Should I move my family to Vegas?

Question

I've poured through previous questions involving Las Vegas, but I'm not satisfied. My husband was offered a job making $50,000 at the MGM Grand in Vegas. It seems silly to not take it. He's making about $30,00 here in Tennessee. My dilema is our family. We have a 2.5 year old and another on the way. Does anyone know, from direct or indiect experience, what raising a family there is like? We both grew up in Orlando, so we are used to the tourism. We just (6 months ago, before my husband had an abrupt job change) bought a house here in Tennessee and love in, but just aren't making a whole lot of money.

Just for comparison sake, we bought our house for $125,000.

Answer 1

My friend lived in Las Vegas for 6 years. Her husband is a professional cabinet maker and building contractor. They moved from Cape Cod in hopes of taking advantage of the big boom of construction. Unfortunately, their was a plethora of cheap labor and he was constantly under bid. The living expenses were high. Especially electric & water. Which are two key factors you should look into if moving to the desert! And you are no longer allowed to grow a lawn, due to water shortages. Big Casinos import their water for fountains, etc.

In my opinion, $50,000 is not a lot of money in Vegas terms. The sacrafices you will need to make may not be comparable to those ammenties you have in Tennessee.

I have been to Vegas in the summer where temps have exceeded 125 degrees. It's so hot, all you can do is stay inside and suck up high electric costs to stay cool. Kids don't play outside until night fall and even then temps can still stay in the 100's.

There is a lot of crime and theft because of gambling and drugs.

But on the positive side.. you can stay away from the Strip and know that Nevada is a beautiful area with lots to explore. You are only about an hour away from the lake, rivers & mountains and a half days drive to Zion National Park.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Answer 2

I moved here from Ohio a year ago. A lot of factors to consider. Taxes are really low out here. No State or city income taxes. That's a big plus. Back in Ohio my condo cost $110,000 and out here the same size was $200,000. Big negative.

Grocery shopping is cheap on some things and more expensive on others. Kind of balances out. A lot of competition in the grocery industry here so that helps a lot.

Traffic here is the worse. Car insurance it high. Back in Ohio it was only $200 a year and here is is almost $600.

You can and will get use to the heat. Don't let that be a factor. Allow a whole year to get acclimated. But the heat does make for some high electric bills. Ohio summer electric bill was about $125 and here over $300 a month.

Tourism isn't a problem .. you will find that you will avoid the strip at all costs. It is a 24 hour town and you will enjoy that. You will find you aren't as sick as back home. Less allergies and less colds and flue. The dry heat is great for anyone with arthritis.

So far as the children ... The schools have a bad rap here but move to a good area and you will be fine. The further away from the strip the better. Almost the entire city has HOA ( home owner associations) so be prepared for that too. For some reason people aren't friendly like everywhere else. Not that they are rude ... they just stick to themselves. Most people don't know their neighbors. A friend of mine has lived here for eight years in the same place and still doesn't know their neighbors. Seems the kids do better making friends than the adults. No real yards so to speak for the kids to play.

I don't regret moving here. I love the weather and everything else I just got use to.

Answer 3

Like every city, it has its good points and bad points. I lived there for three years. If you get into the right areas (away from The Strip), it can be nice. I lived on the west side of the valley near the mountains and it was quite scenic.

Some things to consider:

Gambling is everywhere. There are slot machines in grocery stores and car washes. Don't go if you have a gambling problem or think that you'll develop one. It's impossible to avoid.

As other have noted, the heat is extreme. You will have to turn on your air conditioning in late May and leave it on until September. There were days were the temperature was in the 80's at 7am. Air conditioning is expensive.

Las Vegas doesn't get a lot of rain, but it can flood when it does rain. The desert ground is rock hard, so water does not soak in. It runs downhill. Watch where you buy a house to make sure that you don't run into problems.

The area is undergoing a long term water shortage. It will be intersting to see what the area is like in ten years given its explosive growth and the dramatic drop in water levels in Lake Mead.

On the plus side, property taxes were low compared to other states where I've lived and there is no state income tax. Others have noted that the cost of living is high, but I don't entirely agree with that. There are cheaper cities, but it's not hard to find places that are higher than Vegas.

Answer 4

I have lived in a number of cities and now in Las Vegas. Las Vegas biggest issue is employment, and although there are jobs around, the pay is generally low, and so good jobs are really hard to find. Renting is price as OK, but the deals are in those who can afford to buy. It is hot and dry in the summer. The schools are lacking. Although there are nice areas in Henderson and Summerlin, if you don't have a job lined up, it is not a place to move to. Might suggest you look at employment opportunities in Raleigh, NC. I have lived there a couple of times before. Relatively good employment opportunities, weather fairly good, excellent school system if you watch for the district. People are acceptably friendly especially if you are into any religion, though there is excellent tolerance. Pet friendly. Reasonable cost of living. With 6 children, you are probably looking to rent a house. If you have a job lined up first, it can be done. Las vegas has the advantages with tons of rental houses, but if there is no income to pay the rent, what good is it. If you end up in Las Vegas on a tight budget, probably the Southwest section of the city is best. Still look up craigslist and agencies and consider potential in Raleigh. Very family oriented place. I liked California, but cost of living was high as was taxes.

Answer 5

My sister moved to Vegas 3 years ago for the same reason, her husband had a job opportunity. The thing that sticks out most for me is that it is constantly hot. An average summer day temperature is over 100 degrees. There is no winter weather at all. The housing market is great for buyers but not for sellers. The streets are pretty compact with houses, they don't have any green lawns (won't grow in the heat) and are very close together. Make sure you weigh the cost of living with the amount of money your husband will be making, it might turn out to be exactly the same as what he's making now. Everything is more expensive in Vegas, it's out in the desert and everything has to be shipped in.
Having said all that - "family" is where-ever you are. I'm sure you will make it the best you can wherever you end up.
Good luck

Answer 6

Just about everything else that was mentions is correct, but The main downfalls about living in Las Vegas is the school system ( no matter what part of town you live in ) Unless you pay for private school and also the medical care is well under par. ( for adults) Urgent care for children is alot better than adults anywhere in Las Vegas by far. If you do plan on moving here to Las Vegas, I would check into the houses that are in foreclosure, you could get a better deal and find something close to what you bought your place for in TN. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

I relocated my family here about 3 years ago from New York and yes it does get very hot in July but it is no more unbearable than 90degrees with 100% humitity back east. The only thing that would concern me about your situation is that housing out here is not cheap. Prices have droped a lot but my three bedroom house 1900sq ft is still worth about $350K. You can get cheaper if you go closer to the strip.
Look into the housing market online...I love it here!!

Answer 8

I live here. The housing market is dropping & will for at least another year. You will not find a house for what you bought yours for..... You should go on line & look up realitor sites for Las Vegas. Stay away from North or North East Vegas. It is not nice, a lot of crime.Yes, there is crime everywhere but that part of town is worse. I live on the west-north part. It is much nicer. You can find a nice house for around 250,000.00$. I have a little one. It is OK here if you find a nice area. Henderson is nice. 50,000.00 here is not that much here..... Price of living is more here than were you are. I have a good friend that lives in Nashville. & Her costs are lower than mine. Your car insurance will be much higher here. We moved from southern Ca & the insurance is higher here than there. Hope this helped a little!

Answer 9

This is not a place to raise children. We are a suburb of LA. This is the wild ,wild west. Cops shoot first ask questions later. No, I am not kidding, I've been here for 20 years.

Answer 10

MOve great taxes. You can get a house for a steal right now. Good schools. Consider Henderson or Sumerlin not LV for houses. This is a great opportunity to follow