Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My own personal observations of Las Vegas: I have an old roommate from Los Angeles who actually lived in Vegas after graduating from college. She moved there to be close to family. Her sister raised her two kids there - and lived away from the strip in the suburbs. Most townies do NOT frequent the strip - as a matter of fact they stay far away from it.
We went to visit her sister's family on numerous occasions - but what stuck in my brain was how during summer - you cannot leave the house. I would think if you were retired and or elderly - it would be difficult. We visited in July (the 4th I believe) and the temp was 120. That is not a typo. They had a pool which we tried to cool off in - to no avail. Breathing in was like putting a hair dryer to your mouth.... it was awful. If you want to go hiking in the local mountains? You'd better do it before 10AM or you will be struck with heatstroke. It's that bad. It was very uncomfortable there.
Their winters are also not warm. The canyon/desert winds blow mightily. Dust EVERYWHERE. I hated it.
I grew up in Wisconsin - so the prospect of having to be homebound - either by snow or too much heat for long periods of time is not my cup o tea.
Secondly - since I have family in Los Angeles - and we now live in northern Utah - we pass through Vegas frequently.... I also have attended conferences in vegas and Henderson. Aside from the heat - the lack of green space bugs the crap outa me. I LOVE the desert - but don't want to live in it.
During one professional conference - we took a side trip to Lake Las Vegas... I was astounded at the "coldness" and emptyness of the place. It didn't seem friendly - nor accessible. It looked like a housing bubble town ready to burst. Unaffordable.
Vegas is a fun place to people watch and see shows. I'm not a gambler - but it never felt like home to me.
My own personal observations of Las Vegas: I have an old roommate from Los Angeles who actually lived in Vegas after graduating from college. She moved there to be close to family. Her sister raised her two kids there - and lived away from the strip in the suburbs. Most townies do NOT frequent the strip - as a matter of fact they stay far away from it.
We went to visit her sister's family on numerous occasions - but what stuck in my brain was how during summer - you cannot leave the house. I would think if you were retired and or elderly - it would be difficult. We visited in July (the 4th I believe) and the temp was 120. That is not a typo. They had a pool which we tried to cool off in - to no avail. Breathing in was like putting a hair dryer to your mouth.... it was awful. If you want to go hiking in the local mountains? You'd better do it before 10AM or you will be struck with heatstroke. It's that bad. It was very uncomfortable there.
Their winters are also not warm. The canyon/desert winds blow mightily. Dust EVERYWHERE. I hated it.
I grew up in Wisconsin - so the prospect of having to be homebound - either by snow or too much heat for long periods of time is not my cup o tea.
Secondly - since I have family in Los Angeles - and we now live in northern Utah - we pass through Vegas frequently.... I also have attended conferences in vegas and Henderson. Aside from the heat - the lack of green space bugs the crap outa me. I LOVE the desert - but don't want to live in it.
During one professional conference - we took a side trip to Lake Las Vegas... I was astounded at the "coldness" and emptyness of the place. It didn't seem friendly - nor accessible. It looked like a housing bubble town ready to burst. Unaffordable.
Vegas is a fun place to people watch and see shows. I'm not a gambler - but it never felt like home to me.
Good luck to those of you who choose it.
Interesting observations, and some reservations that we share.
The heat. While 120 is hot, today my thermometer read 93 and we felt lucky that the humidity was only 48%. Last week it was hovering near 80%. So in Vegas I'm breathing through a hair dryer while here I'm breathing under water. The before 10am and after 6pm rule applies here in the summer as well, unless you're a little weird.
Winters aren't warm? From a Wisconsinite? How long have you been away from the Upper Midwestern winters? I do know that perception changes (I am being a bit facetious) because one of my brothers lives in far southern Arizona and the last visit they made here was in May. Beautiful weather in the low 70's, and they were asking to borrow sweaters and coats.
The wind and dust is a definite concern. We live in the "real" Windy City. Since corn doesn't stop wind, and even less so after harvest we have an almost constant wind here. It's not bad until the fields are tilled in the fall and the soil is open to blowing.
We are going to spend time in LV this summer to see how the heat (and her allergies) affect us. Should be interesting to compare our hot, humid summer to their hot, dry summer.
I'd like to see pics of the smaller in-town neighborhoods (not the larger city scape) if you have any...like actual homes that are not for billionaires.
Here you go. This is a townhouse/villa community about a mile or so from where I live. I believe the prices are somewhere south of $150k.
And here's another "regular" neighborhood called Desert Shores. In fact, I almost bought a house here rather than in Spanish Trail where I currently live.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
Reputation: 46172
MMOB... you didn't list my favorite 'local (drive there from here... ~50 miles) to LV place" (no video cips from me, as they HOSE my dial-up connection)
I am known to 'retreat' to Valley of Fire, while being in LV. Sunrise is a good time to go there, right after your 3AM $4.99 breakfast buffet And, no I don't gamble or do shows, but I also do not do DAYLIGHT while in the desert)
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlb
My own personal observations of Las Vegas: ... The canyon/desert winds blow mightily. Dust EVERYWHERE. I hated it.
I grew up in Wisconsin -... Aside from the heat - the lack of green space bugs the crap outa me. I LOVE the desert - but don't want to live in it.
...Vegas is a fun place ...- but it never felt like home to me.
Good luck to those of you who choose it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek
Interesting observations, and some reservations that we share.
The heat. While 120 is hot, today my thermometer read 93 and we felt lucky that the humidity was only 48%. Last week it was hovering near 80%. So in Vegas I'm breathing through a hair dryer while here I'm breathing under water. ...The wind and dust is a definite concern. We live in the "real" Windy City. Since corn doesn't stop wind, and even less so after harvest we have an almost constant wind here. It's not bad until the fields are tilled in the fall and the soil is open to blowing.
We are going to spend time in LV this summer to see how the heat (and her allergies) affect us.
Back OT (for someone looking for City + Mother Nature...) My personal favorite is San Francisco for accessible and enjoyable green space in the city weather is +\-, but since I only VISIT... it is usually suberb! (I can't deal with CA taxes and CARS) (Lots of arguments possible for SF too, BUT in many visits / yr for 30+ yrs, I have not had a BAD one... lucky, I know). San Diego for the more fair weather friends.
If I could handle a Mega Metro, in USA; it would be Seattle. But Portland can be a lower populace 'nature + city w/ great transportation (and taxes to support it).
Smaller alternatives in PNW are Eugene, OR or Bellingham, WA (both great college towns). Olympia, WA is OK if you can handle living in a state capital. We_tside PNW (west of Cascade Range) is a stretch for those who are not keen on gardening / walking / golfing in the rain. SO... (city)places in DRIER SIDE PNW but still immersed in Nature = (my preference) Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, or Sandpoint, ID; Spokane, Wenatchee, WA; Bend, LaGrande, K Falls, OR
For Colorado, I prefer Colorado Springs or Boulder for a city, WY would have to be Laramie or Sheridan, WY. (VA medical). Also Spearfish, SD (VA medical in Sturgis).
Missoula or Bozeman MT
TX is Austin or San Antonio (VA medical).
As usual... Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV)
Mine is 50 mpg since 1976, NO DINOSAURS or OPEC required
In searching for retirement locations, some people want to get away from it all and move to some place with lakes and/or mountains. Others don't want to give up city amenities, entertainment and other cultural events. For still others, a low cost of living and low taxes is what matters. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is a great place that meets all three criteria: Las Vegas. Everyone knows about the Strip and all of its associated entertainment, but not many are aware how beautiful the surrounding area is.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located only 15 or so miles out of town (about 30 minutes from the Strip). Here's a short video:
If you'd rather cool off in the summer rather than walk or drive along the desert floor, you can drive up to Mt. Charleston, 7700' above sea level, and about 30 degrees cooler than Las Vegas itself. As with Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston also is less than an hour outside of the city.
And of course in the winter, you can head up Mt. Charleston to go snow skiing.
Both of the above areas are to the west and northwest of the Strip, but that doesn't mean that the beauty is only in one direction. Thirty minutes southeast of the Strip lies the Colorado River and Lake Mead, a wonderful place to go to spend the day boating, water skiing, swimming, or just hiking and enjoying the natural scenery.
Folks, hi - I'm your new moderator but I've been around for a while. I'm going to ask that we stay on topic and remain civil to one another. If you don't agree, state your reason in a logical and polite manner - no flaming or namecalling or whatever. If you truly don't like the topic, there are currently 1,386,150 active threads on C-D and I'm sure there's one that will suit you to a T!
Indeed. I took it seriously at first, and couldn't believe it. Aside from the point that Las Vegas is noisy, crowded, and mobbed by crazy tourists (not my idea of a retirement area), the OP has an interesting perspective of what retirement years are like.
See, that's one of the major reasons I created this thread: to disabuse people of that preconceived idea of what Vegas is like. Other than one 4 mile long street (the Strip), tourists are not seen nor heard in Las Vegas. (Well, maybe two streets if you include Fremont downtown.) Most tourists never set foot off of the Strip and have no idea what Las Vegas is like.
What's great about tourism in Las Vegas is that it all takes place in one relatively small part of the city. And even better, the tourists who come here to party on that one street pay all of the taxes that support the rest of us throughout the city. In fact, thanks to them, a new world-class venue was just built and opened a few months ago: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts:
In addition to nationally-known entertainers, the Smith Center is now home to the Las Vegas Ballet Company and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Just a couple more cultural entities that people don't normally think of when they hear "Las Vegas."
I have been in love with Las Vegas for over 30 years. I honeymooned here in 1978, came back almost annually thereafter for vacations, and have known for 20+ years that this is where I wanted to retire. Moreover, if I didn't like it here I could simply pick up and move somewhere else.
As I've said before, when I retired in 2010 I could have moved to anywhere in the country. Finances were not a limiting factor in where I chose to relocate. There was no question in my mind that Las Vegas was the place for me.
And after 2+ years living here full-time, I am more in love with the city than ever.
But then again, I am probably in denial about that as well.
Last edited by Sam I Am; 06-10-2012 at 04:11 PM..
Reason: Please - let's just stay on topic - thank you. Sam
I have been in love with Las Vegas for over 30 years. I honeymooned here in 1978, came back almost annually thereafter for vacations, and have known for 20+ years that this is where I wanted to retire. Moreover, if I didn't like it here I could simply pick up and move somewhere else.
As I've said before, when I retired in 2010 I could have moved to anywhere in the country. Finances were not a limiting factor in where I chose to relocate. There was no question in my mind that Las Vegas was the place for me.
And after 2+ years living here full-time, I am more in love with the city than ever.
But then again, I am probably in denial about that as well.
Hey! My first trip to Vegas was '78 too! I'll never forget it. I started with $13 and won $800 at the Jolly Trolley on the Strip. It's long gone now.
Last edited by Sam I Am; 06-10-2012 at 04:12 PM..
Reason: edited for partially orphaned post - Sam
...Back OT (for someone looking for City + Mother Nature...) My personal favorite is San Francisco...
We were last in San Francisco about 6 years ago. It has its good points. But - walking from the Four Seasons to the Ferry Building - and having to look at my feet all the time to avoid stepping in human poop from the many homeless people there was a real turnoff to me. A year or two later - we visited people we knew in the San Jose area. Most were refugees from the San Francisco area. Turns out they didn't like all the poop on the streets either. Robyn
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The before 10am and after 6pm rule applies here in the summer as well, unless you're a little weird.
And, no I don't gamble or do shows, but I also do not do DAYLIGHT while in the desert)
We_tside PNW (west of Cascade Range) is a stretch for those who are not keen on gardening / walking / golfing in the rain. SO... (city)places in DRIER SIDE PNW but still immersed in Nature = (my preference) Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, or Sandpoint, ID; Spokane, Wenatchee, WA; Bend, LaGrande, K Falls, OR
Thank you for the nice pics!
