I recently took a trip to south Texas — a land rich in history, scenery, and idiosyncrasy — and was asked the question in the title of this inaugural blog post several times, usually followed by “I love to visit Las Vegas” or “I’ve thought of moving there.”
My short answer? “Good, but different.”
My long answer is this blog: “Living Local (and Large at Low-Cost) in Las Vegas.”
I’m a 63-year-old single male who has resided in four different American cities for extended periods: Cleveland (three times totaling 35 years), Boston (seven years), New York (seven years), and Las Vegas (twice totaling 14 years – most recently beginning in 2015). I have liked aspects of every place I’ve ever lived (that is my nature: I cannot remember even visiting a place I truly disliked), but learned through my experiences that to fully appreciate any small town or large city, you have to focus on what makes living there special. My family (and most of my childhood friends) were in Cleveland; I went to college in Boston; and I explored the arts in New York. But taking full advantage of living in Las Vegas requires more of an effort, as the answers aren’t apparent.
Most people in (and especially out of) Las Vegas can recite the common reasons for living here: the relatively low cost of living (assisted by no state or local income taxes), no snow in the winter, and the many entertainment choices provided by the Strip. That’s all true.
Experienced Las Vegans (especially former residents) complain about the hot summers, continual road construction that leads to serious traffic, underfunded school system, poor public transportation, lack of non-casino entertainment options, no professional sports teams – and an absence of community spirit that one finds in other cities and towns. Only some of that is true.
Yes, the summers are hot (but unlike Midwestern winters, one can drive in them), and yes, traffic problems are caused by massive road construction. As I have no children, I can’t comment on the school system. But the city has made enormous strides in improving the local RTC bus system over the last decade, as well as increasing artistic and other entertainment options (and not just the Smith Center for the Performing Arts). The Golden Knights went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year and the Raiders football team is due to arrive in two years. These, plus several other factors, have increased Las Vegas’ community spirit.
As I said, living in Las Vegas is good, but different. Every resident needs to figure out how to make Las Vegas work for them, taking full advantage of the positives and minimizing the negatives and hopefully “Living Local (and Large at Low-Cost)” in Las Vegas” will help.
Next: the master plan for living la vida local in Las Vegas
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This is a new LVA blog that I’m excited about. I’ve often said that I couldn’t live in any other city after living in Las Vegas. My main reasons for that are different from most, but there are many other “traditional” reasons for my wanting to live here. The blog’s writer, Jeffrey Compton, is good at finding these things and has introduced me to many aspects of the city that I’d overlooked, or perhaps, taken for granted. This blog will shine a light on them.
After Jeffrey’s blog debuted this morning, there was an immediate negative comment posted that we took down. I’m not big on censorship, so I don’t like removing posts. But that’s just not the way I want to start with this one. If you don’t like Las Vegas, or take issue with a notion here, it’s OK to make your feelings known, but please do it in a reasonable manner. And this I can assure you we will enforce: No political commentary allowed unless it’s anecdotal, related, and relevant to the discussion.
Vegas is Happy Fun Sunshine Land and everybody who moves here gets to rent a mansion for $45 a month and wins thousands from the casinos on a regular basis.
Really, it’s basically L.A. with casinos at this point, with all the positives and negatives that implies. But God forbid I should point any of that out, and really, would anyone who has Vegas stars in their eyes listen to me anyway? You have to move there and experience it yourself. One thing is certain–there WILL be surprises.
I also hasten to add that my view of the place was radically different in 2005 than it is now. But then or now, there are quite a few valid caveats about moving and living here that I’m evidently not going to be allowed to mention. Twas’ ever thus–none of my friends who moved here acknowledged my warnings, except ruefully, after the fact, when they found themselves chained to an underwater mortgage and the excitement of blowing the ol’ paycheck wore off. But your mileage may vary! I hope it does! Love! Jackpots! Bunnies!
That’s reasonable. So you don’t like Vegas. Curious then (while holding my breath and hoping that I’m not opening a wicked Pandora’s Box), why do you stay here?
I do NOT live in Vegas. I visit periodically because I have several friends and many relatives living there. Fewer every year, though. And many of them have told me they should have heeded my warnings.
Ever been house shopping in LA? Driven to work in LA? While Vegas may not be the same place it was 50, 40, 30 or even ten years ago, there is still a bunch to like. The obvious low cost of living and no STATE income tax. As I transitioned from tourist to local it became so much better.
Jeffrey, I look forward to your insights. You can count me among those who often wonder about living in Vegas, so I’m eager to learn all about it. Congrats on this new venture!
I am planning on moving to Vegas next year and am looking forward to future postings .
I look forward to additional blogs from Jeffrey. I would like to reach out and ask him what he has done for a living and what made him choose to move to Las Vegas. One of my family members recently moved out there for work and I’m always curious to hear the why behind moving there. It’s a destination that I truly enjoy but I’m not sure it would have the same appeal if I lived there.
I really like visiting Las Vegas– a week or 2 at a time(with a gated timeshare). In the last 20 years I have noticed the creeping of homeless/and the less fortunate walking the streets day and night, starting at the strip going west all the way to Rainbow and going east all the way past Maryland from Sahara to Tropicana. The seedy nature of this makes me uncomfortable of thought of ever living in Las Vegas as a resident(I do have a seasonal resident ID). I guess Summerlin or Henderson would be OK but then that is 20-30 Minutes drive each way to all the action and fun.
A few vagrants scare you? You must live in Disneyland. It’s called the real world.
we enjoy what you guys have posted here. don’t stop the super work!