BamaGirl

Welcome to Las Vegas.

Mrp Alert

Did you need another excuse for a trip to LAS?

bhatnasx

Give me a few weeks to get settled & I'll try to arrange something sometime in the coming months!

I'm flying out on the 9/28 & staying til 10/3 (hope to sign a lease by then), flying back to DC for a wedding & my dad's 70th birthday, before heading back on the 11th or 12th of October, hoping my furniture arrives that week or the following week (air mattress, here I come!) - I understand that movers are pretty slow when you don't have much to move as they need to fill their entire 18-wheeler with other customers along the way before heading out.

I'm still debating whether to drive myself with my dog for about 4 days or whether to do the 5 hour flight (with an additional 3 hours or so tacked onto it) with my dog in the cargo hold of the plane (IAD-LAS on a UniTED) nonstop.

Flying with the dog is easiest, but still hesitant as I've never done it before.

missydarlin

what are you going to do with the car if you fly with the dog? Ship it or go back and drive alone?

baccarat_king

ship it, of course most relo folks get their car shipped as part of the package, though, I guess, it could be YMMV. But, in my "experience" shipping of cars and household items is very usual procedure. Now, large salt water aquariums, that's a bit more of an issue (as well as full size baccarat tables).

CMK10

Background:

I grew up in New York but have been living in Arizona since August, 2003. I spent most of that time living in Tempe but moved a few weeks ago to Phoenix.

My company is strongly considering moving me to Las Vegas in the next few weeks. This would mean shifting from Inside Sales to Outside Sales which will have me out of the office calling on clients far more often. My experiences with Las Vegas are limited to several vacations (none for more than 36 hours) and one three day work trip. Therefore, any input offered will be much appreciated.

Loren Pechtel

If you have a gambling problem don't come here.

Otherwise, it's a city. We are unfortunately quite dependent on tourism and thus the economy stinks at present. The unemployment rate is in the ballpark of 15% and the foreclosure situation is so bad the banks are letting a lot of people stay for a year or more.

BearX220

I'm here right now for CES... but only "living" here for three days.

My impression of LAS is that the Strip, downtown, and major hotels are a sort of stage set and backstage there's an ordinary city which is now in a major decline... with more crime, joblessness, corruption, and real estate misery than the American average. It seems perfectly possible to me to live a middle-class life here, go about your business, and never come close to the "stage set."

mbstone

Depending on what it is you sell, I would be worried that your prospects in Vegas don't have the money to buy from you.

I lived and worked in Vegas on a temporary job. The people outside the Strip area seem to be, on the average, extremely bitter and desperate.

CMK10

I sell custom electrical equipment to contractors. I'm in a management training program with a company called CED (Consolidated Electrical Distributors). This would be the last stage in which they decide whether I'm qualified to run my own Profit Center. I believe their theory is that unless I can sell someplace where it won't be easy...I'm not qualified.

debua1k

As a lifelong Las Vegas Resident, the city is much like any other major city when you are away from the casinos. Currently, the economy in Vegas is in the dumps. Real Estate prices are low. Tax burden is low. I have heard that the Vegas Community is a hard one to break into, probably due to the transient nature of the population.

I love Vegas and plan to live there for my entire life, but I travel alot, so I see the rest of the world...

gengar

I think Vegas is a pretty fun place to live so long as you can be disciplined and enjoy the "touristy" stuff in moderation. Those that can't control themselves while gambling (among many other of the available "sins") will not last long.

Probably my favorite aspect of Vegas is that which other posters have touched on or at least alluded to: The ability to enjoy the touristy opportunities of Vegas while being able to live far from the Strip. If I want to go eat at Michelin-starred restaurants, go see a show, hit up some of the world's best nighclubs, etc. etc., I can drive 10-15 minutes and go do all that. And if I don't want to get involved, I can stay away and it's just like being in any other suburbia. Suburbia can be nice too, as it tends to allow cool stuff here and there (nice inexpensive restaurants, local entertainment, etc.) that tends only to be possible with the appropriate combination of reasonable population density and the necessity of car ownership.

The infrastructure here is also pretty good, despite traffic still often being annoying (anyone who claims the traffic throughout the valley has actually returned to 90s levels is smoking something). The beltway is a quick way to get places, and as I live close to it, I often average just over a minute per mile to get to the Strip during non-rush hour periods. Tax, as mentioned, is excellent with no personal income tax, relatively low levels of property tax, and only moderate levels of sales tax. (Starting to split work time with Chicago and its 12.25% sales tax was sure an experience!)

As far as the negatives - I'm not really a fan of the people. I think we get a lot of the Hollywood mentality up here (in fact, I've actually had LA expats and visitors tell me it's far worse than LA ). Additionally, because of the huge number of locals employed in the service industry and tip-driven professions, I feel a lot of them are very materialistic and give-and-take in their personal relationships as well. There isn't a ton of labor outside service, so I feel like I had more difficulty finding people I meshed with than I have in other cities. Of course, I'm sure YMMV on this point.

I'm also not a fan of the weather, but coming from Arizona that shouldn't be much of an issue for you.

bigguyinpasadena

Lots and lots and lots of trailer trash=far worse than LA or PHX.
As Gengar stated it is a materiallistic place where money is everything.Greed and cheapness abound.
A few VERY wealthy folks(I work for one)who live in gated compounds.
Almost no cultural scene=they could not keep the local museum open.
Generally a low quality of life IMO.
And it is hard to get to know people=there seems to be a shield folks put up to protect themselves from trouble.

There are a few nice folks living here(such as the LAS based FT'ers)but they are rare birds

Some folks do well and even thrive here.

If you only want to work and save money AND if you can stay away from the casinos and the human garbage it is an ok place to live.

I am glad I only have to live there on a very part time basis now.I lived in Las Vegas full time for four years-hated it after the first year.

DenverBrian

If you've been living in Tempe and Phoenix the past several years, Las Vegas is going to seem like home, except about 10 degrees cooler in the summer.

Seriously, away from the Strip, it would be very difficult to tell the difference between parts of PHX and parts of LAS.

Mrp Alert

LAS can be a difficult place to live. If you surround yourself with good people, it is a wonderful place. Be careful not to be sucked in to the nightlife scene beyond control. The local FT community is awesome - let us know if you end up moving out.