Deciding to live in Phoenix area or Vegas - Need a little help (real estate, crime)

[RebelSugar]

I moved from SoCal four years ago to go to UNLV. I should have left once I got my degree. Some people love Vegas, but I think there is no culture here. Compared to the Arizona desert Vegas is a brown mess. It is hard to make friends out here, the education system is unfortunate, discrimination everywhere and cost of living keeps going up. These are my thoughts.

I would say go with Phoenix. If you are from LA it will feel like the same sprawl.

[kjcramer]

I lived in Vegas for a year because of my job. I was up in Summerlin which is a really nice area, but the houses are more and you seem to get even less. On top of that, the place just doesn't have a home "feel". Like your on some perpetual vacation but you have to go to work. I had a whole new appreciation for Phoenix after that experience.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by kjcramer

I lived in Vegas for a year because of my job. I was up in Summerlin which is a really nice area, but the houses are more and you seem to get even less. On top of that, the place just doesn't have a home "feel". Like your on some perpetual vacation but you have to go to work. I had a whole new appreciation for Phoenix after that experience.

That's how I feel in Myrtle Beach, I feel like I'm on a perpetual vacation but I have to go to work. I LIKE IT! Vegas felt something like that but no ocean and I didn't like it from day one out there.

I agree with Boatdrinks. It might have been fun if I was young and single with no kids.

[Valley Native]

Most everythig that has been said comparing Phoenix to Las Vegas is true. Vegas is well known for the Strip's mega resort hotels, casinos, nightclubs, and 24/7 activity ... but the rest of the Las Vegas area outside of the Strip is rather small townish. Very few job opportunities exist there outside of the hotel/casino/tourism industry. No Fortune 500 companies are based there as far as I know. The housing is expensive, but getting cheaper because of the downfall in the real estate market. The crime in Vegas isn't as mob related as it used to be, but it's a very fast growing area, and has its share of crime. Climate there is WORSE than Phoenix's: just as hot in the summer, colder in the winter, and very very dry! They average only four inches of rain per year. It's a great place to visit, but I personally wouldn't live there.

Phoenix has much more to offer as far as career opportunities mainly because we're a bigger city/metro area, and still one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. However, the wages are lower than California's, and a lot of that is attributed to our lack of large corporate HQs that are based here. Still, the job market is better than Las Vegas, and our unemployment rate remains low. Cost of living is generally lower than California as well, but some things are just as expensive (if not more). Crime happens here, but the west & south sides tend to be the worst. Climate is horrible in the summer (over 100 degrees practically every day with low temps that aren't much cooler), but fall & spring are usually ideal.

[5chevin5]

I will chime in my 20 yen only because a year ago I was doing the same fact finding and research on the two...I currently dont live in either, but did live in PHX for many years, and have done some R&D trips to Vegas...this is merely what my opinion is.

Phoenix is obviously bigger which is a double edge sword, bigger means more opportunities for career, entertainment variety, education, and housing diversity...BUT it also has some negetives to each of those catagories which are also obvious.

Weather, kinda a wash...Vegas gets a bit colder in the winter, but the rest is about (give or take) the same. What about humidity though?

Jobs, here is a very big factor. I work in the hospitality (executive chef) field...so the plus for Vegas...Casinos and hotels, right? But lets not forget the mega resorts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Carefree etc...truly some amazing facilities. So it depends on what you do for a living between the two that will dictate alot of your happiness.

I personally like Phoenix more, in fact I love Phoenix...except...you guessed it ....The heat...I just cant hack those summers. But Vegas isnt much cooler.
I think I would grow tired of the Strip after 6 months (since I would most likely work there) If your job doesnt require you to be on the strop, most locals think Vegas is okay. Go on the Vegas board....

The locals of both would no better the current state of each state financially..Taxes, Registration, Insurance...so I wont add uninformed information. Visit both...(Why not,they both have their pluses!!) And make some value judgements on the difference between where you are now, and where you want to be in your life...then pick the city that you guess (its all guess work) that will take you there....if you make a mistake...plan ahead and move

IMO
5

[SoCal78]

Phoenix appears to be pretty nice for a major metropolitan city. I've been there 6 times and thought it was nicely developed and clean for how big it is.

I could possibly swing for a home here in San Diego where I have been born and raised. But in order to do that, it's living from check to check just to cover a mortgage out here. Paying $ 2000.00 a month for a small 3 bed 1 bath home built in the 1950's is not my cup of tea. And that is for a cheap fixer upper. Yea the weather may be the greatest in the country, but nice weather shouldn't depict suffering and trying to struggle to make it. Alot of people in California get themselves in debt buying an average $ 500.000 home which a basic normal price for a regular home. Alot of homes here are in forclosure for $ 390 to $ 420.000. That's not affordable still, especially when your mortgage will be $ 2000 to $ 3000 a month. And like I said, that is for an older home built in the 1950's. A new house here runs around $ 600 to $ 750.000 dollars. California is just so unbearable in all aspects. You're either Rich or poor. Middle class doesn't exist here any more ahahaha.

[nikorock28]

Originally Posted by SoCal78

Phoenix appears to be pretty nice for a major metropolitan city. I've been there 6 times and thought it was nicely developed and clean for how big it is.

I could possibly swing for a home here in San Diego where I have been born and raised. But in order to do that, it's living from check to check just to cover a mortgage out here. Paying $ 2000.00 a month for a small 3 bed 1 bath home built in the 1950's is not my cup of tea. And that is for a cheap fixer upper. Yea the weather may be the greatest in the country, but nice weather shouldn't depict suffering and trying to struggle to make it. Alot of people in California get themselves in debt buying an average $ 500.000 home which a basic normal price for a regular home. Alot of homes here are in forclosure for $ 390 to $ 420.000. That's not affordable still, especially when your mortgage will be $ 2000 to $ 3000 a month. And like I said, that is for an older home built in the 1950's. A new house here runs around $ 600 to $ 750.000 dollars. California is just so unbearable in all aspects. You're either Rich or poor. Middle class doesn't exist here any more ahahaha.

Yeah, it is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. The only people who can afford to live there are the people who bought before the boom. Anybody who is just starting out there will never be able to afford a home, unless you make a well above average salary... it is impossible on the national median income. What is happening is that more and more people are living with family members (adult sisters, brothers, parents, etc) or purchasing homes together just to be able to get by. If you are single and want to buy a home, you will rent out the extra 2 rooms just to make your mortgage. If you have 2 kids, your retired parents (who are well off because they bought before the boom) will watch your kids while you and your wife slave away at work to pay the mortgage. It is nearly impossible for a family to live on one income there. Doesn't seem worth it to me at all. The young people my age (in their 20s) who are just starting out professionally will realize that something is wrong when they are making $65K and still live in an apartment at age 32 because they cannot afford a home. Not that there is anything wrong with living in an apartment, but if you have a professional job, I think you should be able to afford to purchase a home. Anybody who decides to settle in CA will certainly never retire. Sorry for the rant =)

[Cj81]

Las Vegas is not a city! Its an adult playground! End of story! Oh and Tucson is Arizona's armpit! I hate everything about Tucson! Go for Phoenix! Thats my two cents.

[elizabethp]

I have lived in Vegas and Phoenix. We LOVE Phoenix. Let's put it this way me, 3 of my brothers and a sister have all left Vegas and moved to the Phoenix area.

[wit-nit]

Las Vegas is a highly transitory town, primary entertainment for adults, with few job opportunities. Housing prices are high and yesterdays paper reported Las Vegas as having the highest home forclosure rate in the US.