[travelbug76]

I am from NJ and I'm sick of the weather here. Sick of the **** poor politics here. It's sad how so MANY state employees and casino workers are losing their jobs by the hundreds(SERIOUSLY). Smh it's a sad state to reside. I've been out to Las Vegas before and fell in love with the place. I made it my point to stay off the strip(I mean I did go there to have fun)and check out the real Vegas. The areas that I loved were Summerlin and Henderson(ville)lol. Beautiful! My question to you would be how did you adjust? I lived in Texas for 4 yrs and the heat there was unbearable most of the time.(whewwwwww). I know it's a dry heat out there. How are the people? Jobs? I work in the transportation industry and my sister works in the Mental Health industry. What would be your pros and cons? My number 1 question is....CAR INSURANCE? Is it really that expensive out there? Did your insurance go up? Any info would be great. Thanks so much.

[FML157]

Lots and lots of east coast transplants in Vegas. Dry heat is bearable for the most part, would rather be hot for a few months than shoveling snow every day to get to work during winter. Insurance isn't as bad as Jersey. Lots of activities (shopping, outdoor stuff, restaurants etc.... The job market for high paying jobs is tough, but then again the cost of living isn't too bad. I also love that Vegas is still relatively new so things are not as run down as back east. But for me the biggest challenge has been the people aspect of Vegas, back East you have friends whom you may have known for years , but here people come and go (Vegas is very transient). Furthermore, you may make a friend and then they move across town and that hampers your relationship. But overall, I enjoy Vegas.

Pros
Way cheaper cost of living (in terms of housing & taxes)
Lots of things to do
Not far from Southern California, Utah, Arizona where there's even more stuff to do
No snow shoveling
Commute to/from work is 45 minutes in the absolute worst case scenario, probably faster depending where you live/work
No humidity
Affordable utilities
No 'rat race' for every single job
Brand new homes for fairly decent prices
Not everything is run down like certain places back East
Good access to local government


Cons
Very hot during the summer, but no humidity
No friends & family / might be hard to make new friends
Neighbors tend to keep to themselves
You will need 2 cars
Have to drive everywhere
Most houses are trac homes with smaller yards & not much distance between neighbors
Not much grass or greenery (with the exception of certain places)
Not as many people living here as New Jersey
Lots of temptations that could ruin your life (alcohol everywhere, gambling everywhere)
Bad public school system (unless you live in mid - upper middle class area)
Not as much cultural things to do (i.e. museums, historical attractions, art etc...)
No professional sports (but there's a bar for every sports team)

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by travelbug76

My number 1 question is....CAR INSURANCE? Is it really that expensive out there? Did your insurance go up? Any info would be great. Thanks so much.

My car insurance is dirt cheap. You should look into the cost to register your car, though. If your car is new and expensive, registration can be shocking.

[Willy702]

New Jersey is a financial/career destination, Las Vegas is a lifestyle destination. You can come up with a long list of pros and cons, but in the end it will still come down to can you replicate your earnings potential in Las Vegas because lets face it New Jersey is endlessly dumped on when it comes to non-financial descriptors. If you can then you probably will seriously consider making the move.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Willy702

New Jersey is a financial/career destination, Las Vegas is a lifestyle destination.

For my career, Las Vegas is THE career destination. There isn't even a close second.

And as far as I'm concerned, this "lifestyle" we have does not go on the "pros" side on a "pro vs con" list. Everything I like to do doesn't exist here. Everything I don't like to do is here in abundance.


THIS is my idea of a lifestyle:



And so is this:

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

For my career, Las Vegas is THE career destination. There isn't even a close second.

And as far as I'm concerned, this "lifestyle" we have does not go on the "pros" side on a "pro vs con" list. Everything I like to do doesn't exist here. Everything I don't like to do is here in abundance.


THIS is my idea of a lifestyle:



And so is this:

Sure there are some people in your field and I bet many already found their way to Las Vegas. Most people are not in the same situation and I would guess a majority of people with decent careers would take a step back to make the move and hence that is why they don't make the move. In my years in Vegas the line of business I was in led me to talk to many working in and around NYC and a few in California and a majority of them showed a pretty good interest in how could they get out to Vegas and live like kings. Every one of them concluded the only way was to slog through X more years in what they were doing and then live off the nest egg when the magic day came. The main difference with these guys was the freedom date would be when they were in their 40s, not their 60s as most who dream of a Vegas retirement face.

[ScoopLV]

I'm sorry, if there was a point in all of that, I'm not getting it.

In Las Vegas, people in my field make a decent living and have a very low cost of living. Furthermore, there are so many places to work that unemployment doesn't exist.

In Manhattan or California, people in my field are among the lowest of the low paid, and live in areas with a staggering cost of living. No comparison. Consider this: Many of my coworkers are here in Las Vegas for one reason only -- to make enough money to open a restaurant in a part of America that doesn't suck. If the restaurant fails, they move back here and lather-rinse-repeat until they get it right.

It is no big thing for a front-of-house and back-of-house husband/wife team to save six figures a year in Las Vegas. Not EARN six figures. SAVE six figures. There is no other place that can happen.

[icecreamcake]

I'm from New Jersey and I quite like it here. Took me a while to adjust but I do like it now.

[EA]

My truck cost me 1200 to register. That was a big shock to me.
I will not be registering it next year. Buying a 90s pos car and paying cash.
Cost of living is very cheap compared to other cities.
My car insurance is high. Very high. 169 a month. Clean record and I am 31. Over double what I was paying back east.

[HappyJohn]

I'm from NJ and I love it here in Vegas. Here is a quick rambling list of reasons: it's cheap, fun, 24 hour, plenty to do (even if you never gamble), great restaurants, bands and live music, great weather 9 months out of the year, no state income taxes, nice and dry, no mosquitoes, beautiful desert scenery. Hmmm...that's just the rambling list without thinking too hard.

I love it here far more than NJ.