not miss it in the slightest. We don’t miss the traffic, cost of living, overcrowding, humidity and the fast pace of Socal. Vegas is heading in the direction of Socal but its not there yet.

Raising a family here is something each person should decide for themselves. I personally do not see a problem with it. I visit my mom in Diego often I can tell you I have seen some kids there worse than some of the children I’ve seen here. Go to the strip. All the kids that come here to get drunk and act stupid are all from different places. I see plates from Cali to New York. Don’t make a region an excuse for raising your children incorrectly. If you are not confident that you can raise your child in Las Vegas than you should take a minute to think can you do it anywhere. I would worry more about the television and Internet more than some localized billboards in towards the city. Your kids will learn about all the bad stuff in the world and not telling them about it will just make it easier for them to be susceptible to it later in life. I made some friends here a few of which were born here and they are the sweetest individuals. Seeing them makes me see that being raised here DOES NOT create uneducated, loose people as some have ignorantly stated. I’m not giving Vegas thumbs up for its general attitudes toward women and morals. I personally HATE it but it doesn’t affect me no more than a risqué TV commercial. I simply turn the channel. When you live here you don’t have to go on the strip. The suburbs here are practically identical everywhere else. We have an art centers, cultural events, kids events, libraries, farmers market, carnivals, racing events, dining, retail, skiing 45 min @ my Charleston, boating at Lake Mead, shows, community sports, car & motorcycle clubs and close to surrounding areas like Zion National Park in Utah, Disneyland in L.A and of course san Diego Zoo/Sea world well within a comfortable driving distance.

Crime is bad here I won’t lie. But isn’t it in most metropolitan areas? This isn’t Idaho. Have I been affected by it? No. I don’t think it’s as bad as some here have stated. I a will say that most is localized in some of the older neighborhoods. I feel safe enough to do everything I did in San Diego. Like in San Diego, their are parts of town you should stay away from. Don’t be stupid. Its not rocket science; someone out at 2am is more likely to find themselves in an unwanted situation. This isn’t the 40's.

I can’t promise anyone contemplating moving here that you will like it. There are many warm-hearted people I know that would not what to live anywhere else. You have to remember this is the desert. Its not going to look like a tropical paradise, it’s going to get hot in the summer and cold in the winter that’s what deserts do. If your the type of individual that is insecure about self status, i.e. gotta have the best, you will have a hard time here… as I’m sure, anywhere at that.

My 2c

Thanks
-Nick

[lvkewlkid]

I think you did, what most others didn't that tried and failed, you got involved and made friends!

[yellowsnow]

Here's the deal Nick. With an attitude like yours, you would be successful anywhere. Maybe THAT'S the key?

I like you! Write more.

[GreggB]

Very GOOD post. Only thing I slightly disagree with is the crime statement. Considering that 1.7 million live here, and about 40+ million tourists pass through each year...Crime isn't that bad. National crime stats would back me on that. Never the less, Crime is a concern here as it is everywhere in the country.

[PinkString]

Nick has a good attitude on life. We need more people like him in this town. Instead of the whining losers that continually find everything wrong no matter where they go.

I also disagree on the crime. You want a place with bad crime? Try St.Louis, Detroit, East Los Angeles, Phoenix(with several serial killers), Philadelphia, and many other large metropolitan area's. The crime here is nothing compared to bigger cities. And that's a fact.

[MomMom]

I like the posts I see in this thread...and I'm glad I found this forum!

I love my Las Vegas home and the people that live here and make our city diverse, multi-cultural and unique, unlike anyplace else.

We have some bad points, any metropolis of almost 2 million residents is bound to have some...but the plusses outweigh the minuses for sure.

I too, can't stand the LV complainers...the whiners who come to our city and complain about EVERYTHING because they are unhappy. They want to blame the city when in reality, they won't be happy ANYWHERE.

I say to them, then leave already, go try and find someplace else that you will be happy about...

I doubt they will

Nice to see some familiar names here...love to you all

And Nick, that was a real, down to earth sincere post...thanks for being so honest...we need more residents like you! LOL!

[lvkewlkid]

Nice to see MomMom here! Welcome to this forum!

[euroASD]

My thoughts exactly. If you have the right attitude you can make your home anywhere.

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by lvkewlkid

Nice to see MomMom here! Welcome to this forum!

Why thank you, nice to be here!

[PinkString]

And nice to see you here too MomMom. This is my home away from the other forums home.