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I'll ask that there too but figure the PHX and Vegas boards will have more input on this than the city boards (as PHX and Vegas are pretty close and people in both are likely to be familiar with both). Anyway... I have never lived in either but I am wondering if people think its a big difference to live in PHX vs. Vegas. Vegas seems a lot cheaper (well, not a lot, just less income tax and a little cheaper housing maybe or at least similar price but no state income tax).
It seems like PHX though is much more popular as a residential destination and I'm trying to put my finger on why...is it that Vegas is a real casino town, not family friendly as PHX? Is the weather actually very different?
I am considering both as places to have a home base while I look for my first home to buy (I don't know where yet but would like to get away from the CA rents at least temporarily in order to save a little and build my debt ratio back lol) I'm not sure if there is a big benefit to choosing PHX over Vegas for me, though I'm not opposed to either one long term, I just wonder if I could handle the heat and dryness long term in either place. I do like the idea of a swimming pool...
I've lived in Vegas four times since '97 and currently live in Phoenix; both cities are vastly different..
Vegas is a city predicated on a "hustle", the majority of people live there purely for the money that can be made or because they're stuck there and can't leave. It is definitely not family-friendly whatsoever and has some of the worst schools in the nation. As far as climate and landscape goes, Vegas is extremely hot and is barren desert in a valley. Gambling is everywhere, including every supermarket and gas station. There definitely isn't too much in the way of culture.
I moved to Phoenix about 6 months ago and I love it here. The landscape is much better (much more wildlife/plant life, the mountains/hills are a lot different too, more rolling I guess you could say). The weather is comparable to Vegas, although its a few degrees hotter in Summer. Tons of outdoor activities to partake in. Phoenix is a little more expensive than Vegas I'd say, and a lot of the people that I've met that were born and raised here don't seem to be too intelligent or nice.. there are exceptions, but its not the norm in my experience. With that being said, I live in one of the more expensive areas of the Valley and there are a lot of really nice transplants that I've met here, who all seem to have moved here from back east for the same reasons my family and I did; better weather, more freedom, lower cost of living, more laid-back pace of life.
What line of work are you in? Do you have a family? What type of activities do you enjoy?
When I was looking to make my move, Vegas was #1 on my list. I researched LV and several other cities for nearly 2 years, including Phoenix. I eventually chose Phoenix for a couple of reasons: weather and jobs.
The weather is very similar but since the cities are in 2 different deserts, they are not exactly the same. As the previous poster pointed out, Phoenix is much greener, because it is in the wettest desert in the world. The winter in Vegas can also be quite a bit colder (which I didn't like).
When researching jobs, Phoenix won hands down. It didn't take long to learn that if I wanted a good wage and job stability, I had to choose Phoenix.
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Las Vegas is a fun place. We visit often and always have a good time there. With that said, I wouldn't want to live there. For suburban living, I much prefer many more areas in the Phoenix metro. I find it overall cleaner and just overall nicer on many levels. There are some nice areas to live in Las Vegas(Henderson) but I think around Phoenix has many more. We had some neighbors once who transplanted from Las Vegas to the Phoenix metro and they also preferred the Phoenix area more just on the aspect of nicer suburban living. They also commented that they felt Phoenix was just a cleaner looking metro as was their Phoenix suburb. On the job front, one thing I've heard is if one doesn't have a college education, there are many jobs in Las Vegas with the casinos and all and with a little hustle/hard work, one can do pretty good without a college degree in the right jobs though I'm not sure how easy those jobs are to get these days.
Both cities are hot in the summer. Las Vegas perhaps 7 degrees or so cooler than the Phoenix metro because of the cities elevation, but it's still hot there. With A/C everywhere, pool or not, it's a non-issue for most but nevertheless, people will complain about it. Think about it in reverse what most people have in other parts of the country in winter where people are couped up in the here for 5-6 months of the year, longer than we are here in the desert with A/C. Food for thought.....
Vegas and Phoenix have a lot of similarities, but many more differences.
Vegas is a 24 hour city that exists because of the gambling industry. That, alone, makes Vegas less family friendly than Phoenix. As another poster mentioned, gambling is EVERYWHERE in Vegas. There are slot machines at CVS, grocery stores, restaurants, the airport, everywhere. You are inundated with gambling everywhere.
Weatherwise, Vegas is cooler, drier, less humid, and more windy than Phoenix. High temps are about 10 degrees lower in Vegas in the winter and negligibly cooler during the summer. Monsoon season it a lot less pronounced in Vegas due to its extra distance from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico. Vegas is much more windswept than Phoenix and feels much more barren and exposed than Phoenix does.
Real estate is generally cheaper in Vegas, but is subject to the boom/bust structure like most areas, so that's not always true.
Phoenix is much more of a traditional city. I would recommend Phoenix over Vegas anyday. Vegas has its clamer areas, but it is like living in a tacky resort every day with all sorts of people. Too many people move to Vegas to make a quick buck or live the party lifestyle and they burn out quickly. The city has a number of people who are trapped and have no resources to go back to where they came from. You have tons of low income motels housing these people and it is really depressing seeing people begging for money to get out. Vegas can literally drain all your money in matter of seconds. Partying on casinos every weekend is not practical for a middle class person. There is just so much more variety of things to do in Phoenix. It is also nice living in a more traditional city. People here aren't particularly friendly or sophisticated, but the same rings true in Vegas as well.
wow some really great info here, thank you all very much. This is the kind of stuff I really don't know and I'd say I'm pretty well travelled and into geography and weather. It didn't even occur to me they are in different deserts and get different weather but it makes sense now as I saw someone else point out recently that SoCal and PHX get much the same weather systems in winter (which I have noticed our storms head that way or phx gets it when it misses us). The idea it gets even hotter here is a little scary though lol. I imagine with so many people living here I wouldn't just die
I work from home so I have some flexibility in terms of where I can go. I recently ended another terrible lease agreement in Cailfornia -- most of the leases I've had in CA have been pretty awful in comparison to other areas I've lived and I'm just so tired of throwing my money away to greedy landlords profiting from the situation there. Some I have had are much better than others but the last one just has me saying "no more" I want to buy a house soon but am just beginning to figure all that stuff out, I want to live more cheaply while I figure it out and not be tied to a lease so I'm starting to look for temporary housing or month to month rentals. I've been in CA for 4 years now and I love it but there is really nothing more than an imaginary boundary holding me there now. I'm in PHX (Which I still can't spell so have to abbreviate lol) this week so just starting to look and staying in various extended stay hotels while I do this (going to visit some other areas too probably New Mexico and Vegas, and maybe even Oregon)
It sounds more fun that it is especially since I'm travelling with a cat and now technically homeless lol. I've been working full time too but from hotels. In my head it seemed such an ideal situation but I'll be looking to put down at least something more stable in terms of a home base soon as life as a rolling stone is a little harder than I thought it'd be but still...easier than feeling tied to a lease in which a very bad person takes my money and offers me very little in return ...its kind of hard to believe I can afford to stay in hotels, with housekeeping and utilities for less money than I was paying for rent. You would think renters in CA would be treated better considering the prices! Yet, I've been treated more like a young irresponsible person at times simply because I'm renting. I've moved many times because I do work for the military so have yet to buy a house...I wish there were better options but I've finally decided no more and I'm ready to find a house...which is also harder especially when you have options of where to go (And CA landlords have cleaned you out for 4 years lol)
so, yeah I really had no idea PHX and Vegas were so different and its sounding more like PHX could be up my alley .. I knew there had to be some reason more people were coming here (or staying put) than in Vegas. The fact there is some moisture and monsoons is actually a sell for me. Im from the Midwest and the one thing I miss so much in CA is Thunderstorms! I also like the proximity to other SW things I'd like to visit I haven't been able to afford to do much of -- while close in CA I was broke most of the time lol.
So I'm all ears for more ... I will try to look around more this week, I'm staying in surprise and because I am still working full time I've hardly left my hotel (I got here late Monday night) if anyone has some targeted suggestions of where to visit to get the best idea of where I might start to look for temp housing once I leave (I figure I'll be on craigslist more once I leave as its overwhelming right now and I have no idea if the ads I see are in good places) I'm all ears for that too.
Great info and thank you one of the reasons I asked is that yes, after I'm in Vegas for a week -- I usually leave saying "I could never live here" I seem to have allergies there I don't have anywhere else (for one thing) and yes some of the areas just look so blighted and I'm sure there are nice people there too it just seems like a hard place to live... I wasn't sure if PHX would have a very different feel to it even minus the big gambling thing, also a good reminder there are other people here from back east (which, honestly is kinda nice just cause even in SD it seems most of my friends are from back east as well or Midwest) oh and yes, I am doing all this alone...just me and cat (so no family to worry about but the cat is pretty demanding too lol)
I wasn't sure if PHX would have a very different feel to it even minus the big gambling thing
Realize Phoenix has a decent number of casino's sprinkled about the metro(Native American casinos) but of course no where near the amount in Las Vegas.
Nevertheless, while gaming gambing is a big industry in Las Vegas, many people live and visit there without dropping a dime into gambling and enjoy the world class food, shopping, and entertainment which is actually a big part of Las Vegas's revenue stream and appeal to many these days.
Realize Phoenix has a decent number of casino's sprinkled about the metro(Native American casinos) but of course no where near the amount in Las Vegas.
Nevertheless, while gaming gambing is a big industry in Las Vegas, many people live and visit there without dropping a dime into gambling and enjoy the world class food, shopping, and entertainment which is actually a big part of Las Vegas's revenue stream and appeal to many these days.
Like anything else in life, it's a personal choice to partake or not in any particular endeavor.
I actually really enjoy Vegas. For me it just seems the blight and the kinds of people it may attract might be the bigger problem for me (in addition the harsh weather). But I could probably live cheaply there and find entertainment fairly easily for a short term situation. I just think the place could also easily depress me if I'm sensitive to it (and I can be)
Okay I can't say I'm an expert on Vegas and haven't even been there in about a decade. But I can tell you one thing, without question, the Valley as a whole has to be a much more family oriented "normal" place. That should be common sense, by and large.
Just driving on the freeway in Vegas you see huge billboards for strip clubs and and other "adult" entertainment. Now that sounds cool and doesn't bug me as a guy like whatever who cares. But if I were driving a minivan with kids in the backseat I'd probably not be cool with it. I don't see that kinda raunchy advertisements and stuff around here much nor do I care to.
But I've heard good things about parts of Las Vegas/Henderson/Boulder City and I like how it's a nice smooth drive into SoCal and the Inland Empire. Maybe if I was more familiar with it I might like Las Vegas better than Phoenix! Who knows! I'd have to live there so in that regard take my post with a grain of salt. But this thread inspires me to check Las Vegas out again and really get a better feel for it.
Oh and the desert around Vegas is beautuiful. I remember driving up to Mesquite (right near the Utah border not far from LV) and the views were terrific. Not far from there is St. George, Utah which Ive also hear is beautiful with the surrounding national parks that I'd love to visit someday. So when it comes to desert scenery, I don't think you can wrong with either. I could probably be happy in either area.
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