Clark County (Las Vegas: home, rent, jobs)

[lferran]

Originally Posted by catpiperx

It's always interesting reading the different posts and opinions here. Having lived there for 4 years (1995-1999)I have to say that I had a LOVE/HATE relationship with Vegas.

LOVED IT: Had a great job---same with hubby
daughter was at a great school/had a nice home

[...]
Just my thoughts

And don't forget the liitle Amish town in PA where all those kids got killed in school. Hey! I agree. Crime is everywhere! Not just Vegas.

[lvkewlkid]

Henderson is not one of the greatest areas. Lower than 400K is downtown Henderson, which is just as scary as Maryland and Fremont. Upper than 400K is GV, Seven Hills, Anthem, same problems, high drug use, everyone knows if they want meth to go to MacDonald Ranch.

[kkelley_02]

so hi to everyone that read this. im living in florida right now and am considering moving to henderson this summer. i have a 4 year old daughter and a new puppy. in the town i live in now, there are a ton of things to do with both of them. like great parks, recreational facillities, dog parks, ect. are there alot of places to go with them and plenty of family oriented activities throughout the town. and how about extracurricular activities? also im looking at a school called foothills montessori, does anyone know anything about it? thanks for listening, id appreciate any advice people offer!

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by lvkewlkid

Henderson is not one of the greatest areas. Lower than 400K is downtown Henderson, which is just as scary as Maryland and Fremont. Upper than 400K is GV, Seven Hills, Anthem, same problems, high drug use, everyone knows if they want meth to go to MacDonald Ranch.

Once again it looks like lvkewlkid has lost his mind.

There are quite a few homes for $325-350k in Green Valley. I've been looking at them.... And you are nuts if you think that's where people go to get their drugs. You need to stop smoking the crack buddy. For under $400k you are not in downtown Henderson and certainly not in a scary area. Looks like it's been a while since you did some house hunting.

There are drugs in all cities and all areas. But those area he mentioned are NOT known as being drug havens. Interstingly, I used to work in for a couple of years in a drug rehab center in Las Vegas (as a counselor). Funny how people never mentioned running to Green Valley or Anthem (or MacDonald Ranch) to score some drugs. What a hoot!

[olecapt]

Redwingfan wins this one hands down. At present there are 471 single family residences for sale in one of the GV communities. (There are several). Of these 135 are below 350K. If you take a snooty definition of GV...that is the part Along GV Pkwy and up the hill you get 185 homes of which 29 are below 350K.

I also doubt there are any significant hot spots for drug buying in the area.

Sorry kid...know it is not your favorite place...but those are the facts..

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Redwingfan wins this one hands down. At present there are 471 single family residences for sale in one of the GV communities. (There are several). Of these 135 are below 350K. If you take a snooty definition of GV...that is the part Along GV Pkwy and up the hill you get 185 homes of which 29 are below 350K.

I also doubt there are any significant hot spots for drug buying in the area.

Sorry kid...know it is not your favorite place...but those are the facts..

Holey moley, olecapt actually agreed with something I said. It must be my lucky day!!!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Holey moley, olecapt actually agreed with something I said. It must be my lucky day!!!

Actually we agree on smoking too...but I did not want to embarass you by being on the same side...

[Sorcerer68]

Please don't move your children there. Please.

I lived there for years. I watched friends and family members move their kids in. I watched the sons become druggies and gangsters and the girls become strippers and prostitutes. No, this isn't a hard and fast rule but way too many of them took this route. Kids feeling rebellious and all that temptation glowing...Are you willing to take the risk with your kids? Do you want your children walking by newspaper racks with free pornography? I've got news for you, it's everywhere. They also pass so much of it out on the street that it fills the gutters in some areas. I've never seen so much road rage in my life and I've driven in some of the most congested areas in the world. My first week there, I watched in HORROR as an entire family got out at an intersection to go kick some ass with the people in front of them. This is sadly not rare. The people I see who do the best in Las Vegas are single 20 and early 30somethings without families who like to party. I have some friends there who fall into that catagory. I find gambling terribly boring, I don't drink and I'm not into strippers or drugs. This left me bowling, Karaoke, eating way too much and walking around aimlessly with my friends. There's no culture in Vegas. None. I can only see an O show so many times. I had a great job and a good place to live in one of the miles of architecturally dead neighborhoods that all look identical. 114 degree heat melts the pavement. It melts the lines off the pavement. Bus engines blow up (this is actually quite entertaining). People get really, really angry. Las Vegas has no traffic infastructure and the "good" neighborhoods keep moving further and further out. I've lived in many places and I have to say without exception, I've run into more mean people in Vegas than anywhere else. The most frustrating thing was the fact that the typical Las Vegan never goes anywhere. The usual response is "I don't need no New York. I got New York, New York right here". Granted, I have good friends who live there. Alcohol is served 24 hours and you'll see lots and lots of missing teeth. I called it the "Las Vegas Smile".

So what do I like about Vegas? The strip is pretty. It's an architectural freak show. It's a tribute to excess. People can rent hookers, do tons of drugs, guzzle hard liquor and lose a fortune all without judgment. They can sleep with whomever they please, a different one every night and nobody is the wiser. Some are visitors, some live in "nice" neighborhoods around the valley. They have places that look like dance clubs but they're actually places to go have orgies with strangers. No, I never did this. I just kinda like the fact that these places were never shut down. Wife swapping is very common in Vegas. I find that kinda cool, even though I'm the monogamous type and not that 70's. I'm not into it but it's good we have a place people can let loose. I particularly enjoyed the porn conventions. What characters they were, they also dropped huge tips. Another favorite thing is one of my friends who is a fairly typical native Las Vegan. She's worked in every legal bordello in Nevada and regales me with wonderful, illicit stories. I also love a certain diner on the strip that makes the best Reuben sandwich I've ever had, bar none. Vegas has sensational food. Fine dining is top notch. My absolute favorite thing about Vegas...the airport. When I left (which was often) I could get direct flights to many destinations.

I know that was long but here it is: You have kids. Move to Phoenix instead. It's a really, really nice city. It is of course, hot as hell. It's a good place to raise kids. It's got some culture and far more to do. As there are more cultural opportunities, it tends to keep people out of trouble. All the neighborhoods don't look exactly the same. The quality of people and intelligence is far higher. It's a little rednecky but you can't have everything.

[olecapt]

Where do you folks come from?

We now know about 12 people who went through their teenage years in Vegas. So far there is not a stripper or dealer in the pack. One manages a Buffalo Wings place but that is it for racy employment. No gangsters or "druggies" either. Not suggesting that all are pure. No way to tell that. But none are showing signs that it is interfering in their lives.

We do know three exotic dancers. One was from Phoenix the other two from San Diego.

It does get above 110 perhaps twice a year in Las Vegas. The average high is around 105 in July and August. 114 is quite rare.

I have seen a single road rage fight involving two young men which was broken up by bystanders almost immediately.

The neighborhoods of Las Vegas interchange quite precisely with those of San Diego or Phoenix. Traffic is much better than either.

"Culture" is present in reasonable quantities. The town is blue collar and perhaps not as cultured as Palo Alto...but it is better than Detroit.

The cure for this phobia is to live some place else. Go for it.

[Sorcerer68]

We now know about 12 people who went through their teenage years in Vegas.

A whole 12? I'm an alcohol and drug counselor specialising in teens 14 to 17. I met a lot more than 12. I'm not saying kids can't grow up unscathed there. I'm just saying it's a lousy place to raise kids.