Thinking of Moving to Vegas Is It That Corupt...PLEASE ONLY OBJECTIVE & FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE PERSONS REPLY?

Question

I am thinking of moving and opening a business in Las Vegas or Reno Nevada. I will likely have children. I love the plentifully activities, great low cost restaurant joints, affordable luxury apartments and night city lights. Here it is....... I have heard that Vegas has a lot of low life's and it is not a place to raise children non the less to bring a lady or even myself. I hear you can not seperate yourself from the negetivity and influenced people of gambeling, street prostitusion and alcohole to under age kids. Is Vegas or Reno a decent place to live and bring up children if I do NOT live next to the strip? Secondly.......I ran across one or more obserd coments online that Vegas has little to do if you DON'T like gambeling and strip clubs, true? My third and Final Question about Vegas is that I am a big INDOOR open Basketball geek. Having lived in Michigan INDOOR open B Ball was populare in the winter as well as the hot summers. What about Vegas?

Answer 1

Like any community it depends on where you live. I have friends and family who live there (North Vegas, Henderson and Parump) and all agree it is a very different place to live. There are as many churches as casinos and the schools there are top shelf (smaller class sizes too depending on area). Underage drinking is higher profile because there are fewer families who live there so it is still news unlike Chicago, New York or LA where it is passe and the community could care less. The Casinos don't want any bad press to taint the fun image of Vegas so they work hard to sponsor many community sports and extracurricular activities. How a child behaves is on the parents if you act wild and crazy so will your kids, if you are conservative and educated and so are your friends that is what your children will follow as well.
There is lots to do in Vegas, museums, theater, the arts and outside there is camping, hang gliding, fishing. Nevada is a beautiful state and anyplace you live is what you make of it. Every place has it's pros and cons but if you are looking you can find more good clean fun than you would believe. I don't gamble or do "clubs" and I am in Vegas about 2 months out of the year with my kids and they have a blast at all the exhibits.
Sorry I can't tell you about the basketball but not a big fan.

Answer 2

I recently moved from Las Vegas. The main reason for my move was because I did not want to raise my two young children there. I did love it there and had many wonderful friends, many of whom were raising wonderful, happy children. However, as a midwesterner, I felt that Las Vegas was lacking in a certain wholesomeness that I wanted my kids to grow up in. It is safe, clean, and if you work to get involved, can be very community oriented. But. . .I prefer it back in the midwest for raising children. If it weren't for my kids, I would have never left. In my opinion, kids just grow up too fast out there. Maybe it is just not the way I want my kids to grow up, because I grew up with midwestern values. It was not a problem for my friends that grew up there and were raising their children. Maybe because it is a different culture.

Reno is a lot different than Las Vegas. I traveled there often. It has more of a community feel and is still a relatively small city. It also gains more of its influence from Northern California. Like Las Vegas it is also growing quickly and has a lot of opportunity. The climate in Reno is more like what you would find in Michigan too - good or bad. Reno would probably be a better place to raise children if you prefer the more midwestern values.

I divorced my husband because he got hooked on gambling and pornography. I do love Las Vegas and miss it every day. I was not a gambler or strip club goer and found plenty to do. To make a go of it in Las Vegas you need to exercise a great deal of discipline, otherwise you will get corrupted. I moved there without kids and it was difficult to leave once I got established. It was difficult to readjust to the midwest after living there for eight years. If you have an opportunity to go it is a difficult decision.

As for indoor basketball, there is a large Mormon population in Las Vegas and a lot of the Mormon guys I knew played indoor basketball, so you could probably find a place to play.

Answer 3

Las Vegas is renown as a city of entertainment/sin/gambling etc. but honestly, this is VERY much condensed into the strip and southern areas of the city. The hotels, shows, and all of that are packed into that area, its all right next to each other. Outside of the strip there are also some trashy areas. But still, this does not compose the city of Las Vegas, there are areas where people live. It is nice to live there too, it is dry and can get hot.. but i dont find it uncomfortable because it is not humid. I come from florida and it is humid there and when it gets hot it feels exteremely uncomfortable and you have to wear a tank top and shorts so that you wont be sweating and feeling sticky and wet. In Las Vegas I can wear whatever outside in the hot weather and it is okay.

It is just like any other place to live. There is no grass though, just dust and sand. Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert of course, and water is an important resource here but its not like overly expensive or anything. The worst problem that i find is the rattle snakes and scorpions that get into your house. I lived in Las Vegas for 2 years and had a snake in my house 7 times. You have to call the fire department to have them get snakes out.

Im not sure about indoor basketball, There are gyms and YMCAs and stuff there, i think that you will be able to find courts in places like that. I think you will definetly be able to find indoor courts in Las Vegas, the population is huge now. There are plenty of things to do there including basketball and things not involving strip clubs and gambling.

Children-wise... concerning the strip and "sin" area again; there are some parts that are bad, and also some parts that are classy... they are all side by side. Its ultimately down to the fact that if you take kids there, they will see some bad stuff like strip bars, and the call girl cards and stuff.. but you dont need to go to the strip, let alone take children there, the strip is just full of the hotels and casinos. Schools and family community is here, just like in any other city, and you just have to pick and choose where to live and where to associate with. The only problems i have seen is when children grow up and become teenagers, becoming more aware of where they live, sometimes they might leave the house and go to the strip to do stupid things.

the good thing about las vegas is that the sin and sex is put into one area and does not plague the entire city. Like another user here said, you wont see it unless you look for it.

Reno is great, and is just like Las Vegas, but providing more seperation from the strip.

Answer 4

I have read the other answers and for the most part, agree with them.
We moved our family here from the midwest for my hubby's job. We have lived here a little over 3 yrs now. I would definitely say it's not a Midwestern type of place....but that should really be obvious.
The city --away from the strip-- is really normal. It is like any other big city. You have areas that you stay away from. There are plenty of great parks to play at. Many neighborhoods have their own parks/pools/playgrounds that are wonderful. The city is growing very fast and there is plenty of new housing developments to choose from. You are 45 minutes from the mountains, 45 minutes from the lake, about 5 hrs to the ocean, about 5 hrs to the Grand Canyon. We love to go camping and hiking and the entire state is full of great areas for outdoor fun and adventure.
With that being said, this city is what you make of it. It is very transient. People would say that all the time, and I would think "yea, people move in and out of any city". But after a few yrs of being here....yes IT IS transient! More people move in and out of here faster than any other place I have ever lived! It is crazy. I've never lived any place quite like this. Many families do move away for many of the reasons mentioned in the other answers. Many people think they can make it here and then after a while it wears down on them and they are gone.

One thing I will say that is different from the other answers is about the public schools. My children spent 2 years in the public schools here, after leaving the midwest, and both of them regressed academically and socially. I found the school system overcrowded, teachers are young and often inexperienced. You don't find many older teachers (think about it). The elementary schools are extremely focused on testing so that they will stay funded and such. My kids did not thrive in the schools here. We were even very disappointed in the magnet schools. So you may want to consider a private school. Many, many families choose private schools over the public schools. For us the choice was homeschooling. Nevada is a great state to homeshcool in...but that is another topic.
I have several guy friends who play in indoor basketball leagues, there are many of them around the city to choose from.
We will be staying here for a while I suspect. So for us we make the effort to utilize the good parts of the city for our family. Like I said, it is what you make of it!

Answer 5

My wife and I raised my 14 year old daughter there and lived there for twenty five years. My daughter raised her son there for 14 years. None of us drank, smoked or gambled. I've seen every show Vegas has to offer and the area around the city is beautiful, the mountains, twenty miles away, afford many outdoor activities. Of course you are wrong about the prices sweetheart, they caught up with the outside world, nothing is free anymore but, the hotels and casinos offer Jobs in every field. Prostitution is lower here than other big cities and, if fact you won't see it unless you look for it. Vegas is a clean city.
You can look for crime and filth anywhere and find it. I owned my own construction company and my wife worked for me and the Desert Inn, now closed. I at one time worked at the Las Vegas Hilton as a guard to the stars. I knew many stars.

Las Vegas was good to us until I had a heart attack and was forced to retire. many memories, all good, are of Vegas.

Answer 6

I grew up there. There is a lot to do in Vegas. I have mixed feeling about raising kids there. I think it has become more family oriented in the last 20 years but the population has increased exponentially. I enjoy going back to visit but I'm not sure I could live there again. Most locals avoid the strip unless they work there or they are going to see a show or something.

Answer 7

Aries:All these primary impulses, not easily described in words, are the springs of man's actions. (actions=aries) Taurus:I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. (taurus= calm and a home-body) Gemini:I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. Cancer:Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Leo:True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist. Virgo:All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. (seems virgo-ish) Libra:Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. (libra fair stuff) Scorpio:Force always attracts men of low morality. (lol, scorpios like force) Sagittarius:All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. (broad thinking) Capricorn:A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? (simple living) Aquarius: A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy? (in their own world) Pisces:Imagination is more important than knowledge. (pisces are all imaginative)

Answer 8

I moved to Las Vegas two years ago. I love it here. The weather is gorgeous, great food, great shows, great shopping; I could go on and on. I have many friends who have kids. And they are all great kids, it will depending on you parenting and what you chose to instill in you children that will make or break them. The areas off the strip are like any other city. I often forget I live "Las Vegas."

There are many things do you have to watch out for though. If you are a avid gambler you could get yourself into trouble. I my self do not gamble but I work in a bar and I see all kinds. We have people who come in to sometimes to gamble, eat, smoke, drink and have a general good time. They are normal everyday folk. Then we have people who come in EVERYDAY spend thousands of dollars and get into debt. But most of the people I encounter everday seem to have it under control.

Vegas is like many other large cities there are nice area's and not so nice areas. There are normal people and there are freaks. The not so nice areas usually have your not so nice people. I live up north and haven't seen a prostitutes or drug houses yet. You defiantly need to "watch your back" sometimes the nice manager at your job who you get a long great with will not hesitate to "throw you under the bus" to save herself. I have met some great people here. I have also met some very weird people, mostly in bars and clubs.

My advice to you would be to spend a week here. Rent a car or drive and stay as far away from the strip as possible. Henderson and Green Valley have nice hotels/casinos to stay at or there are some nice places northwest (The Rampart and Sun Coast). Drive around and explore. Eat at local places and talk to people. Some nice areas to check out would be Summerlin, Painted Desert (way north), Boca Park, The Lakes, Green Valley or Henderson. Your kids will be fine.

As for indoor basketball maybe at the colleges or arenas many athletic teams play through here. If you want to play the weather is nice enough a majority of the year to play outside, or gyms for the hot summers.

Answer 9

I don't know Reno, but Vegas is pretty much like any large city in the US. There's really nice parts that are "normal" and really skeevy parts. But you'll see that in NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, and everywhere else. You just have to know the neighborhood (i.e. North Vegas is WAY less desirable than Henderson or Summerlin - just like Park Ave is WAY more desirable than the South Bronx.)

As far as gambling and strip clubs - yeah, that's a LARGE part of the entertainment there, but they have movie theaters, Broadway-style shows, golf, parks, tennis courts, gyms... I'm not sure about the indoor b-ball though, check with some of the gyms.

As far as children - as long as you the parent instills good values in them, they'll be as normal as any other kid. Underage drinking goes on EVERYWHERE (those who think otherwise are lying to themselves.) street thugs and hookers are also in just about any inner city in this country, it's a sad reality. But, it's up to YOU THE PARENT to raise your children properly - and YOU determine what they're exposed to.

Answer 10

I lived in Reno, it is a nice place. I did not like Vegas for raising a family. If I ever retire, Vegas would be good for the dry climate.
I've been all over Nevada, I liked Baker the best. A small town.