Anyone live in Las Vegas?

[Betty]

Does anyone here live in the Las Vegas area? We are considering a move to the area... Vegas...Henderson-ish. We would be renters with 2 kids - one graduating high school and one entering.

Anything you can tell me - pro's/con's/wtf's?

We are considering the move as it mean an increase in my husband's salary (enough to actually notice) and, I'm told, a slightly lower cost of living than here in the IE. It would also mean moving during my daughter's senior year in high school - last semester - which very well may be the deal breaker. (and is causing me a stomach ache and anxiety just thinking about it.)

I'm excited and freaking out and well - just looking for a little info on the area.

[BarTopDancer]

Keith moved from Vegas to CA. He HATED Vegas.

My friends brother and SIL moved from Folsom (I think) to Vegas. The cost of living was less but their air conditioning bill ate up the difference.

[Morrigoon]

I lived in Vegas for a bit. It's like SoCal, just REALLY far inland

I didn't live in Henderson though, I was in the Northwest part of the valley, off toward Santa Fe Station. Area was headed downhill when we left, but I did like living there. On the west side of town you wanna stay above Rainbow.

Go only if you have a job waiting, unemployment there is wickedly high. On the bright side, property values have crashed.

There's always something to do, at any hour, great restaurants (even in the more local casinos, and all the usual chains outside of them), you can pretty much navigate all over town by comparing your location to the Stratosphere or the light from the Luxor.

If your daughter graduates from a CA high school, she can go to a UC or CSU as a state resident. Not so if you move her out of state. Can she stay with a relative for her last semester?

[alphabassettgrrl]

My mother-in-law lives in Henderson, and loves it.

Good stuff: always something to do, cheap food, fun fun fun. Lots and lots of shows. Good bus transportation along the Strip. People are frequently happy to come see you, and it's fun to show people around.

Bad stuff: It's dry all the time. It's hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. It's windy a lot. Gambling gets old.

[Betty]

I already live in an area with similar weather (hot hot summers and cold, freezing overnight, now - so that's not too much of an issue. I'm not a gambler myself.

Who knows if this will pan out or not - I'm not even sure if I want it to or not.

I'm unsure if my unemployment will still apply if we move to another state... and what the job situation is for me in the area.

[keith - SuPeR K!]

I agree with Morrigoon that your graduating daughter should stay with a relative for the last semester if possible if you are going to do this.

Vegas isn't a terrible place to live, it just wasn't the place for me. Vegas has lots to do all the time and the sunsets are beautiful. Nothing is more than an hour away anywhere in the valley. (You can make it from Centennial to Henderson in 40 minutes in good traffic, even faster in some cases!) Housing is cheap cheap cheap and the cost of living and gas and all that is so much more affordable than California. You can likely buy a house for less than it would cost to rent one. With the crash of the real estate market a lot of homeowners stop paying their mortgages, yet continue to rent their houses. I have several friends who had to move out of rented houses after foreclosures they had no clue were happening, so just be careful with that. There are a wide variety of magnet high schools in the valley that offer specialized programs that engage teens way more than normal high schools do. Arts, Math & Science, Computers, Vocational Technology, etc. I would look into getting your youngest into one of those schools if you can as most kids excel there more so than they would in their usual zoned high school. If you have any specific questions you can post them here and I'll happily reply. Good luck with your planning! Disneyland is only 4 hours away from Henderson

[Betty]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

I lived in Vegas for a bit. It's like SoCal, just REALLY far inland

I didn't live in Henderson though, I was in the Northwest part of the valley, off toward Santa Fe Station. Area was headed downhill when we left, but I did like living there. On the west side of town you wanna stay above Rainbow.

Go only if you have a job waiting, unemployment there is wickedly high. On the bright side, property values have crashed.

There's always something to do, at any hour, great restaurants (even in the more local casinos, and all the usual chains outside of them), you can pretty much navigate all over town by comparing your location to the Stratosphere or the light from the Luxor.

If your daughter graduates from a CA high school, she can go to a UC or CSU as a state resident. Not so if you move her out of state. Can she stay with a relative for her last semester?

I missed your post earlier. Keeping my daughter in school locally is a big issue for me. Not so much for the college angle as she's planning on a community college as her next step - but because this is the first year she's really into it, enjoying herself and doing well. I don't want that to stop.

Instead of getting myself all worked about this I've decided to ignore it. If something comes of it, I'll worry about it then. Thanks for the community info though. I will tuck that away for if I need it.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by keith - SuPeR K!

I agree with Morrigoon that your graduating daughter should stay with a relative for the last semester if possible if you are going to do this.

Vegas isn't a terrible place to live, it just wasn't the place for me. Vegas has lots to do all the time and the sunsets are beautiful. Nothing is more than an hour away anywhere in the valley. (You can make it from Centennial to Henderson in 40 minutes in good traffic, even faster in some cases!) Housing is cheap cheap cheap and the cost of living and gas and all that is so much more affordable than California. You can likely buy a house for less than it would cost to rent one. With the crash of the real estate market a lot of homeowners stop paying their mortgages, yet continue to rent their houses. I have several friends who had to move out of rented houses after foreclosures they had no clue were happening, so just be careful with that. There are a wide variety of magnet high schools in the valley that offer specialized programs that engage teens way more than normal high schools do. Arts, Math & Science, Computers, Vocational Technology, etc. I would look into getting your youngest into one of those schools if you can as most kids excel there more so than they would in their usual zoned high school. If you have any specific questions you can post them here and I'll happily reply. Good luck with your planning! Disneyland is only 4 hours away from Henderson

I wasn't aware of the magnet schools. We'll check it out if we get there.

[Alex]

I wouldn't leave the daughter behind, I'd send the husband ahead and bring everybody else along after school's out.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by Alex

I wouldn't leave the daughter behind, I'd send the husband ahead and bring everybody else along after school's out.

That's not a bad idea. I would miss him. But it's not like we can't drive out on weekends one direction or another.