[JimBeam451]

I hate to start (yet another) "moving to Las Vegas" thread but I'd really like for this thread to focus almost exclusively on the people of Las Vegas. I don't want to hear about the housing market or how much the job market sucks. I'm really just looking for feedback on the people of Las Vegas.

I'm a mid-30s, white-collar, professional man with a great income and no pets, no children, nothing like that. I am looking to move to Nevada for basically tax reasons. I've visited Las Vegas on many, many occasions having spent there up to 7 days at a time in the city. My plan is to rent for a while and I'm focusing in the Summerlin/Northwest part of the city.

I have some trepidation about moving to Las Vegas because I've heard a variety of things about the people and relative safety of Las Vegas. I've heard the following things and I'd appreciate people's feedback on debunking these or helping me understand these more:

1 - Its hard to make friends in Vegas. I plan on dating and being active in community events in Las Vegas. I've heard that its very difficult to meet friendly people in Las Vegas and growing a base of friends is not easy.

2 - There's a lot of tweekers in Vegas. I've seen quite a bit of this during my visits to Las Vegas. Obviously, I'm not expecting a pristine city, but I do see a high number of "undesirables" all over the town. I spoke with a homeowner recently who told me that you can't assume that all parts of Summerlin/Northwest are good. There are drug users and gangs in ALL parts of Las Vegas.

3 - Everyone in Las Vegas is broke. I did a search on these boards for Vegas posts and someone posted this. Even people with 6-figure incomes are broke. However unlikely that may be, I can see this happening giving the nature of the city. Plus I can also see this in the radio commercials I hear on the local stations - lots of lawyers, check advance and credit repair commercials.

4 - There are scams all over town. I had a friend move to Las Vegas about 8 years ago and that was his primary comment. He felt like everyone, from his real estate agent to the bag-boy at the grocery store had some sort of scam or "side thing" going that was trying to fleece him (or someone else) out of money. He walked away with the impression that Las Vegas was just FULL of hucksters trying to separate you from your money (so that they could then be separated from their money - see #3 above!).

Finally, I know that some of you REALLY love Las Vegas and I respect that. This post is not intended to offend anyone. I'm only posting things I've seen/heard in an attempt to make the move to Las Vegas with my eyes wide open and have a good idea of what I'm getting into.

I appreciate all opinions.

[dynimagelv]

Sounds to me like your mind is already made up so I wont bother to confuse you with the facts.

[JimBeam451]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

Sounds to me like your mind is already made up so I wont bother to confuse you with the facts.

You've obviously misunderstood my post. I'm posting what I've heard not what I believe. I'm posting them in an effort to debunk them. In fact, I'm posting things that have been said on these very forums.

You, dear reader, are supposed to present the facts.

[Prosze]

Its hard to make friends in Vegas-If you dont make an effort to go out and make friends, then yes. If you have no hobbies or never go anywhere you won't make friends that applies wherever you live.

There's a lot of tweekers in Vegas-I dont know, i'm not a drug user and really don't want to be friends or hang around people with drug/alcohol problems.

Everyone in Las Vegas is broke- Doesn't apply to me. I don't care what people do with their money or how much they have just don't ask me for money.

There are scams all over town-Probably, don't fall for them.

[SportyandMisty]

We moved here a few years ago. We are not disappointed. I love being a local (activities, fine dining, entertainment, weather, etc)

Making friends is not that difficult if you try. But you have to try, and the typical tactics of finding & making new friends are the same here as anywhere else.

You can find maps of Las Vegas that indicate where police reports have been filed (burglary, narcotics, auto theft, etc). Listen to your instincts regarding neighborhoods to live in & you probably will be fine. Gated communities provide the illusion of security more than security itself. Guard-gated communities provide a bit more security -- I live in a guard gated community now (Club @ Madeira Canyon) and there are no reports of crime inside the community, although a few times a month there is a Henderson police report of something within a mile or two.

No, not everyone in Vegas is broke. There are many affluent communities. There are also people living paycheck to paycheck. You will find some very wealthy people live here as well (e.g., wealth north of $100 Million).

I can't comment on scammers or scams -- I don't have any direct experience.

[von949]

Dynimagelv has a point. It does seem like you have your mind already made up or have been following this section for a while now. So you can pretty much predict the answers you will get. One thing for sure is that we are all experts at answering your questions because we have all been in your shoes at one point.


1...What does "active in the community" mean to you? Volunteering, coaching a youth sport, community organizing, sitting on your HOA board, neighborhood watch, social club? If you partake in all of these, you will have more "friends" than you will know what to do with. Just remember that anything you do on the strip is not contributing to your local community. Also ask yourself, how did I make friends in the last city that I lived?

2...I don't see any "tweekers" until I go to the downtown area. Maybe some in the local grocery stores occasionally. But maybe they are not "tweekers" and just stressed. If you are not selling it or buying it then you will not be directly affected by these people at all. This also goes back to community involvement also. If it bother's you, go do something about it and volunteer at the local rehab centers.

3...It is all about disposable and discretionary income. This is what determines how "broke" someone is. There are those that make six figures but are still living pay check to pay check with nothing left over. Then there are those that make 30k a year and have money left over for entertainment, saving and paying bills comfortably. Lots of vices out here that people can't handle or budget.

4...LV has the perfect setting for scams. Very transient town. If I was a scammer I would make LV my home also. So much cash flowing through this city. Why not? Just use your street smarts and common sense.

[Exaday]

I never noticed any of those things really.

If you're not in a tweakers world you would not notice them, I am sure we have them but I'm a little above all that.

Vegas is actually a small town. It's as if the people that actually stay here and call vegas home for years is a small group, I run into people I know all the time and I bet I've ran into some CD poster on occasion without knowing it.

If you have a hard time making friends, you'll have a hard time making friends.

Being sin city, many residents have gambling problems. This is something that I think gets swept under the rug honestly. I've had friends that have lost everything. It happens. Gambling is an addiction. I don't want to say any more because we rely on gambling.

I will say that I do not gamble. Nothing wrong with it if you do. MAny enjoy it and have no problem at all. Just like drinking I guess.

[NLVgal]

1. It's not Mayberry. People here are more cautious. That said, you can meet tons of people by joining a coed softball league, volunteering at one of the charities as Von mentioned (Four Square and Opportunity Village are favorites) or joining a meetup group for hiking, biking, etc.

2. I sometimes see tweakers pan handling on a corner or in a parking lot, but that's about it. They make the news occasionally when they do something stupid, just like any other area with a couple million people in it. I totally agree with Exaday, above about the problem gamblers. Lots of those.

3. Everybody is not broke. I think we all just feel that way because we got hosed in the housing bust. It's a matter of perception. There is big money in this valley, and there are people who are scraping by, as was stated above.

4. Scams? You have to ask? This town was built on separating people from their cash. That's one reason why people here are cautious. I know damn fine professionals in almost any category you could think of, but found them based on word of mouth from people I trusted.

OP, I want to thank you for posting this question because it's a refreshing change from the usual, and also got me thinking about my own interactions with people here. I'm fairly reserved, but it occurred to me in thinking about your question that I know the name and some history on every clerk that works at my corner convenience store. I know the backstory of the gruff guy who works at my favorite grocery store, etc. I guess I'm not as "aloof" ( a poster here, ScoopLV, calls people in LV aloof, whereas I say cautious) as I thought.

[JimBeam451]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

OP, I want to thank you for posting this question because it's a refreshing change from the usual, and also got me thinking about my own interactions with people here. I'm fairly reserved, but it occurred to me in thinking about your question that I know the name and some history on every clerk that works at my corner convenience store. I know the backstory of the gruff guy who works at my favorite grocery store, etc. I guess I'm not as "aloof" ( a poster here, ScoopLV, calls people in LV aloof, whereas I say cautious) as I thought.

Thanks for the feedback! I tried to be diligent about conducting searches on these boards because, obviously, there's plenty of other "moving to vegas" threads on here. But I didn't see one focusing specifically on the people. I also had to ask this because this is really the ONLY thing keeping me from making the move right away. I have the funds, I like the city layout and I know I'll enjoy Summerlin. It's just a matter of getting a better perspective on the people at this point and I'll (hopefully!) make the move in the near future.

[observer53]

The problems you list in your post are present to one degree or another in every city of any size anywhere in the country. Vegas is not unusual in that respect. The extremes you hear on the internet about the people in LV or any other city, overly positive or overly negative, should be taken with a large grain of salt.

As far as the friend-making issue, it is absolutely true that in LV, like in many other cities in the West and other areas outside the south, making friends does take some effort in going out and seeking them. Unless they came from the south, your neighbors are more than likely not going to come knock on your door with a freshly baked pie to welcome you to the neighborhood.