Company Moving Us Out of MN Over Taxes and Regulations (home, income)

[MSMCGirl]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Sorry but LAS is quite a good international airport...does 16 million a year to DFWs 22 million. And famous for cheap fares.

LAS is famous for "cheap fares" because they want you to save as much money as possible to throw away in their slot machines.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by MSMCGirl

LAS is famous for "cheap fares" because they want you to save as much money as possible to throw away in their slot machines.

Another myth. the majority of the strip profit comes from the non-gaming end.

Locals seldom gamble...though we do enjoy the shows.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Another myth. the majority of the strip profit comes from the non-gaming end.

Locals seldom gamble...though we do enjoy the shows.

I think the point was, however, that Las Vegas airport prices are cheap because people come to spend money there, whether it's gambling, shows, or whatever else you fancy. In my hometown, our airport is fairly small (though it is an international airport), but it still had very cheap, direct flights to Vegas. It's pretty obvious that cheap tickets weren't being offered to get people halfway across the country for nothing. It's all about spending money when you get there (and probably the kickback that the airlines get for taking you there).

[politiker]

I currently live in Florida and can tell you companies are NOT coming here. Our unemployment rate has been static around 10.7% even with the "no state income tax" and regulations and such.

There are more factors into a healthy economy -- one that Minnesota knows pretty well. I'd love to live in your economic climate.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by DallasorLasVegas

Having a corporate and management office in Plymouth, MN makes no sense anymore.

We have a problem here. Polaris moved their headquarters from Plymouth to Medina in 1999.
Polaris Industries Inc. | Company profile from Hoover's
Polaris plans to move HQ - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

They have moved operations from North Dakota to Minnesota just this year.

Polaris will close Fargo plant, move work to Minnesota, Iowa | StarTribune.com

Folks, we've been had.

[Thegonagle]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Folks, we've been had.

Not really. I believe most of us thought he was full of it to begin with.

But the real question is what motivated the OP?

[sondra_finchley]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Sorry but LAS is quite a good international airport...does 16 million a year to DFWs 22 million. And famous for cheap fares.

My point was that there aren't good daily international non-stop business destinations out of LAS. You can maybe point to LHR as one, but LAS is typically a leisure destination only for the UK trade out of London and will get assigned the poorer aircraft chock full of the package tourists. MSP will at least get you to AMS, LHR, NRT, and CDG, although when we flew via CDG it was on a fairly ancient 764!

All the same, definitely a troll attack.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by sondra_finchley

My point was that there aren't good daily international non-stop business destinations out of LAS. You can maybe point to LHR as one, but LAS is typically a leisure destination only for the UK trade out of London and will get assigned the poorer aircraft chock full of the package tourists. MSP will at least get you to AMS, LHR, NRT, and CDG, although when we flew via CDG it was on a fairly ancient 764!

All the same, definitely a troll attack.

One trusts you are referring to the OP...

LAS has reasonable service to Europe. It has excellent service around the US and something DFW does not have...ready and quick access to LAX and SFO.

And if you make friends with Sheldon Adelson he has a 747SP sitting there that you can borrow...

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Thegonagle

Not really. I believe most of us thought he was full of it to begin with.

But the real question is what motivated the OP?

Thought, as in guessed.

[tony_isys]

Having lived in Vegas for 5 years from 1999-2004, I can tell you a lot of things that I both love and hate about Vegas. Additionally, I have done a fair amount of research on relocating to Dallas.

Weather
Vegas weather is awesome. 300+ days of sunshine per year. I NEVER had to scrape my car windows in the middle of winter (I parked my car outside). Vegas summers are somewhat unbearably hot (for me), but the adage, "it's a dry heat" rings true. The heat & humidity in Dallas during the summer just plain sucks.

Culture
Cultural options in Vegas are quite limited. However, many resorts are starting to bring in more sophisticated options. The Vegas "culture" is very set on entertainment and quick money. Many people go there as a "fresh start" because they didn't make it somewhere else. Las Vegas also has no "soul"... everyone is from somewhere else and there is little sense of community. True, Dallas also has a lot of transplants, but the city and surrounding suburbs each have their own unique character and history. Dallas at least has several major professional sports teams to give the city (and metro area) some sense of collective identity. People equate Dallas with prosperity and independence; whereas people equate Vegas with debauchery, lost dreams, (amazing) buffets, and strip clubs.

Housing
With the current rate of foreclosures, Vegas' housing stock is much more affordable than it was several years ago. Still, Vegas lot sizes are VERY small, even in the suburbs. Dallas home prices get you a lot of home and land for your money.

Education
Many people relocate to Vegas because they can find a well-paying job without having a college degree. This is true for the most part. If your company is looking to hire in the future, your access to college educated workers is not as good in Vegas as it would be in Dallas. Vegas has only one major university, and its admissions requirements are not very high. Public schools in Vegas are mediocre at best as education is not a high priority for Nevada. Vegas has ONE school district, and education seems to be an afterthought for many people. The Dallas area, however, has several school districts to choose from, and (despite all the recent budget cuts) education is more of a priority for Texans than it is for Nevadans.

As a sidenote (doesn't really answer OP's question, but I thought I'd throw it out there): if I were looking for a business-friendly state that has access to educated workers, I would seriously consider Utah or Colorado... much milder winters than MSP, and there is a lot to do outdoors in all seasons. Each has personal and corporate income taxes, but many other factors make them very attractive states for business, and the quality of life is pretty good, ensuring that employees want to live/stay there. If it's not too late, I would consider the Salt Lake City or Denver areas.

Employment
As has been previously posted, Dallas is much better for jobs, if you find yourself looking for one in the future. Vegas is not home to a single non-gaming Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, whereas the Dallas metro is home to more than a dozen. Vegas has a lot of service jobs, and anything outside of the gaming industry is very flat (customer service, data processing, etc.) Dallas has a much more vertical and broad field of employment opportunities for professionals.

Outdoors
Vegas is within a short drive of world-class hiking (Zion, etc.), within several hours' drive of skiing (Brian Head), and within 5 hours' drive from the beach. I can't speak to Dallas' opportunities for outdoor activities.

Final thought: Both Vegas and Dallas are attractive places, but I would choose Dallas over Vegas. Sorry for the lengthy response; I had to make my first post count. I hope this helps.