was in pahrump this weekend- (Las Vegas: crime, buy, movie theaters)

[jaada]

This was my first trip to pahrump. I liked it for the most part it has some of what I am looking for in a town, however I have lots of questions for those of you who live there now. ok here they are-
1. I was told and did notice that pahrump is snowbird country. does this town die down once they leave for the summer? meaning do people get laid off when the snow people leave?

2. When is the garden growing season? Do you start planting now?

3. Are there any other races of people there? and how are they welcomed?

4. Do you get crime from vegas?

5. Is there a weekly farmers market?

6. I saw a wellness center there is it open and if it is what is in there?

7. How hot is it in july and august?

ok that is it for now I will think of some more I am sure. thanks everyone

oh yeah one more lol Do you have to go into vegas to get to a movie theater or is there one on the outskirts of vegas

[scirocco22]

Although Pahrump does have snowbirds, it's not as popular a snowbird town as other locations because it's really not that warm in the winter. Southern Nevada in general isn't as popular for snowbirds as some Arizona locations ...Yuma being one of, if not the most prominent, snowbird town in the southwest. As we've talked about in other threads, Pahrump does get cold in the winter because of its elevation. With that said, as many in Pahrump laugh about, even though it's cold, it's a heck of a lot warmer than where the snowbirds are coming from so it's still generally a nice sunny and dry place in the winter. And snow is hardly anything to worry about. Pahrump did get a bit of snow in December but it was gone by mid-morning and nothing really stuck to the streets enough to cause problems. But still, Pahrump is considerably colder in the winter than Yuma or the Palm Springs area.

But again, because of its higher elevation, it is a bit cooler in the summer than, say, Las Vegas. And considerably cooler than Phoenix, Palm Springs, and Yuma. Average summer temperatures are 100-105 during the day and in the mid to high 60's during the coolest part of the night ("day" actually as the coolest point is around 4:00 - 6:00 am).

http://pics2.city-data.com/w1/lha13562.png (broken link)

I'll leave your other questions for Chinga and others to answer ...but I'll send you a quick DM on one item when I have the chance.

[jaada]

thanks for the info scirocco, any other info would be great

[scirocco22]

Well, since Chinga hasn’t logged in for awhile, I’ll take a stab at some more of your inquiries. These are just my own opinions and observations and are not the absolute truth.

1. I commented on the snowbird issue a bit but didn’t really address your question. Again, I don’t think the snowbird population in Pahrump is large enough to make a noticeable difference in activity in town when they are gone. Perhaps others who have lived in Pahrump for a number of years can shed some more light on this subject.

2. I’m not a gardener but there is a thread in the Las Vegas forum that discusses this. The temperature difference is not great enough, in my opinion, to make the growing season or types of plants to grow any different between Las Vegas and Pahrump.

3. I gave you my perspective in a Direct Message

4. Most crime, from my observation, is from locals and not particularly being done from those coming from Las Vegas. I don’t know why anybody would travel from Las Vegas to Pahrump just to commit a crime or do illegal activities. For instance, one of the more recent notorious cases was of a convenience store clerk being killed by a robber while working at the DC Travel Center which is just north of the center of town. The suspect was living in Pahrump and didn’t travel from Las Vegas to commit the crime. About a week ago, it was announced (http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2010/Feb-12-Fri-2010/news/34259462.html - broken link) that he was discovered dead in Mexico.

5. Although I’ve never been to it, I’ve heard that there is a small farmer’s market on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm at Petrack Park (1210 E Basin St) during the Summer and Fall (May through December? …somebody else will have to confirm).

There’s also an interesting organic organization called Made in Pahrump. I don’t know much about it myself.

6. Again, I don’t know much about the wellness center but what I do know is that it’s called the Southwest Wellness Center (http://www.swcnv.com/index.php - broken link) and is owned by the Leaks. He is an optometrist in town and she is an MD. They both have excellent local reputations.

7. See my previous post for summer temperatures.

[Chinga]

Yeah you summed it up good, scirocco22

99% of the crime is petty stuff, I listen to a scanner all day (I am a ham so I always have some kind of radio on ) and from what i hear, its bar fights, domestics, and people getting pulled over. In general, we do not get any Vegas crime out here.

That farmers market on Basin is decent too, good stuff and decent prices, me I buy most of what I need at one of the 3 grocery stores.. but we like to go there from time to time.

Lots of other races here,, Hispanic, Black, white, and green.. lol no one really cares and people for the most part mind their own business. That's kind of the same for all of nevada, with its Live and let live attitude. Now, are there racists out here? I am sure they are around.. but we don't have problems with that out here for the most part. Being that I grew up in NYC, I am used to all languages and races.. so its not really a big deal to me

I can give you some first hand gardening info, Last year I grew squash, zucchini, corn, and tomatoes. All grew VERY well.. but make sure you spray for bugs.. we got infested in the garden and had to really fight them off.. some kind of beetles.. but we are gardening newbies so what did we know.

I can tell you I was giving away zucc and squash the size of footballs lol seriously the soil out here is great for them and they grow well. We will plant again in March if the weather warms up some

Temps.. well in July and Aug, be prepared to be hot. Its not like the hot you know from humid clients.. its hot but it wont kill you when you walk out into it. Do anything more than simple stuff and you WILL sweat.. but you do get used to it after a while. The nice part is we have seasons here, being from the east coast I missed my seasons when I lived in California, out here at least we have some kind of seasons. Figure on high 90s to 100s in July and Aug.

Movie theaters.. ugh.. yeah they keep promising one, but for the most part if you want to go to a movie you have to go into Vegas, We go to the Palms and it has a decent theater.. who knows.. some day they might open one out here.

[jaada]

thank you chinga and socorro for all the great info! I know someone from nyc that lives there too lol

[Chinga]

That's funny.. I grew up in NYC and lived there almost all my life. I am amazed at just how many ex NYC residents live here.