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Hello, so I am saving up to move from Kentucky to either Tucson or Las Vegas. I'm having a little trouble deciding which one to move to. I am a real outdoorsy person. That's why I am drawn to Tucson. Also, the gem shows. I'm obsessed with those. But I've heard it's pretty boring there. That's why I like the idea of Vegas. I'm really into rockabilly culture and would, one day, like to start my own retro hair styling place. I've heard Vegas is really open and encouraging to new business. I'm worried that in Vegas, though, there isn't much to do outdoors. Like hiking, biking, etc. I'm not too terribly big on nightlife. But I do enjoy occasional shows. Heat doesn't bother me. So weather isn't an issue.
Hello, so I am saving up to move from Kentucky to either Tucson or Las Vegas. I'm having a little trouble deciding which one to move to. I am a real outdoorsy person. That's why I am drawn to Tucson. Also, the gem shows. I'm obsessed with those. But I've heard it's pretty boring there. That's why I like the idea of Vegas. I'm really into rockabilly culture and would, one day, like to start my own retro hair styling place. I've heard Vegas is really open and encouraging to new business. I'm worried that in Vegas, though, there isn't much to do outdoors. Like hiking, biking, etc. I'm not too terribly big on nightlife. But I do enjoy occasional shows. Heat doesn't bother me. So weather isn't an issue.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this.
Tucson has a little scene for what you are looking for near Downtown. Vegas has some great outdoors but it's not on scale with Tucson.
Vegas is fine for visiting but living? I did a long project there once living there for 1 month. Living in Vegas is not much fun. I just really dislike Vegas, but I still go there because it's fun. The town is generally without character and has some really nasty parts. Tucson has impoverished areas, but they tend to be ethnic and interesting at the same time.
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I'd feel more at home and willing to settle in Tucson. Las Vegas is too transient and tourist based for me to want to call it home. Tucson has a very decent and evolving downtown and college town vibe. There are crime and poverty issues n both cities, so that's a wash but Tucson has some very nice areas around the foothills.
Why would any one want to move to Tucson? Its one of the poorest cities in America, they have some nice suburbs like Catalina Foothilla and Marana, but the city itself is a complete and total armpit. It has massive budget problems despite the fact the roads are falling apart.
Tucson is a very boring city. Its got a university but the rest is large families and most of them are living pay check to paycheck. If you don't go to University I can't imagine living in Tucson.
Las Vegas is absolutely more into new business then Tucson. Tucson is a poor city because its not a fan of new business. Tucson is filled with welfare recipients.
Tucson people are very provincial and rude. Its not a city to move if your looking to make friends. It has a reputation as a very backwards city and is one of the poorest cities in the United States. It has massive budget issues because the city of Tucson does not like change. They have a massive heroin trafficking issue as it's less then a hour from the Mexican border.
I heard they tried a community get together house in Tucson near the university campus and supposedly that failed. There is no sense of any community there. At least the Zappos CEO is doing all he can to create a decent downtown in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas has lots of good and bad people, Tucson is full of bad people and the only way to remove yourself from the badness is to move to Catalina Foothills or Marana which are very nice. Catalina Foothils and Marana are mainly citizens or elite families that keep to themselves.
Both cities have lots of issues but Las Vegas wins this one in a landslide. I will take the Las Vegas mentality over the Tucson mentality anyday.
If your into gems have you looked into Albuquerque, I am not a fan of Albuquerque but they are big on different gems (turqioise). Albuquerque also has Nob Hill and the area around the University on Central Avenue which while lackluster are far better then anything Tucson has and ever will have to offer.
Hello, so I am saving up to move from Kentucky to either Tucson or Las Vegas. I'm having a little trouble deciding which one to move to. I am a real outdoorsy person. That's why I am drawn to Tucson. Also, the gem shows. I'm obsessed with those. But I've heard it's pretty boring there. That's why I like the idea of Vegas. I'm really into rockabilly culture and would, one day, like to start my own retro hair styling place. I've heard Vegas is really open and encouraging to new business. I'm worried that in Vegas, though, there isn't much to do outdoors. Like hiking, biking, etc. I'm not too terribly big on nightlife. But I do enjoy occasional shows. Heat doesn't bother me. So weather isn't an issue.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this.
I don't know why you are considering these two but not Phoenix... Las Vegas is just like Phoenix but with a better nightlife because of the strip obviously, which gets old in three days to me anyway. Outside of the Strip it is quite literally a Phoenix 2.0. Vegas has a little bit more Californian influence that can be seen by the slightly different chains and so on but that isn't anything major. And I was just in Vegas last weekend...
Tucson taxes terribly on business which is why business isn't there in the first place really. Tucson, as mentioned by the overly pessimistic person above my post, is a poor city. While Tucson is significantly better in outdoor life remember Tucson is 2 hours from Phoenix. When the gem shows come in February and the weather is nice you're more than welcome to crowd up the parks with the snowbirds. Phoenix is easier access to northern Arizona which IMO is better for the outdoorsy crowd, though Southeastern Arizona is pretty fun.
If you live in Phoenix you can get both of what you are thinking of Tucson and Las Vegas. Phoenix has an improving night life that won't break the bank and has better outdoors than Las Vegas, but is better for a business than Tucson.
Las Vegas is the easy choice, IMO. For metro area amenities, Tucson has no answers for Vegas with the exception of the Univerity of Arizona.
As a relatively frequent visitor to LV, I've always felt the natural environment around the city is underrated. Mt Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley, Lake Meade, Valley of Fire and a little farther out, Southern Utah.
I've lived in both places. I agree that Tucson can get a little boring after a while, but it depends what you're into. For example, there is a cyclist marathon every year, there are a growing number of breweries in town, there's a small music scene, etc. It's certainly not a "bad" place and there are other good neighborhoods besides the foothills, depending on your budget.
Vegas has quite a community of outdoorsy types as well, and the west side of town has a lot of new development. The Red Rock loop comes to mind for cyclists and the general area out there is great for hiking. The landscape of southern AZ is more scenic, in my view, with more diversity of plant and animal life. Southern NV is a different desert, with less rainfall and therefore less flora. The other thing to keep in mind is that Utah is not too far from Vegas, and there's a ton of outdoor landscapes there. The Grand Canyon is basically equidistant.
The personalities of the cities are dramatically different, however, in that Vegas has a sort of "here today, gone tomorrow" spirit of gamblers and showbiz types, and Tucson is more of a sleepy college town. The big gem show happens once a year, so I'm not sure that would be a great reason to move here. Vegas has more of a reputation for supporting small business (many risk-taking types), but Tucson is pretty good for smaller shops, as well. A friend of mine opened a reptile shop a couple years ago and it's doing great.
I could go on... as I've spent a lot of time considering these two places, but ultimately I think it comes down to personality. Vegas is generally wilder and people are more likely to visit you if you live there.
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