[angela15517]

We are a young couple with 3 small children. We live in Iowa, it is far too cold here for us. We wanted to move to Portland, but the job market scares the crap out of me. We have good job experience in a variety of fields, such as cooking, customer service, welding, painting and telemarketing. We are willing to take just about any kind of job we can get. I lived in Vegas years ago, and loved it, but that was back in the early 90's, I am sure alot has changed since then. Any advice on jobs, good neighborhoods, people, kid-geared activities? Thanks in advance!

[J78Jason]

Nevada has the 2nd highest unemployment in the country behind Michigan. So not really sure why Portland would scare you more than Vegas. I'm guessing you could still find something eventually, but the common advice is not to move somewhere without a job unless you have enough money to live for 6 months or more. With kids you should make sure you have a job before you move anywhere.

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by angela15517

We are a young couple with 3 small children. We live in Iowa, it is far too cold here for us. We wanted to move to Portland, but the job market scares the crap out of me. We have good job experience in a variety of fields, such as cooking, customer service, welding, painting and telemarketing. We are willing to take just about any kind of job we can get. I lived in Vegas years ago, and loved it, but that was back in the early 90's, I am sure alot has changed since then. Any advice on jobs, good neighborhoods, people, kid-geared activities? Thanks in advance!

I agree with the first response. Nevada and, more specifically, LV are hurting right now. One should not move there unless they have very strong employment leads, or employment already lined up. Moving there with three children to support makes the situation even that much more complicated. If you look in the who's hiring thread, you'll see that most openings are at the lower end of the pay scale and, in addition, there is a lot of competition for these jobs since unemployment is so high and (virtually) anyone is eligible to fill them. Do not make the move at this stage; it's not a good idea.

[ruready1st]

Ditto what everyone else says about having a job first. You really shouldn't move here unless you are well connected in the community and/or have a family member who has committed to you having a job when you get here.

ALSO, not sure is your children are in school yet, but if they will be going to kindergarten or 1st grade anytime soon, I would seriously look at the schools.

Can you afford to live in an area of Vegas that has the better daycares or schools with the type of work you do?

I would do some research. I'm sure there are other warm and plenty of sunshine places to live that have better schools and better job prospects.

[yellowsnow]

Yikes! Vegas may not be a good choice for you right now. There are very few jobs. Especially jobs that would pay enough for a family of five. To move here, I would say it's almost imperative that you would have enough bankroll to live for a year. Food, rent, car, insurance, everything. Even that may not be enough. It's tough here. And you would need to work opposite shifts or be able to afford daycare on top of everything else.

There are lots of warm places that have better employment opportunities than Vegas right now. It's just not a good time to move here.

[jaunespinoza]

I just spent 8 months there, and I didn't work 1 minute for someone else, and I possess a BBA and a CDL. I would have washed dishes a few nights per week, just to meet people, but that was not an option. Jobseekers are especially vulnerable to the countless scams in LV. It probably is worse than Portland, but there is more affordable housing.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by angela15517

We are a young couple with 3 small children. We live in Iowa, it is far too cold here for us. We wanted to move to Portland, but the job market scares the crap out of me. We have good job experience in a variety of fields, such as cooking, customer service, welding, painting and telemarketing. We are willing to take just about any kind of job we can get. I lived in Vegas years ago, and loved it, but that was back in the early 90's, I am sure alot has changed since then. Any advice on jobs, good neighborhoods, people, kid-geared activities? Thanks in advance!

In your situation, I would actually recommend Phoenix over Vegas for a few reasons. Contrary to popular belief, Vegas gets cold, very cold unlike Phoenix. Also, the job market is way better in Phoenix, as in 8.6% unemployment compared to 13.4% in Vegas. Phoenix is a well known hub for call center customer service jobs. The cost of living, and housing is also cheaper. For that, you would give up the first class entertainment that Phoenix cannot even come close to. However, your family's well being is way more important than entertainment IMO.

[angela15517]

Thanks Everyone, for the input! I will definately scratch LV off my list...for now lol...hope things get better soon!

[AA702]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

In your situation, I would actually recommend Phoenix over Vegas for a few reasons. Contrary to popular belief, Vegas gets cold, very cold unlike Phoenix. Also, the job market is way better in Phoenix, as in 8.6% unemployment compared to 13.4% in Vegas. Phoenix is a well known hub for call center customer service jobs. The cost of living, and housing is also cheaper. For that, you would give up the first class entertainment that Phoenix cannot even come close to. However, your family's well being is way more important than entertainment IMO.

Cold in Vegas? I don't think its ever been colder than the 40's in the daytime that I can remember. I know some nights have dipped into the 20's, but its rare. I think these people are use to below 0 weather, so I think Vegas is mild compared to where they are comming from. Yeah, Phx, AZ is warmer in the winter, but you have to remember that Vegas is high desert and we are at about 2500 ft and PHX is about 1000 ft.

[AA702]

Originally Posted by angela15517

Thanks Everyone, for the input! I will definately scratch LV off my list...for now lol...hope things get better soon!

I would stay put in these times unless you really have jobs lined up and have reserve cash in the bank to live on for about a year or two. When I moved here in 2003, there were SOOOO many jobs and everyone I knew were getting hired left and right. I also had a year reserve just in case. Moving here without employment and reserves is crazy.