Perhaps the biggest change I noticed in the last 20 years in Las Vegas is neighborhood maturation. During the real-estate boom days of the 1990s, houses, stores, strip malls, etc. were springing up all over the valley, including entire communities — Summerlin, Green Valley, Centennial, Anthem — that have now matured into solid established neighborhoods offering everything an individual or family needs to enjoy life. If you live in one of these neighborhoods, there is no reason other than work or a special event to leave it.
But any valley resident who wants to take full advantage of what it means to live in Las Vegas should be aware of five neighborhoods — and figure out how each can add rewarding experiences at a low cost and with minimal travel.
Downtown – Fremont Street
Las Vegas officially opened for business in 1905 when 110 acres of land were auctioned adjacent to the Union Pacific tracks. The city incorporated in 1911 and gambling was legalized in 1931. Beginning in 1995 with the debut of the Fremont Street Experience (FSE) and under the leadership of Mayors Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, downtown has seen a real Renaissance, including the Smith Center, the Arts District (see below), and especially the Fremont East Entertainment District, one of my favorite parts of the city with its sophisticated mix of interesting bars, clubs, and restaurants anchored by the El Cortez Casino and Container Park.
Strip
While no longer the home of good gambling, cheap food, and free parking, the Strip offers a collection of world-class experiences in dining, entertainment, and of course people-watching in extraordinary settings. It’s amazing (and disappointing) how many years go by between Strip visits by locals who never check out what millions of visitors travel across the world to see.
Chinatown
1995 also brought the Chinatown Plaza to Las Vegas, which opened with less fanfare than the FSE but in hindsight has been more important. From the Plaza continuing both ways along Spring Mountain Road has risen one of the largest selections of quality well-priced Asian restaurants anywhere in the world. Forget Panda Express and P. F. Chang’s forever after you’ve dined in Chinatown. Note: Eating Las Vegas 2019 by John Curtis (Huntington Press) offers an excellent introduction to the oftentimes overwhelming selection of Asian restaurants in Chinatown and throughout the valley.
Arts District
Officially called 18b (and before that “Naked City”), the Las Vegas Arts District is an eclectic mixture of restaurants, galleries, antique stores, and resale shops located about halfway between Fremont Street and the Stratosphere. Every “First Friday” of the month, the district hosts an art walk complete with local bands, performance artists, and other delights. Still wondering if any other Las Vegans are interested in the arts? Just head to the Arts District.
Your Neighborhood
As I was perusing Eating Las Vegas, I discovered that one of the top recommended restaurants, Other Mama, isn’t on the Strip or downtown, but within walking distance of my apartment (where I’ve lived for more than three years). I’m also closer to a major bus stop (two lines that take me almost anywhere and back for $5) than I was to the subway when I lived in New York. The nearest movie theater features special film presentations of theater, dance, and opera productions from around the world. There’s a major park/community center/aquatic facility within walking distance. Wherever you live in Las Vegas, something within 15 walking minutes and certainly a 15-minute drive can add to your life just waiting for your discovery.
Next: Finding Digs — A Primer!
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Anyone actually thinking of living downtown should consider the constant noise from Container Park and loud music coming from bars. Just west of downtown, you need disinfectant, body armor, and advanced weaponry to survive.
The areas you mentioned have spots of good and bad. The “Arts District” has been improved lately but some areas within it remain downright dangerous. Living near the Strip can be very nice or very frightening.
It pretty much comes down to not so much the neighborhood but the individual location within that neighborhood. Vegas has many, many social microclimates. One block from the site of the regularly scheduled Saturday night gun battle, you might find someone having a backyard cookout. Your car’s perfectly safe parked here but over there. it’ll be in Tijuana six hours after you park it. Your mileage will definitely vary.
Chinatown doesn’t have the risk-of-violent-death aspect of other, older neighborhoods. The way you die there is eating Asian food until you explode. The concentration of restaurants is amazing.