[JIMLV]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Las Vegas is a modern Southwestern City. It is neither better nor worse than its brethren.

It is hot but generally dry. Today for example was 107 or 108 but very comfortable. When I had a swim a half hour ago it was 97 and actually a little cool. Many prefer it, as I do, to the hot wet climate of Houston, Dallas or Atlanta.

It is low taxed and low serviced. If you need the government to help out it is probably not the right place for you.

It is blue collar. It does not have high tech industry. It has a very large population of middle class blue collar workers. They are adequately paid but seldom get rich.

The education system is reasonably good for a large city school system. The component vary from excellent to awful. But at their worse are much better than the bottom of most of the rust built school systems. It has an adequate University...but just. No Nobel winners are likely.

Traffic is very nice by big city standards. If you come from Podunk, OH it is probably a bit much. But compared to say Phoenix or LA or Chicago it is wonderful.

The people are standard people. Neither better or worse than back wherever.

Crime is in the middle of the pack for a major American City. The suburban bedroom communities such as Henderson and Summerlin are like the suburban bedroom communities elsewhere. There are pockets that are relatively nasty. There are none that compare to the bad areas of the eastern cities or Los Angeles.

The job situation fluctuates with the economy. It is hard at the moment to find a reasonable job. But it is probably less hard here than in most cities. Piece of cake compared to say Michigan or even Los Angeles.

The streets however are not paved with gold and you can struggle and lose here...and Las Vegas does not care. Probably better at not caring than most places, do mostly to the fact that it is a relatively common event.

So come and enjoy or don't. Nobody in Vegas will care either way.

Well put,olecapt

[Frisco Franko]

Originally Posted by aqualung8705

Having lived in the Napa Valley for 27 years, balloons would often fly by house in the morning. They even landed in the street in front of my house a couple of times, as well as in the park down the street. It was always fun to help them land.

I highly recommend it. I've flown five times, and never paid a dime for it. One of the few perks of working in the hotel biz there. I also got paid commissions for booking rides for guests.

There's actually such a thing as a non-windy day here?

Now that's where I'd like to live.

[Frisco Franko]

Originally Posted by VegasGrace

Where else can you have sunshine daily, cheap rent w/ amenities that would make some resorts look boring, groceries delivered for 10 bucks, a driver to take you anywhere in the city for 40 bucks a month, endless buffets/entertainment/shopping....

I love it here!

I'm retired w/ 1 in high school and 1 in college.
No car, take the bus and have Vons/Albertsons deliver my weekly groceries.
My gated community is the cheapest rent I've ever paid and I have a large 2 bedroom, giant tub, patio, pools/spas/fitness facilites.

This place is great!

Cheap rent? Is your last name Bush?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

It is blue collar. It does not have high tech industry. It has a very large population of middle class blue collar workers. They are adequately paid but seldom get rich. So come and enjoy or don't. Nobody in Vegas will care either way.

I would only disagree with the statement we don't have a high tech industry. Maybe we're not Silicon Valley, but do you realize the computer technology that goes into all those thousands of slot machines, and they are all manufactured right here in town. Plus the tech is sold all over the world. Las Vegas, being an island of sorts, is a great test market for all sorts of products, both low and high tech, including medical treatments and meds. The products used in building billion dollar resorts: fake trees, rocks, pirate ships, etc., are built right here too. If you put all the various industries together that nobody ever knows exists, you would be amazed at what is actually here.

But, it's true: they can come or don't; it's like they say in that routine about the phone company on Sat. Nite Live (I think it was), we don't care because we don't have to.

[aqualung8705]

Originally Posted by Frisco Franko

Now that's where I'd like to live.

The Napa Valley, or someplace that isn't windy? I don't think that there is such a place. Unless you're into wine or fancy restaurants it can be boring. That's why I liked going to San Francisco and San Jose. I'm a Mason, so going to lodge was pretty much the only thing that I did in the Valley.

[LV_James]

I think one thing that sets Las Vegas apart from many other places on the planet is that most of the people who live here, chose to live here.

The vast majority of people live where they do because they grew up there, went to school there, or got a job there. The majority of people in Las Vegas made a conscious choice to move here.

Those that achieve their goals think it's a great place to live. Those that don't, feel they have somehow been cheated, and blame the city rather than themselves.

As mentioned above, Las Vegas is not a very sympathetic place. Whiners don't do well here at all.

Just my 2 cents.

[aqualung8705]

Originally Posted by LV_James

Just my 2 cents.

Don't you mean $25? You need to adjust for inflation.

[GoinEast]

I can't stand it here and want to get out. I would say that I don't like sunbelt cities as a whole but San Diego or Austin wouldn't be too bad. Las Vegas and Phoenix are at the bottom of my list, though.

Anyway, as for hot air balloons, I'd be happy if there were only some blimps. I haven't seen the Sanyo blimp for a few years now. I wish the Vegas Dot Com blimp hadn't gone away, riding a blimp is one of the hardest things to do in this world since it usually requires knowing someone at a company somewhere, and here they were selling flights for money.

[AA702]

Originally Posted by GoinEast

I can't stand it here and want to get out. I would say that I don't like sunbelt cities as a whole but San Diego or Austin wouldn't be too bad. Las Vegas and Phoenix are at the bottom of my list, though.

Anyway, as for hot air balloons, I'd be happy if there were only some blimps. I haven't seen the Sanyo blimp for a few years now. I wish the Vegas Dot Com blimp hadn't gone away, riding a blimp is one of the hardest things to do in this world since it usually requires knowing someone at a company somewhere, and here they were selling flights for money.

There is a guy posting from ABQ New Mexico. He says its the best town since sliced bread:

Yes i must agree it does, which is why we really never grew too too fast, the one that grew fast around here was rio rancho albuquerque's next door small city, that little city had a population of 50,000 in 2001 and now it passed 90,000 it was nothing but desert but that place is ugly i cant stand it, the sprawl was so unplanned and now its a mess haha

ABQ
- Economy
- Culture
- People
- Affordable Housing/Living

Just some of the few.. ABQ is getting better in alot of ways, we should see three new skyscrapers soon, if all goes planned.. a nascar race track, and possibly a basketball team.. were in the planning stages of a nice new downtown arena which is nice and something our downtown needs

[aqualung8705]

Well, you know what they say about the door.

If you go to Austin, be sure to go to the Waterloo Icehouse, and check out the Austin Lounge Lizards, They play comedic Bluegrass, and they're hilarious! Here's the lyrics to one of their best songs...

Jesus Loves me but he Can't Stand You


I know you smoke, I know you drink that brew
I just can't abide a sinner like you
God can't either, that's why I know it to be true that
Jesus loves me--but he can't stand you
I'm going to heaven, boys, when I die
'Cause I've crossed every "t" and I've dotted every "i'
My preacher tell me that I'm God's kind of guy; that's why
Jesus loves me--but you're gonna fry
God loves all his children, by gum
That don't mean he won't incinerate some
Can't you feel those hot flames licking you
Woo woo woo
I'm raising my kids in a righteous way
So don't be sending your kids over to my house to play
Yours'll grow up stoned, left-leaning, and gay; I know
Jesus told me on the phone today
Jesus loves me, this I know
And he told me where you're gonna go
There's lots of room for your kind down below
Whoa whoa whoa
Jesus loves me but he can't stand you . . .

Now, now, AA702. No need to resort to colorful language.