Questions for Las Vegas residents

These are not the typical CA Las Vegas questions, I don't care about the cigar shops.

We are considering moving there because it's a change of pace from the South Bay Area of CA and RN jobs (my major) are in abundance and we like the desert.

I have a few questions for the residents.

1) How do you like Las Vegas overall?

2) How are the schools?

3) I heard the crime is high, what is the crime focus? (B&E, Violent, Drug, etc.)

If the place sucks ass, please let me know.

[sikk50]

Actualy I'm glad you started this thread Darrell. I'm a CJ major and right now the top department I want to work for is Vegas Metro so I'm looking at moving out there in 2010

[KidRock]

I also have been thinking about moving out there

[Scottw]

FWIW I don't have the answers to you questions but I know that there is a huge concentration of foreclosures in Clark County so you can grab houses for cheap.

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by Darrell

1) How do you like Las Vegas overall?

My wife and I both like it here. I've always enjoyed a hotter climate anyway, and as I age and my arthritis gets worse, the heat really helps me. The cost of living is much less than what it was in So. Cal. No state income tax, gasoline averages 30 cents a gallon less, food is less expensive, the entertainment options are pretty much limitless. All in all, you couldn't get me back to California.

2) How are the schools?

Can't answer that one as we have no kids. My sister in law works for Clark County school district though, and has mentioned to me they reject a fairly large number of teachers that come from California and try to get jobs here. Like anywhere, I would suspect it depends on exactly where you live and what schools are local to you.

3) I heard the crime is high, what is the crime focus? (B&E, Violent, Drug, etc.)

Yep. Sin City attracts sin. Hookers, druggies, transients, runaways, scammers, we have more than our share. The baddies want your money, and will do whatever they can to get it. But there are some good residential areas with very low crime rates. Old ladies walk in our neighbor at 3am safely.

It doesn't suck, as long as you can control your vices.

[Scottw]

Are these old ladies walking around at 3am hookers ,or old ladies who go for walks at 3am?

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by Scottw

Are these old ladies walking around at 3am hookers ,or old ladies who go for walks at 3am?

Actually, for once I'm being serious and on the level. We live in an age restricted community away from the Strip and the problems it generates. At 3am, you will see old ladies and old men walking their little foo foo dogs around the neighborhood. A very common occurrence.

Although they sure aren't in our neighborhood, Wayne Newton, Alan Greenspan, Mike Tyson, and a lot of others have homes in Henderson. It's a well policed city.

[kydsid]

Darrell, I don't live there but I can answer your crime questions direct from the horses mouth so to speak. Several of my friends are Vegas Metro guys. From what they have talked about the places to avoid are Southwest and North Las Vegas. There are those who would say these are great places to live. But these guys being on the inside point out that those areas have the least amount of police presence because of the shear size of the patrol zones for those units. All in all North Vegas is better off than southwest vegas though if you are looking and honestly North Vegas being a different city does provide better coverage.

Where should you live? I always say live where the cops live. In this case they all live in Henderson which is not much of a commut to anywhere in Vegas proper. Henderson has or had, not to current on this because of economy, a sizeable police force. The big crime was B&E and Auto Theft. Both of those are common concerns I think that most city dwellers understand and can prevent with a few things like alarms etc.

The major crime areas are around the strip, not the strip itself but a block east of the strip are all the government housing and a majority of vegas police calls. In fact south central command spends 80% of its time within a block of the strip on calls not really on the strip which for many reasons is extremely safe.

Downtown Vegas is the other major crime spot. Put it this way my friends refuse to go their unarmed and would prefer even then to avoid it at night. Again it is relatively safe under the convered walkway experience but outside that it is a crap shoot.

The area of Vegas between Henderson and the strip are relatively nice neighborhoods that are older and developed. The newest building is in Henderson and Southwest Vegas.

Hope all that helps.