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I lived in Las Vegas in 1999-2000. I liked a lot of it. I LOVED the dry desert climate and the hot, sunny weather. I liked hiking in Red Rocks. I liked the pro-business attitude of government. I also liked the social attitude of mind-your-own-business-to-be-good neighbors, and I liked that the town stayed open 24/7 with plenty to do. (I come from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and their personal business, and everything is closed by 9 p.m..) I liked that you could smoke a cigarette, and not get looked down on... I liked the spirit of the place: the freshness, the daring, the freedom, and the fact that many people chose to move there.
But then circumstances changed, and I moved back to the Midwest.
Ten years later, I’m in my 40s, and I’m missing Las Vegas. I am dreading winter here in the Midwest. The snow and ice and hazardous driving are becoming more of a challenge than a thrill. The business attitude is depressing in the Midwest: it’s the Rust Belt. People are clinging to hold on to what they have, but there isn’t much daring or capital to risk anything new. Many of the towns and cities are either just getting by or slipping into poverty. The people in the Midwest are friendly, and the culture is wholesome, but . . . it’s a bit boring. Or, maybe it’s just me who is boring, LOL. I’m a 40-something guy, divorced, with no kids, and looking to make a fresh start. Preferably someplace with low humidity. I have a professional skill (in the law), so I think I could make a decent middle-class living there.
So: How is living in Las Vegas these days?
-- I remember bad parts to living there too: crappy traffic, high government fees for car registration, really needing to make an effort to have a social life and friends (the total opposite of a small town), methamphetamine and escorting seemed to be very common pastimes among some of the locals, gambling could be a problem too (sometimes locals would blow an entire paycheck on a weekend at a station casino and need to ask the boss for an advance to get by), etc. All those things can be dealt with or avoided, but are they still pretty common?
-- Also, how has the economic recession affected the spirit of the place? I remember Las Vegas as a very optimistic, bustling, entrepreneurial town. Is that still true?
-- Also, is there an arts community there or an intellectual community? Is there a kind of bohemian area: with coffee houses, book stores, funky galleries, theaters, etc?
I have lived in different places in my life, and I know you get out of it what you put into a place.
But I also know that different places have different vibes, and I’m wondering how is Las Vegas these days?
P.S. Is anyone worried about the water supply? With climate change and with so many people living there, will there be enough water in 20 or 40 years ?
P.S. Is anyone worried about the water supply? With climate change and with so many people living there, will there be enough water in 20 or 40 years ?
I'm not too worried considering we can and do transport just about everything everywhere. On a larger scale though, there's quite a few experts who say the world is already in a fresh water shortage. We simply haven't felt it yet in this country.
P.S. Is anyone worried about the water supply? With climate change and with so many people living there, will there be enough water in 20 or 40 years ?
Nobody can predict that. It depends on snowfall on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Almost every drop of our water comes from the Colorado River (via Lake Mead) which gets it's water from melted snow in Colorado. But the Southern Nevada Water District has plans to import water via a pipeline from Northern and Central Nevada if we need it. There is a small handful of ranchers who waste more water on cows than we ever could waste on lawns have been fighting the plan for years though.
I lived in Las Vegas in 1999-2000. I liked a lot of it. I LOVED the dry desert climate and the hot, sunny weather. I liked hiking in Red Rocks. I liked the pro-business attitude of government. I also liked the social attitude of mind-your-own-business-to-be-good neighbors, and I liked that the town stayed open 24/7 with plenty to do. (I come from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and their personal business, and everything is closed by 9 p.m..) I liked that you could smoke a cigarette, and not get looked down on... I liked the spirit of the place: the freshness, the daring, the freedom, and the fact that many people chose to move there.
But then circumstances changed, and I moved back to the Midwest.
Ten years later, I’m in my 40s, and I’m missing Las Vegas. I am dreading winter here in the Midwest. The snow and ice and hazardous driving are becoming more of a challenge than a thrill. The business attitude is depressing in the Midwest: it’s the Rust Belt. People are clinging to hold on to what they have, but there isn’t much daring or capital to risk anything new. Many of the towns and cities are either just getting by or slipping into poverty. The people in the Midwest are friendly, and the culture is wholesome, but . . . it’s a bit boring. Or, maybe it’s just me who is boring, LOL. I’m a 40-something guy, divorced, with no kids, and looking to make a fresh start. Preferably someplace with low humidity. I have a professional skill (in the law), so I think I could make a decent middle-class living there.
So: How is living in Las Vegas these days?
-- I remember bad parts to living there too: crappy traffic, high government fees for car registration, really needing to make an effort to have a social life and friends (the total opposite of a small town), methamphetamine and escorting seemed to be very common pastimes among some of the locals, gambling could be a problem too (sometimes locals would blow an entire paycheck on a weekend at a station casino and need to ask the boss for an advance to get by), etc. All those things can be dealt with or avoided, but are they still pretty common?
-- Also, how has the economic recession affected the spirit of the place? I remember Las Vegas as a very optimistic, bustling, entrepreneurial town. Is that still true?
-- Also, is there an arts community there or an intellectual community? Is there a kind of bohemian area: with coffee houses, book stores, funky galleries, theaters, etc?
I have lived in different places in my life, and I know you get out of it what you put into a place.
But I also know that different places have different vibes, and I’m wondering how is Las Vegas these days?
Thanks for any replies.
I usually go on record as saying there is no better city in this country than Las Vegas. But from reading between the lines (I know─dangerous) of your post I'd say that you really should check out Albuquerque before you decide. Albuq. runs a close second to Las Vegas as TBCOTA, and probably has more of the things you're looking for. Just up the road from Albuq., in the state capital of Santa Fe, is the art capital of the U.S., and that carries over into Albuq. big time. Really big time. In fact, I'd go out on another limb and say that there is more culture in and around Old Town Albuquerque than in the whole State of Nevada, and I love Nevada. Albuq/Santa Fe has the best food in the U.S., and for sure they have the bohemian style you're looking for. There are tons of museums, and a nice zoo; there is the Balloon Fiesta Park and Museum too. They host the largest Balloon fiesta anywhere, and there are always balloons in the air pretty much year round.
There is crime there because there is crime everywhere, but you have a better chance of making friends and living in a large city with somewhat of a small town atmosphere. It is high desert so there are four seasons, but the weather is relatively mild. Some of the mountains are higher and lots of people think it is mas bonita than Nebada.
Just a thought. I know that most people in the U.S. don't even know NM is a state, let alone one of the best in the country.
You might also want to check out Reno, as it has most of what you seem to be looking for.
The Las Vegas art scene is coming along, but it hasn't had nearly 500 years to gestate. From seeing what was passing as art at First Friday the other night, I'd say it has a long way to go. Right now most of it looks like drug induced hallucinations "created" by people who don't have any talent. Or they might have if they could stay sober long enough to produce something. Most of the so called artistic people roaming around downtown are a bunch of stoner freaks that look like rejects from Nightmare on Elm Street.
we lived here in 1999-2001. moved back to florida for family stuff.
fast forward to april/may 2010. had enough and decided to move back to vegas.
moved in sept 01, 2010.
how's vegas? Vegas is Good. Better than most cities are faring in Florida (another heavily tourist based economy), unemployment and the housing market sucks equally in both places.
all the bad stuff is still here, but it really doesn't affect us negatively.
(although it really bothers us that human trafficking has permeated all
major cities in america, including las vegas.)
in our humble opinion, if you ask people who lived here through the boom years,
a good number will say things suck.
ask us, who didn't live here then, and we'll tell you that
we have a job and a place to live and food on our table..... and we live in one of
the greatest cities in the world. that truly is a blessing.
fremont street/downtown has become more eclectic. you'd probably find it
bohemian in a vegas-kind-of-way. the arts scene is best described as up and
coming.
Hmmm... Well I've been here since 1992 except for a brief stint to Chicago in '06-'07 when I thought housing for Vegas was way too high and bad things were coming. Cashed in and headed to Chicago... Loved the people, loved the sports scene but the weather was brutal along with the taxes and I saw little opportunity for a new business. People that I knew that had well established businesses were breaking even and that's about it.
Moved back to Vegas during the major gloom and doom days ... 2008 was brutal for Las Vegas but things have certainly picked up since then. In my area of specialization... saw the worst of the worst when it came to homeowners but the ones who took care of their business and re-structured by doing what they had to do are all doing pretty good right now. I even have clients that qualify to buy again after short selling their homes a couple of years ago.
Vegas is cheap... that's what originally built this city up in the 90's. My overall sense of the attitude now is that for the most part... people are not as stressed out and miserable as back in 2008. Maybe not as positive as it was back in 1999 / 2000 .... but it's certainly on the rebound. Going out and about (which I do all the time) the restaurants (that made price changes) are busy again. Casinos are jammed up... Neighborhoods are starting to look much better.... the place is starting to roll again.
My opinion... if you have a decent job in a skilled profession and no debt... there is plenty of opportunity out here right now.
The Bad Parts you Remember -- Of course that's all still going on. Always has been... always will be. But as you mention... that can be avoided or dealt with.
Social Aspects -- It may have gotten better/easier to meet people with all of the social media going on including using Meetup to hook up with like minded people. The hiking group is extremely active and always has something going on.... practically every other day.
Can't help you out too much when it comes to the art / intellectual community. I found Buzz123's comment on the subject pretty entertaining though.
Water supply.... very interesting topic. I think if you look into the charts for Lake Powell (Up the river from Lake Mead) and if you really understand the impact of snow pack levels, historic water level charts for Lake Mead .... you may be able to answer your own question.
Lake Mead is actually up 33 feet from Sept. of 2010. (Yeah... that's a lot of water.) For this year.. There is already snow in Colorado and some ski lifts are already cranking up.
It's also important to note that in the areas where Lake Mead gets it's water, the ground is already saturated so if the snow continues, the Spring Run off will be pretty good.
All of those gloom and doom forecasts about Lake Mead drying up by 2021 a couple of years back were based on the drought in the region continuing indefinitely... which obviously we should all know that weather is cyclical.
Sorry so long on that topic... I have out of state clients ask the water question all the time...
Thank you, everyone, for your good and thoughtful replies !
Buzz, you are correct -- I would enjoy moving to New Mexico for the reasons that you cited. But, I'm not sure if I could make a living there. It's a low population state, and the population is not as transient as Las Vegas.
And, besides, Vegas is Vegas...
So who knows: if I move there and make some extra money, I might be able to start a combination gallery / bookstore / coffee house / pipe and tobacco store. I could call it "Little Bohemia" or something like that, and have it serve as an outlet for local and regional artists of quality, and maybe showcase artists who are out here too. :-)
P.P.S. Is there any open desert left in the valley? I.E., would there be a lonesome house at the end of town where one could have an unimpeded view of the desert?
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