Would you move to Las Vegas purely for better weather? (Phoenix: real estate, 2013)

[New Horizons]

Sometimes I question my move to Phoenix, wondering what Las Vegas would have been like. When I check weather conditions in LV, it's always 5-10 degrees cooler there, and usually the humidity is a tad lower also. From a geographical perspective, it seems they have the advantage of being farther north and a higher elevation too. It's too bad Vegas couldn't have been the premier city of the desert west. Close proximity to LA is a plus too. But the greater Phoenix area is so much more of a metropolitan area. It's bigger, more people, and more diverse of an economy. I also like Arizona's statewide smoking ban too, that's an indication of a progressive city.

My mother and I came out here on a visit and she loved Sun City, and wound up buying a nice old 70's ranch home here. I don't think Vegas has anything quite like Sun City does. Or if it does, it might be newer and more expensive.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by New Horizons

Sometimes I question my move to Phoenix, wondering what Las Vegas would have been like. When I check weather conditions in LV, it's always 5-10 degrees cooler there, and usually the humidity is a tad lower also. From a geographical perspective, it seems they have the advantage of being farther north and a higher elevation too. It's too bad Vegas couldn't have been the premier city of the desert west. Close proximity to LA is a plus too. But the greater Phoenix area is so much more of a metropolitan area. It's bigger, more people, and more diverse of an economy. I also like Arizona's statewide smoking ban too, that's an indication of a progressive city.

My mother and I came out here on a visit and she loved Sun City, and wound up buying a nice old 70's ranch home here. I don't think Vegas has anything quite like Sun City does. Or if it does, it might be newer and more expensive.

Sorry to hear you are starting to regret your move. Maybe you should have stayed where you were, as we have much better weather. No, I would not move to Las Vegas for any reason at all.

[observer53]

I don't think 1000' difference in elevation matters that much. You can find that in metro Phoenix by going out to Cave Creek, Anthem, etc.

The humidity can't get much lower than it is here most of the year. I don't consider what passes for humidity here to even be an issue.

Yes, it's generally cooler there. Quite a bit cooler in winter. But, you are right about Phoenix's advantages over LV as well. It's not exactly a long trip to LA from here, either.

[NowxorxNever14]

As soon someone who has lived in Vegas a few times (most recently in 2013), I can tell you that the weather differential is not significant enough to notice, let alone move from Phoenix for, in my opinion. I'm moving to Scottsdale or Cave Creek in the next couple of months because AZ has culture, seemingly nicer people, and tons of things to do that don't revolve around drinking, gambling, or strip clubs; Vegas has none of that. Its a city built around hustling; whether legal or illegal, almost everyone is hustling. There is absolutely no sense of community or neighborhood. No culture whatsoever. Plus, its an island in the middle of the desert, there's nothing outside of Vegas besides Boulder City, Mount Charleston, and Pahrump. Phoenix is so much more diverse regarding hobbies and recreational activities/areas. Vegas is cool for a weekend getaway, living there is depressing..

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by New Horizons

Sometimes I question my move to Phoenix, wondering what Las Vegas would have been like. When I check weather conditions in LV, it's always 5-10 degrees cooler there, and usually the humidity is a tad lower also. From a geographical perspective, it seems they have the advantage of being farther north and a higher elevation too. It's too bad Vegas couldn't have been the premier city of the desert west. Close proximity to LA is a plus too. But the greater Phoenix area is so much more of a metropolitan area. It's bigger, more people, and more diverse of an economy. I also like Arizona's statewide smoking ban too, that's an indication of a progressive city.

My mother and I came out here on a visit and she loved Sun City, and wound up buying a nice old 70's ranch home here. I don't think Vegas has anything quite like Sun City does. Or if it does, it might be newer and more expensive.

Yes, it is drier there. Often they have negative dew points and humidity is in the single digits a lot more than here. When I was researching my move, my 2 cities were Phoenix and Las Vegas. PHX won for a couple of reasons: not as cold in the winter and much better job market.

[lvoc]

Today is a perfect example. Phoenix high 110 Las Vegas 104. That is quite a noticeable difference. And when the moisture moves in later on in the season it actually gets worse...Phoenix is warmer and more humid. So I think LV wins hands down in the summer. I would note our real estate season peaks in the hot weather while Phoenix I believe peaks in the middle of winter.

Winter of course inverts that. The Valley of the Sun is 5 or 6 degrees warmer and makes for a much more pleasant winter. So Phoenix takes the winter weather by a large margin. I actually think the Phoenix winter is nicer than So CA.

Phoenix traffic is vastly worse than LV. Neither city is remotely near southern California but Phoenix just is not competitive with LV.

Jobs depends. The overall rate is certainly worse in Las Vegas. But if you get into certain areas like service workers LV is vastly superior. Engineers or other techies vastly better off in Phoenix. Note that a hotel maid makes around 50% higher salary in Las Vegas.

As to Sun Cities Phoenix has a lot more but is mostly not competitive with the nicer ones in Las Vegas. It is simply the foothill location of the LV Sun Cities. The actual homes are quite similar though the stock in Phoenix has an older component not present in LV.

[The Villages Guy]

[quote of deleted post]
Question/regret. Close to the same.

[orphaned]

I understand the call of living in different places. I have lived in 26 different locations. We love it. Sounds like you do too.

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Besides Vegas obviously being a huge tourists destination it really is no different than living in Phoenix. My dad lives in suburban Vegas and whenever I visit him I don't feel like I'm "out of town" unless I'm on or near the strip. His neighborhood looks exactly the same as anything in Chandler, Gilbert, Surprise, Goodyear, etc. Vegas does get pretty chilly in the winter and they have real mountains for skiing (Mt Charleston) just right outside of town but I would choose the Phoenix area any day because it's a normal city [off topic]

[Italy04]

I have always loved Vegas and could live there in a heartbeat. As far as weather, well that's funny. I feel the slightly hotter Phoenix summers are better than the slightly cooler Vegas winters. I've been in Vegas in jan and dec when it's downright cold! We've chosen to move to Phoenix because we want warmer winters

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Italy04

I have always loved Vegas and could live there in a heartbeat. As far as weather, well that's funny. I feel the slightly hotter Phoenix summers are better than the slightly cooler Vegas winters. I've been in Vegas in jan and dec when it's downright cold! We've chosen to move to Phoenix because we want warmer winters

THIS.

I was really planning to move to Vegas until I visited in Dec 2012 and I was COLD! (I am from Iowa and was still cold!) That was when I looked more definately as Phoenix.