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.
if you are having problems making friends and finding work, maybe it's you
Exactly my thoughts. I hear it often, and it baffles me. Have any of the people who think their neighbors are unfriendly ever actually reached OUT to them? We just had a cookout last weekend and went to our 2 next door neighbors, and the 3 houses across the street to invite them. Granted, they wouldn't know our friends who came from all over the valley, but that is how you meet people. They ranged in age from their 30s to 60s, and all enjoyed themselves. My friends list is growing almost every single day.
And regarding people in LV being "jerks"? That is BEYOND baffling. Go try living in New England or NY/NJ some time and then come back here and say the people here aren't friendly and outgoing.
It sounds like the problem is 100% internal. Miserable people will be miserable.
The biggest hurdle you'll have coming from Washington to Vegas is the stark lack of culture. There's no Smithsonian to pop into whenever you want. We have no art museum and the zoo is rather sad and practically non-existent. Since there's no real student culture here anywhere you'll have a hard time finding people your own age that aren't interested in the bar/club scene. Almost all of the students work in retail or a casino so you can judge for yourself what kind of conversation level you'll be dealing with.
There is culture in Clark County and it is continually evolving for the better. Even prior to the opening of the Smith Center, UNLV showcase dance and the philharmonic in its campus, even art exhibits. We have the NV State Museum, Marjorie Barrick Museum, the Springs Preserve and a host of other places to view art exhibits. The Smith Center has done wonders as a venue for the arts. Even casinos/resorts offer cultural exhibits in its premises. There are many ethnic festivals celebrated on a regular basis in town, culture in Clark County is definitely heading in the right direction. Culture evolves over time!
Oh boy. Well here's the scoop. Having lived for seven years in Maryland between Baltimore and Washington I think I can give you a pretty good perspective what the jump is going to be like.
To begin with if you're willing to pay that sort of rent you'll have no problem finding what you want. Nearly all Vegas apartments have everything you're looking for, although some are a lot nicer than others. However, the area nearest to UNLV is a dump and has been for many years. There is no real campus culture. UNLV is largely a joke with a graduation rate hovering around 40 percent or so. The college accepts anyone and everyone. I sincerely doubt there is even any sort of actual review process. I was just out on campus last week and was struck by the strange sort of culture. Most colleges have students bustling about looking as though they have important things to do. Most of the UNLV students don't even carry a notebook or bag of any kind. That says a lot. However, I will say that you will get out of UNLV what you put into it just like any other school. So if you're there to study and work hard then you'll be fine. But bear in mind that a degree from UNLV doesn't mean much outside of Nevada.
The biggest hurdle you'll have coming from Washington to Vegas is the stark lack of culture. There's no Smithsonian to pop into whenever you want. We have no art museum and the zoo is rather sad and practically non-existent. Since there's no real student culture here anywhere you'll have a hard time finding people your own age that aren't interested in the bar/club scene. Almost all of the students work in retail or a casino so you can judge for yourself what kind of conversation level you'll be dealing with.
Vegas people are extremely withdrawn and self-centered. They will behave as if they're your best friend five minutes after you meet them and you will learn more about their lives in the following ten minutes than you'd care to think about and then you'll most likely never see them again. Apartment living is extremely isolated here. Neighbors do not communicate or socialize and noise is a constant problem even in the "best" apartments. Keep in mind that nearly every residential structure in Vegas is made of drywall with an outer coating of chicken wire sprayed with stucco. Even if you're lucky enough to get a "quiet" neighbor you'll hear every step they make.
The bottom line is simply that Vegas is not very kind to Easterners. Most of the people who live here are rejects and escapees from Southern California who came here for a lower cost of living and brought with them their ridiculous way of life. Vegas tops the Nation's worst lists consistently and you're more likely to die here crossing the street or in a car accident than you are if you're a member of the armed forces stationed in Afghanistan. If you have another option for school I'd follow up on it.
Spot on, mate...you just have to take Vegas for what it is...a heckua a place to get drunk and have fun but not much more....
There is culture in Clark County and it is continually evolving for the better. Even prior to the opening of the Smith Center, UNLV showcase dance and the philharmonic in its campus, even art exhibits. We have the NV State Museum, Marjorie Barrick Museum, the Springs Preserve and a host of other places to view art exhibits. The Smith Center has done wonders as a venue for the arts. Even casinos/resorts offer cultural exhibits in its premises. There are many ethnic festivals celebrated on a regular basis in town, culture in Clark County is definitely heading in the right direction. Culture evolves over time!
It ain't the same. Just a different intellectual vibe... I need my intellectual high brow culture fill too but don't seek to find it in Vegas...it's like when you talk about lawyers out here....they are slip and fall shysters as opposed to corporate, finance, ip, trade, etc....most civilians think all lawyers are the same; they are not, there is a definite hierarchy among the legal profession..white collar law and blue collar law.
vegas is a clue collar low brow town..I dont say this as an insult but rather a fact. I was in Starbucks in NY a few days ago and I saw the New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly, and the economist all being read,,,in vegas the people read books about gambling.
Exactly my thoughts. I hear it often, and it baffles me. Have any of the people who think their neighbors are unfriendly ever actually reached OUT to them? We just had a cookout last weekend and went to our 2 next door neighbors, and the 3 houses across the street to invite them. Granted, they wouldn't know our friends who came from all over the valley, but that is how you meet people. They ranged in age from their 30s to 60s, and all enjoyed themselves. My friends list is growing almost every single day.
And regarding people in LV being "jerks"? That is BEYOND baffling. Go try living in New England or NY/NJ some time and then come back here and say the people here aren't friendly and outgoing.
It sounds like the problem is 100% internal. Miserable people will be miserable.
People are more smiley here. i give you that. but you focus on the irrelevant, friendship is more than a smile..substance over style my friend....
Most of what you said is untrue and sounds as if you are rather bitter. Sorry that you had such a bad experience. UNLV has never claimed to be the Harvard of the west. It's a four year University, degrees from UNLV will do what degrees from most other Universities will do. Provide some proof of people being laughed at and sent packing for their worthless UNLV degrees, any evidence at all would be nice. It's an atrocious lie. There is nothing wrong with UNLV or it's accreditation.
I am at UNLV's campus often and it is packed with kids carrying backpacks and books who are on their way to classes, that was another falsity you are spreading.
Many of the people whom have moved to Las Vegas are in fact from the East coast. We even have a few museums, one is actually part of the Smithsonian. Albeit nothing compared with DC. DC has more corruption and criminals than Las Vegas ever thought of though. I'm not here to sully the reputation of DC however, I love that town. UNLV's campus could be compared in size and location to Howard University. They are both about the same size(UNLV is a little bigger.) Both located in Urban areas.
UNLV is rated as having one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation.
My UNLV degree will get me a job anywhere in this country, just so happens Las Vegas has the top wages for my profession, and I make a pretty good living.
Just to nip another thing in the bud. It's nicknamed 'Never leaving Vegas' because most of the students that go there are from Vegas. So we say if you grow-up here and go to UNLV as opposed to somewhere else, you are never leaving Vegas.
I don't even know what to say about the whole zoo thing. I suppose they could start having us pay state income taxes and raise the money to build museums and zoo's so that polar bears can come live in Las Vegas.
30 pedestrians lost their lives in 2012 in the entire state of Nevada. 310 US soldiers died in Afghanistan during the same time period. It's doubtful to me that you ever served, but I assure you Las Vegas is a preferred destination to RC East. We also have a decent population of active and retired Airforce living here who love this place, helping even out the swarms of California rejects living here I suppose.
The bottom line is, if you are having problems making friends and finding work, maybe it's you? You don't need to insult the city, no one asked you to come here. If you don't like it, leave by all means.
RC-South is where the real men are...and not at KAF...
People are more smiley here. i give you that. but you focus on the irrelevant, friendship is more than a smile..substance over style my friend....
True, but isn't it nice to see people smile at you, rather than grimace? And in 3 months, we have 30 or 40 people in our group who are together 3-4 nights a week. Granted, we have a common interest, but try forming a group of that size in the NorthEast. A group that will give you a ride to pick up your car at the shop. A group where you'll give someone a ride to the airport at 6am. These are people we didn't know 3 months ago, and now we are at each other's houses for cookouts, or out to dinner, or at a show. The people here are friendlier than in some other parts of the country, that's all I'm saying. And I'd still rather have the superficial "how are ya? Hope you have a great day", than "whaddya lookin' at"? Must just be me.
And I'd still rather have the superficial "how are ya? Hope you have a great day", than "whaddya lookin' at"? Must just be me.
I'd rather have the genuine, "How are ya?" Where I used to live, when people asked, "How are you?" they expected an answer. And not a one-word answer, either. "Fine" was not acceptable. They wouldn't ask if they didn't care enough about you to get an answer. And most people cared.
Scoop, I wasn't saying that's all I get here. But compared to the stuffy area from which I came, where people waved with one finger moreso than with 5, I feel it is refreshing out here to be around friendly people. I think you know me enough through my posts that I find good no matter where I am, so maybe it's that outlook that benefits me. People will take their impressions of what they see or hear about a place, especially a place like Las Vegas, and that becomes their "truth".
To say something such as "vegas is a clue collar low brow town..I dont say this as an insult but rather a fact. I was in Starbucks in NY a few days ago and I saw the New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly, and the economist all being read,,,in vegas the people read books about gambling. " is ridiculous, and certainly not a "fact". It's an over-generalization rife with pompousness. I am a white-collar professional making 6-figures. I don't read books about gambling. So the statement is a blatant lie. But then again, miserable people will view life from a differing perspective than positive people I suppose.
Scoop, I wasn't saying that's all I get here. But compared to the stuffy area from which I came, where people waved with one finger moreso than with 5, I feel it is refreshing out here to be around friendly people. I think you know me enough through my posts that I find good no matter where I am, so maybe it's that outlook that benefits me. People will take their impressions of what they see or hear about a place, especially a place like Las Vegas, and that becomes their "truth".
To say something such as "vegas is a clue collar low brow town..I dont say this as an insult but rather a fact. I was in Starbucks in NY a few days ago and I saw the New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly, and the economist all being read,,,in vegas the people read books about gambling. " is ridiculous, and certainly not a "fact". It's an over-generalization rife with pompousness. I am a white-collar professional making 6-figures. I don't read books about gambling. So the statement is a blatant lie. But then again, miserable people will view life from a differing perspective than positive people I suppose.
While I certainly agree that exceptional people are here in Las Vegas, I look at it thusly. Back home, 9-out-of-10 people were really interesting, engaging, friendly, and a pleasure to know. The other 1-of-10? Miserable, ignorant SOBs.
My experience with Las Vegas is the opposite. 9-of-10 people simply aren't worth dealing with. Schemers, scammers, and addicts. My wife and I have what we call the "30-day test" -- we don't invite people over unless we've known them for a month. That way we can weed out the meth addicts, gambing addicts, and flat-out weirdos.
City-Data is different in that the people here give enough of a damn to discuss their community at length. And people here are intelligent enough to operate a computer. It's a better subset of Las Vegas, which is why I post here. I cannot say the same for many of my neighbors or my co-workers.
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.
