[Rich3444]

I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY, but for the last 6 years I've lived in the northern New Jersey area. My wife and I are seriously considering moving out to Las Vegas in a couple of months with our 2 small children (5 and 1 yr old).

Could someone tell me the "pros" of living in Las Vegas. I run a finance company, which I'm looking to relocate to LV - so I'm bringing jobs to the local economy...not looking for one. I'm also thinking about renting a house for a year (3500-4500 sqft, 5+ beds, 3+ baths) just to get a feel for the city. I visited LV a few times and enjoyed myself - but I know living somewhere is different.

Could some locals or ex-locals tell me all the "GOOD" Las Vegas has to offer a young family...I'M ALL EARS!!!

[escapevelocity]

Brooklyn/Queens (border) here! Moved here last July. Not a "real" local, but I'll give my impression so far.

Lower cost of living for one. Lower mortgage. All that sunshine makes you feel good about waking up in the morning. Hardly any traffic. I just discovered Wal-Mart (is that good or bad?). Not having to buy so many different clothes for the different seasons. My grandma is less depressed because of the weather and her free plays from casinos (that may not apply to you). Getting to go to Mt. Charleston and Red Rock. Less money to give to Uncle Sam (although it might mean less govt benefits). Less temptation to buy overpriced commodities because the posh shopping areas are so far from most of the homes.

Life has become a little simpler, at least for us. It's not as fast-paced as in NYC, where we always had some kind of deadline for everything - even for grocery-shopping.

[Joe3788]

Formerly Bergen County here as well. Been living in Vegas 9 years now. Everything is clean here. Clean and new. No beer cans and garbage on the road like Rt 46 & 17 in NJ. Great dining options. Lower car insurance. 1/8 the property tax. Sunshine 330 days a year. Beautiful California beaches a drive away. Year round golf. Tons of parks...trails...mountains. Tons of service industy jobs. Always an easy way to make 50-60K a year cash. West coast work ethic...which is a good thing if you are from NJ....There in no competition out here. Good luck to you!

[pommysmommy]

Originally Posted by Joe3788

Formerly Bergen County here as well. Been living in Vegas 9 years now. Everything is clean here. Clean and new. No beer cans and garbage on the road like Rt 46 & 17 in NJ. Great dining options. Lower car insurance. 1/8 the property tax. Sunshine 330 days a year. Beautiful California beaches a drive away. Year round golf. Tons of parks...trails...mountains. Tons of service industy jobs. Always an easy way to make 50-60K a year cash. West coast work ethic...which is a good thing if you are from NJ....There in no competition out here. Good luck to you!

Everything sounded good until I got to the part that said there was always an easy way to make 50-60k cash a year.

[Joe3788]

Pommy...have you every worked in the service industry or have known many people who work in the industry out here? I have been doing it for 9 years now. Local bartender and 80% of my customers on my shift that come in are in the indusrty. Other bartenders...cocktail servers..limo drivers...servers...strippers...club hosts. Almost all of which make well over 50K a year. Dont be so blind as to what is out there in this city. Now maybe I should not have said "always an easy way" to make 50K a year. You do of course have to be young...fun...outgoing...optimistic...attractive.. .and be willing to hustle. If you fit the mold there is plenty of money to be made out here.

[pommysmommy]

Originally Posted by Joe3788

Pommy...have you every worked in the service industry or have known many people who work in the industry out here? I have been doing it for 9 years now. Local bartender and 80% of my customers on my shift that come in are in the indusrty. Other bartenders...cocktail servers..limo drivers...servers...strippers...club hosts. Almost all of which make well over 50K a year. Dont be so blind as to what is out there in this city. Now maybe I should not have said "always an easy way" to make 50K a year. You do of course have to be young...fun...outgoing...optimistic...attractive.. .and be willing to hustle. If you fit the mold there is plenty of money to be made out here.

My apologies if I offended you but I was under the impression that jobs like that were not easy to get and that an applicant had a slim chance unless they were "connected". Am I mistaken?

[Joe3788]

Not offended at all. It always helps to know someone when applying for a job. Isnt that true in any line of work though? Being at the right place at the right time also helps. But there are 600 bars and resturants in this city. If this is your cup of tea there is PLENTY of opportunity out there. What do you do out here pommy?

[pommysmommy]

I do not live in Las Vegas Joe. My husband and I visit 4--5 times a year. I have been following this forum because we were sure we wanted to retire in Las Vegas. We have changed our minds for various reasons. I have seen many people post about the difficulty in finding jobs in Las Vegas. There is a current thread running about Aria discontinuing full time positions. Seems to me that jobs are hard to come by in Las Vegas.

[Kalbo]

Low cost of living, can find whatever you like here good or bad. Rasing a family here with no complaints.

[airics]

i've been here since July.... The best thing is the climate. Other good things, availability of anything at anytime, Lower car insurance, Lower property tax, Lower utilities, Dog Parks, Red Rock.... It was hard to find a job here.. it took my neighbor just over 7 months to get his "real job"... For me, it took 6mos 5 days.. but i am much happier since i am now employed where I want to be...