[IslandNomad]

Sorry all, I'm sure it's here somewhere, but I have read through 10 pages of postings and can't find one that matches me.

I've been looking into relocating to a warmer climate and LV is on my top 5. I've applied for jobs there already and have had a couple nibbles, but no bites yet, however as the market seems to be picking up I thought it would be a good time to look at places to live.

To give you an idea, I'm 37, male, divorced, IT professional with no kids. I'm looking for a place that is safe, upscale, with professionals and a community feel and I'd like to keep it under $1800 a month. When I say a community feel, I mean a place where you meet your neighbors, see the same folks, make friends. I've lived in various cities before so I know that community is sometimes a tough idea to match.

Is that enough to give me suggestions? Please feel free to ask any questions that would help you.

Thanks a lot!!
Island Nomad

[zenaforever]

Originally Posted by IslandNomad

Sorry all, I'm sure it's here somewhere, but I have read through 10 pages of postings and can't find one that matches me.

I've been looking into relocating to a warmer climate and LV is on my top 5. I've applied for jobs there already and have had a couple nibbles, but no bites yet, however as the market seems to be picking up I thought it would be a good time to look at places to live.

To give you an idea, I'm 37, male, divorced, IT professional with no kids. I'm looking for a place that is safe, upscale, with professionals and a community feel and I'd like to keep it under $1800 a month. When I say a community feel, I mean a place where you meet your neighbors, see the same folks, make friends. I've lived in various cities before so I know that community is sometimes a tough idea to match.

Is that enough to give me suggestions? Please feel free to ask any questions that would help you.

Thanks a lot!!
Island Nomad

I am on your age bracket and I do not think Vegas has a community feeling as the neighbors change all the time. I live at Sky and love it but I had 5 different neighbors in 2 years in the apartment next to mine.

[IslandNomad]

Sky looks very nice - are you renting? If so where did you find rental info about it? I can't seem to track any down, just sales.

Thanks for the advice.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by IslandNomad

I'm looking for a place that is safe, upscale, with professionals and a community feel and I'd like to keep it under $1800 a month. When I say a community feel, I mean a place where you meet your neighbors, see the same folks, make friends. I've lived in various cities before so I know that community is sometimes a tough idea to match.

Island Nomad

You won't find that here. If there is a drawback to living in Las Vegas, it is that ─ and the heat of course.

You never see your neighbors. If you do you'll be lucky if they even look at you let along speak. All homes are surrounded by high walls that remind one of forts. Las Vegas is a town of rugged individualists. They leave behind the security of friends and family to come west to pan for gold ─ yes, still. They don't know or trust anyone here, so they hole up in their forts until something happens to draw them out. Then they disappear inside again. Most homes, you often wonder if anyone actually lives there. All outdoors living is done in backyards...never in the front. Nobody sits on the front porch and greats the neighbors walking by. In fact you rarely find a house with a front porch.

It's not necessarily all that negative a view, but it is what it is. Most people you will ever know here are people you work with. If you go to church you'll make a few more friends, but... People here aren't unfriendly, they just don't know you, nor do they expect you to stay.

If you can live with that...come on down. If not...have a nice life.

[Tiger Beer]

I'm a huge fan of those high walls...something about that that really appeals to me. I guess the fact it feels more like an extension of your house...with screen door being open, and not having the feeling anyone can just wander in.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by IslandNomad

I've been looking into relocating to a warmer climate and LV is on my top 5. To give you an idea, I'm 37, male, divorced, IT professional with no kids. I'm looking for a place that is safe, upscale, with professionals and a community feel and I'd like to keep it under $1800 a month. When I say a community feel, I mean a place where you meet your neighbors, see the same folks, make friends. I've lived in various cities before so I know that community is sometimes a tough idea to match. Thanks a lot!!
Island Nomad

Just out of curiosity, what are the other places in your Top 5?

What someone else on the thread said about LV is true. The style of housing -- living done in back of the house/patio -- is not conducive to meeting your neighbors. I currently live in Tucson and that's very true here, too.

I've lived in Pittsburgh, PA, Washington, DC (NW city, not suburb), the Shore in NJ, Olympia, WA, Philadelphia, PA (suburb nearer to Delaware, not city). I've also spent plenty of time in Southern California and New York City. And now I'm living in Tucson. Every place has its pros and cons. I've had good jobs and bad in various places. I have no children of my own, but I can definitely see that if you have kids, you should be putting their education at the top of a where-to-live list -- which would count out both AZ and NV in my opinion. But since you don't have kids, Island, that's not an issue for you either.

If you wonder why I'm on the Las Vegas thread, I've thought about moving there as my next place. While Tucson has its good points, I don't love it here -- and life is too short to spend it where you're not happy. I have a job to do here, but when it's complete, I will move on. LV has some of the things I like about AZ (weather) and corrects some of the things I don't like about Tucson (way too sleepy a town for someone who is more attracted to urban life). Truthfully, I could happily live in California, just as I could have happily stayed in New Jersey, but those places are just too expensive. I enjoyed living in DC and never personally encountered any crime there. Which is more than I can say about Pittsburgh, a city considered to be unusually safe and where I lived in what is considered to be the best neighborhood. DC has one thing in common with LV -- it's transient. The political types come and go. (The only ones who stay are the ones who should leave! ... that's a joke.)

My advice to you, Island, as a person who has lived in a lot of places: you make friends anywhere by getting out of your house. People will not come to you. Join something. For me it's my political party, arts organizations, and I get active at whatever library I'm near. For others it may be a church or educational pursuits. You will make friends very quickly if you are reasonably intelligent (or even just energetic) and are willing to volunteer. I wrote a grant proposal for a community arts organization in Pittsburgh, they got the money, and I was immediately voted onto the Board of Directors. I got invited all over the place and made many like-minded friends. Here in Arizona I've been working for political candidates and any volunteer work you do in politics makes friends for you. You can also buy friends in politics! (Another joke.)

My other advice is: don't move anywhere if you don't have a job lined up. The economy is too awful all over the country and even places that appear to be untouched by the downturn are not doing business as ususal.

Just guessing from what you wrote, but LV might be a tad too urban for you. When someone says "I'm looking for a place that is safe" as the First Thing on their list, I wonder if they really can enjoy a densely populated, diversified city. By their very nature, cities are not safe. Exciting, yes, safe, not as much. I'm not an outdoors person by nature; I appreciate the good entertainment, fine dining, and cultural amenities of a large city. Also, you request upscale and professional. There are plenty of really upscale areas in LV, but mostly for people who have LV as ONE of their homes (natives, feel free to correct me). And, statistically speaking, I don't think LV is loaded with advanced degrees.

That's my two cents; sorry I don't have LV-resident experiences to share. But I'm kinda in the same boat as you. Best of luck on your choice.

[yellowsnow]

If you really want to spend $1800 just on rent, you can pretty much live where you want. Maybe even a high rise because I think most of them are very safe. But you could also easily buy a house for those dollars too.

A sense of community is harder. Vegas is full of shift workers with odd schedules/hours. People do most of their outside living in the back yard behind high walls. Most of the people here are from somewhere else. You will have to make the effort to get to know people. Upscale just takes money. The professional thing might be hard to find. In my area people are all mixed in together. My street is a cul de sac and there's a blackjack dealer, a nurse, a doctor, a photographer, an ironworker, a couple clerical workers, and 2 retired couples. My street is nothing like typical Vegas. The neighbors come over to visit or borrow a cup of something. If I'm out in the front yard, not likely I will be alone for long. I feel safe there but one of my friends told me I live in the barrio. If this is the barrio, it's OK with me.

The economy/unemployment is terrible here. The only way I would move here without a job is if I had enough cash to live for a year. And that may not be enough. Things are not looking up in Vegas. It will turn around, it always does. Just don't know when.

[IslandNomad]

Jukesgrrl - My top 5 are Las Vegas, New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, and Phoenix.

I should have said that my "wish list" was in no particular order and maybe I didn't get into enough detail.

First, thank you both for the responses - they help a lot.

I've lived in Boston (city) and New York City (both the city and the suburbs) so when I say safe, I don't mean the whole place, but everywhere there are places to live and places to avoid. Which neighborhoods or areas are the better places to live?


And yes, you're right - getting involved in activities are the best way to meet people, I was just hoping that there was a complex (such as Sky that was recommended earlier) or neighborhood or what have you that lended itself more to that ideology.

Don't worry, I wouldn't move anywhere if I didn't have a job first. But, when accepting a job in a new place I want to make sure I can afford to live there, want to live there and have a few places in mind. That helps me make the right move, negotiate the salary to what the cost of living is and figure out commute times, expenses and overall "life package".

Yellowsnow, I don't HAVE to spend $1800, it is my current budget and based on what I see the salaries for my job that is the max I can afford. I would be very happy to spend less

Hmmmm, maybe upscale, professional isn't the right phrase and rereading it, kinda makes me look snobbish. Not the case, just was looking to live in a neighborhood/area with similar people that like similar things. See, here in the Northeast (in my opinion, before people start flaming me for generalizing) there are upscale neighborhoods and average neighborhoods and slums. The upscale ones are usually patrolled more, have lots of cafes and night spots and you can walk around it very safely both day and night. The average are just that, you can walk around, but be very careful at night. The slums, well, just be extremely careful during the day. As far as the professional comment, I see what you are saying - and it was more a descriptor of the "upscale" portion of the neighborhood, not the people themselves.

Again, thank you both very much! I would really like to continue this conversation and any more insight you have would be greatly appreciated.

[jfkIII]

most age-old questions deal with the beginning of the universe...or how the stones got stacked at Easter Island...or how the Great Pyramids of Egypt were constructed...or which came first...the chicken or the egg?

[IslandNomad]

You don't think that before the stones were stacked or the pyramids constructed that people didn't decide if they even wanted to live there?