LIVING IN LAS VEGAS-Housing, Cost of Living and Other Advices/Suggestions??

Sero

Active Member
#1
Hello Everybody,

I have been in LV many times but I have never lived there so I wanted to request from those members who live in Las Vegas, for some advices for someone who is relocating to LV soon. I believe this could be a great thread to share information about living in LV for everybody. I haven't been able to find a specific thread particularly discussing this subject.

Could you share with us what you know such as right places and areas to dwell, basic cost of living of a decent life, things to consider etc.? Every single line you may write about anything counts and is appreciated. Thanks.

SERO
 
#2
look me up when you move here. I have lived here for about 6 months now.

you can get coupons for local casinos all you can eat buffets $4.50 for all you can eat if you have two people cause its buy 1 get 1 free and with members card. And its clean casinos with good eating.

Some casinos advertise $4 steak dinners..... Nasty casinos. So any good deals you find scout it out b4 bringing friends there. Or ask me. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

It's tough finding work here

I'm trying to find a stupid simple job so I can practice counting cards 8 hours a day.

I'm also trying to get a team started, or join a team if there is already one here.

Eating on the strip is expensive, and usually not that good of food. Also bring cash to the strip, as the ATM's cost $3-$7 fees for using them

There are websites you can subscribe to to get killer deals on shows and what not. Only catch is its last minute deals. Like magic show for $20 ($80 ticket) but show is in 2 hours kinda deals.

I once watched ufc 119 for free at the mgm. Only problem is I didnt get in until after the end of the first fight. partly why it was free.

If anyone else has good tips please add, I too have only been here half a year, and I'm sure theres still a lot I havent learned
 

HockeXpert

Well-Known Member
#3
Sero:

Places to avoid (living): North LV, downtown.*
Fantastic neighborhoods ranked in order imho: Summerlin, McDonald Highlands, southern Highland, Anthem.*

Avoid having to commute on I-15 and avoid the spaghetti bowl. Almost all the other freeways are a breeze. I-215 is not complete in the Northern and NW areas but will be completed in the next few years.*

Where you reside depends on so many factors that it is hard generalize. I would consider some of the following before moving there. Single/Married, family/solo, employed/unemployed, rent/buy, age, hobbies, job location.

I personally think Vegas is a great place to live and the time to buy a place is now. If you are young, single and can move around easily, rent a place close to the strip and experience that and check out the different areas. If you're none of the above, find a place in Summerlin or someplace convenient to your job. You won't be disappointed with any of the areas listed above as favorable.

There are many other Las Vegans here on this site who have been there much longer than me.

See you soon.

HockeXpert
 
#4
I wouldnt say avoid North las vegas, there are areas to avoid. the area directly above 95 all the way up to about cheyanne, then it start getting better. Above craig road starts getting really nice, and then even better towards alliante parkway.

I live near Craig and MLK so i am very familiar with the area.
 
Last edited:

WRX

Well-Known Member
#5
Housing is very affordable at this point, whether you decide to rent or to buy. Rents are rock bottom. Compare and negotiate. Offer less than the asking rate and see what response you get. Ask for and get at least one month's free rent if you sign a six-month lease. If you want to buy, there are lots of great deals, particularly bank-owned properties that have been foreclosed on. Be warned that bank people on these deals are complete a-holes to deal with, utterly lack even minimal respect for their fellow humans, and often behave completely irrationally. OK, that just keeps the prices even lower. Just take the cheap deal, and laugh to yourself about how stupid they were. It's kind of like beating casinos. But like casinos, they'll screw you if they can, so don't get into a situation where you have to wait around forever for a sale to close, do your due diligence, demand a short closing period, and walk away if they won't play ball. You'll probably need to budget some money for rehab. For some of these properties you'll have to pay all cash, as the banks are getting very leery about financing in Las Vegas and won't touch some of them.
 

HockeXpert

Well-Known Member
#6
badclover said:
I wouldnt say avoid North las vegas
I meant avoid the City of North Las Vegas.

Sero:

I missed the part about cost of living. That depends on where you are moving from and what you're used to. I would consider LV's cost of lving as moderate. If you're used to the NE or CA, then LV has a low cost of living. If you're used to rural Wyomng, then LV will be shockingly high. :laugh:

Btw...I hear SW has some cheap condos available for rent or sale.

HockeXpert
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#7
21vegascounter said:
look me up when you move here. I have lived here for about 6 months now.
I bought a town house last year at more than 60% discount from it's highest sales price three years earlier. I have been visiting LV frequently for more than twenty years. Prices are rock bottom, but who know, it might get even better next year the way the recovery plan is going.

you can get coupons for local casinos all you can eat buffets $4.50 for all you can eat if you have two people cause its buy 1 get 1 free and with members card. And its clean casinos with good eating.
A friend of mine treated my wife and I to a great buffet at Boulder Station in March. There are a ton of bargains for locals. Ever eat the $1.99 full breakfast at Arizona Charlies on Decatur after midnight?

Some casinos advertise $4 steak dinners..... Nasty casinos. So any good deals you find scout it out b4 bringing friends there. Or ask me. No sense in reinventing the wheel.
Roma's Cafe and Deli (on on Spring Mountain and one on Sahara near Summerlin) has the best Italian food I have found in Vegas. They also bake some of the best Italian bread and Ciabatta in Vegas. I like a little dumpy place called Omelet House that has a cheapie breakfast with potato chip-like fries and delicious pumpkin bread. There is every kind of cuisine throughout Vegas, and no need to spend big dollars at the major casino/hotels, although some of them are worth a trip to now and then. I am partial to the Lux Cafe at the Venetian--never had a bad meal there, and occasionally, PF Chang's, a pretty reliable upscale chain. If you get out west, there is a great cafe and bakery called the Bagel Cafe at Rainbow and Buffalo.

It's tough finding work here
My brother may be looking for a job in security. He has many years of experience in armed security. Do you think he has a chance, what with all the security jobs in the hotels and casinos?

I'm trying to find a stupid simple job so I can practice counting cards 8 hours a day.
Maybe an eye-in-the-sky job. They even train you to count at the MGM properties. They don't pay much though.

I'm also trying to get a team started, or join a team if there is already one here.
Keep me in mind. I won't be living there full time for a couple years, but this year I've been there in March, May, August, and plan a trip in November.

Eating on the strip is expensive, and usually not that good of food. Also bring cash to the strip, as the ATM's cost $3-$7 fees for using them
I went for cash at Mandalay Bay. The first ATM wanted $11. I refused. I found another machine a few steps away that cost $3.50.

There are websites you can subscribe to to get killer deals on shows and what not. Only catch is its last minute deals. Like magic show for $20 ($80 ticket) but show is in 2 hours kinda deals.
You can also spend an hour or two in a time share presentation and receive back a couple of $100 show tickets,
and other stuff, like slot and table play, restaurant dollars, etc. I saw "O" at the Bellagio on a time share pres., and also "Mama Mia" last year, two tickets each.

I once watched ufc 119 for free at the mgm. Only problem is I didnt get in until after the end of the first fight. partly why it was free.
I'll have to look for those websites.

If anyone else has good tips please add, I too have only been here half a year, and I'm sure theres still a lot I havent learned
Do you know about the Belz Outlet Mall on South LV Blvd? Have you been to the Town Square also on s LV Blvd? Some nice eateries and night clubs, but you'll probably want to avoid the pricey retail stores ala Hollywood, CA.

Palace Station has a good 6-deck game. They comped me a great dinner at there steak house--a couple of lobster tails, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, garlic potatoes and a really delicious NY cheesecake. M also has/had (haven't been there for a while) good bj games; they comped me $100 at their top of the line steakhouse. Mandalay Bay has a tough DD game to beat, but they did comp me $100 at one of their excellent restaurants.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#8
badclover said:
I wouldnt say avoid North las vegas, there are areas to avoid. the area directly above 95 all the way up to about cheyanne, then it start getting better. Above craig road starts getting really nice, and then even better towards alliante parkway.

I live near Craig and MLK so i am very familiar with the area.
I know that North Vegas not far from the Sante Fe is not bad at all. They have homes out there with two acre lots. It used to be an area where there were lots of horses, which is why there are so many two acre and more lots. The only drawbackis that it is extremely far north.

I went out to Alliante in March and felt I was almost in the next state. Too remote for me. But speaking of remote, I have an acre in Pahrump where I might build a retirement home someday. It's 50 miles west of Vegas and probably not a place to live if you want to be in Vegas every day. pop. 35,000.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#9
HockeXpert said:
Sero:

Places to avoid (living): North LV, downtown.*
Fantastic neighborhoods ranked in order imho: Summerlin, McDonald Highlands, southern Highland, Anthem.*

Avoid having to commute on I-15 and avoid the spaghetti bowl. Almost all the other freeways are a breeze. I-215 is not complete in the Northern and NW areas but will be completed in the next few years.*

Where you reside depends on so many factors that it is hard generalize. I would consider some of the following before moving there. Single/Married, family/solo, employed/unemployed, rent/buy, age, hobbies, job location.

I personally think Vegas is a great place to live and the time to buy a place is now. If you are young, single and can move around easily, rent a place close to the strip and experience that and check out the different areas. If you're none of the above, find a place in Summerlin or someplace convenient to your job. You won't be disappointed with any of the areas listed above as favorable.

There are many other Las Vegans here on this site who have been there much longer than me.

See you soon.

HockeXpert
Everyone in Vegas says Summerlin is the best place to live. But you have to put that in perspective. People in Vegas are into name brand labels and expensive things. Summerlin is an expensive area. One friend of mine who lives there hardly has a dime left each month after he pays all his bills, but that's Vegas. It has become crowded in Summerlin with everyone flocking there. As for safe, robbers don't go to the east side to find good scores--Summerlin is high on their list.

I personally like the southwest around Russell and Buffalo, Spanish Trails, etc. It's also close to the 215 beltway and a terrific shopping area at 215 and Rainbow. But there are many other nice areas--west, far north, parts of Henderson. East is generally taboo, but you shouldn't discount anything until you see it. Steve Wynn has a place for his Mother (if she is still alive) in a hi-rise behind the Hilton on the east side. It's a gated community and not a bad place to live (although surrounded by bad areas), and it is a stone's throw from the strip.
 

kewljason

Well-Known Member
#10
I debated on responding to this post, but decided to weigh in. If you are an advantage player (from counter to advanced methods) vegas offers more opportunities just from the shear number of games or opportunities available. So, if your decison is strictly about advantage play, I think Vegas is the place to be. Of course vegas has negatives you need to consider before a move her. #1 weather...mid sept thru mid may is great. No snow. No heavy winter coats. Yes it can hit below 40 degree in dec/jan but normal ave temps range 59 to 80 degrees. That means throw away the snow shovels and winter coats. But of course the trade off is summer. July/August can be as hot as 115 degrees. It's a dry heat...yes, but 115 is freaking hot!

Ok, non-blackjack-related. Vegas is a cold town. At any given time, 1/4 of the people here are toursit or temp residents. That tends to make the regulars or locals that much more unfriendly. Unfriendly might be a bit harsh, but they aren't real accepting of new folk (from my experience) just an opinion BTW...:eek:

Now about neighborhoods. As other have expressed, you want to avoid North Vegas, both the city of North Vegas and north of the downtown area. There are pockets of decent areas, but as a general rule...not good areas. West of the strip seems to be the desired areas. Henderson is great too, but a little far away for my liking, if your main goal is playing blackjack.

I personally bought a place a block east of the strip late last year. East of the strip is considered a bad area in general, but it varies. East of the strip/north of flamingo is alot of crime/drug area. East of the strip, flamingo to trop is UNLV, which used to be considered very slummy. It's not as bad as it used to be crime-wise, but is still older buildings, which mean less rent and college area, which means over populated.

Now for a young person, which you seem to be and I still consider myself, Las Vegas, from my experience seems difficult, to find anyone interested in anything more than a one night hookup. So if your objective is to play blackjack, I say Vegas still is the place to be, but for other aspects, it can be less desirable.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#11
kewljason said:
I debated on responding to this post, but decided to weigh in. If you are an advantage player (from counter to advanced methods) vegas offers more opportunities just from the shear number of games or opportunities available. So, if your decison is strictly about advantage play, I think Vegas is the place to be. Of course vegas has negatives you need to consider before a move her. #1 weather...mid sept thru mid may is great. No snow. No heavy winter coats. Yes it can hit below 40 degree in dec/jan but normal ave temps range 59 to 80 degrees. That means throw away the snow shovels and winter coats. But of course the trade off is summer. July/August can be as hot as 115 degrees. It's a dry heat...yes, but 115 is freaking hot!

Ok, non-blackjack-related. Vegas is a cold town. At any given time, 1/4 of the people here are toursit or temp residents. That tends to make the regulars or locals that much more unfriendly. Unfriendly might be a bit harsh, but they aren't real accepting of new folk (from my experience) just an opinion BTW...:eek:

Now about neighborhoods. As other have expressed, you want to avoid North Vegas, both the city of North Vegas and north of the downtown area. There are pockets of decent areas, but as a general rule...not good areas. West of the strip seems to be the desired areas. Henderson is great too, but a little far away for my liking, if your main goal is playing blackjack.

I personally bought a place a block east of the strip late last year. East of the strip is considered a bad area in general, but it varies. East of the strip/north of flamingo is alot of crime/drug area. East of the strip, flamingo to trop is UNLV, which used to be considered very slummy. It's not as bad as it used to be crime-wise, but is still older buildings, which mean less rent and college area, which means over populated.

Now for a young person, which you seem to be and I still consider myself, Las Vegas, from my experience seems difficult, to find anyone interested in anything more than a one night hookup. So if your objective is to play blackjack, I say Vegas still is the place to be, but for other aspects, it can be less desirable.
Your post made me think of other things. Yes, there are a lot of pros and cons. A block east of the strip is a terrific place for someone intent on casino play. The Marie Antoinette jumped into my mind, which is about two blocks east of the strip on Harmon. It is an old-time building of condominiums, which has been kept up well down through the years and has really nice units. I'd live there in a heartbeat.

I myself am west of the strip on Desert Inn, but under five minutes from the strip by car. I am also walking distance from one of my favorite pool rooms.

On the food scene, don't forget LV's Chinatown, a several block strip of Asian restaurants on Spring Mountain a mile or so west of the strip.

Henderson is far, but thousands of Vegans [? lol] commute the 15 minutes to the strip area everyday, and there are tons of ways to do it either by main drags or side streets. BTW, the first thing you want to do in Vegas, if you own a car, is to learn how to get around Vegas via side streets. The main drags can be a bear at times, though big time-savers at other. Vegas has grown from 15,000 in 1946 to about a million and a half currently. During major holidays, for instance, New Year's, the population can grow by a million to two million. This can put extreme pressure on the roadways, which are bad enough at rush hours without them.

If you're into boating, Lake Mead is not far away. Other attractions include, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, the Grand Canyon, and Boulder Dam. San Diego and Los Angeles are a short 400 miles away. Maybe that's not a day trip, but it's not prohibitive if you have something special to do on the coast on a long weekend, or better yet, a week or two vacation.

While I agree with Jason about some of the locals here, on the other hand, I have found tons of very friendly people throughout Vegas. That is because people are largely transplants from other places. I frequently strike up conversations in public places. An easy conversation opener is, "So where are you from?" I find most to be friendly, but you do have to be aware of a segment of Vegans who are obsessed with money and status and have a certain shallow ring about them. From traveling to Vegas for many years, I have run into these people (beware the real estate agents, for one), I have found the warm and welcoming to far outnumber them. One reason I want to possibly retire in Vegas is all the great people I have come to know there.
 
Last edited:

Sero

Active Member
#12
Your Comments

Thank you all for your comments. I can see that there are a lot of criteria to take into account meaning that there are some tough decisions to make ahead of me.

I'm looking a place, preferably a house to rent, rather than to buy one. I usually take a look on listings posted on craigslist. It's a pretty good source and not complicated. However, there are bunch of spam postings and it's very irritating sometimes. I was wondering if there are any other online sources that should be considered.

I know there are nice and safe apartments around strip and they are not expensive but living in an apartment complex is not like living in an house in terms of freedom by all means. Any advice renting a house versus an apartment?

I'll keep in touch.

SERO
 

kewljason

Well-Known Member
#13
Sero said:
I'm looking a place, preferably a house to rent, rather than to buy one. I usually take a look on listings posted on craigslist.I know there are nice and safe apartments around strip and they are not expensive but living in an apartment complex is not like living in an house in terms of freedom by all means. Any advice renting a house versus an apartment?
SERO
You do have to be careful about renting a house because Vegas has been hit extremely hard by the economic downturn and high percentage of houses are in forclosure or behind on their mortgage. You could pay your deposit and move in only to find out a short time later that the house is being forclosed and you have to vacate with very little notice. This can also be the case when renting apartments, but is less likely.
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#14
I'm not sure how an AP can survive in Vegas without a car. It's just too spread out and restricting oneself to the strip or downtown eliminates many nice opps. I can only imagine taking a bus to and from the Silver Nugget or Jerry's Nugget, let alone a place like Bighorn
 

kewljason

Well-Known Member
#15
shadroch said:
I'm not sure how an AP can survive in Vegas without a car. It's just too spread out and restricting oneself to the strip or downtown eliminates many nice opps. I can only imagine taking a bus to and from the Silver Nugget or Jerry's Nugget, let alone a place like Bighorn
I don't have a car and do pretty well. :) Having lived in the center city district of an east coast city for 8 years, where a car is not only an enormous expense but also more of a hassel than a convenience, I didn't have a car when I moved here last winter. I initially figured that I would get a car here, as Vegas is spread out much more than an east coast city, but have decided I really have no need for one.

Public transportation is pretty good in Vegas and pretty reasonable compared to most big eastern cities. If you need to, you can buy a monthly pass for $65. ($30 for seniors 60+) I don't do so, because I enjoy walking the strip, plus monorail rides are only $1 for local residents, and there are quite a few free shuttles that can connect you to different locations, including hard rock, sam's town, palms, boulder station, palace station and of course the HET properties shuttle. You can check out free shuttles and other useful info at http://www.lasvegas4newbies.com/chap4-1.html You can get almost anywhere in Vegas by bus including most of the outlying area 'locals' casinos. Hell, I've ridden my bike from my home near the strip to both red rock casino and boulder station casino. :laugh: Of course I realize that's not for everyone.

Unless you are a very low limit player, those local casinos really have limited value anyway. If you are playing a $25 unit, you stick out like Santa Claus does in Vegas. God forbid you wager $100 bucks. They will have to go break out the black chips from storage and call in extra surveilance people on their day off to watch you. :laugh: Just kidding of course, but really the locals are playing $3-$5 per hand. A $10 better is a big better. Anything else really does stick out, so while some of these casino's have the best rules in vegas, and offer some good promotions at times they really are limited value to a mid level player or above as he won't be welcome there for long.
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#16
I can't think of a worse city to be carless in myself. The difference between Philly and Vegas is like comparing the Mets to the Yankees. Over on the LVA boards, that was a guy who used to describe taking the Sams town shuttle from downtown to ST, then catching a different shuttle from Sams town to Harrahs, yet another from Harrahs to the Rio, just to exploit a few coupons at Gold Coast or Palms.
You can rent a car in Vegas for under $160 a week, sometimes much less. My best is $173 for a 21 day rental. The money you save on groceries alone makes having a car worthwhile.
 

HockeXpert

Well-Known Member
#17
kewljason said:
Hell, I've ridden my bike from my home near the strip to both red rock casino and boulder station casino. :laugh:
KJ: you must really be in good shape! I wouldn't dream of biking from the strip to RR casino! I'd be more "inclined" to do the return trip since it's mostly downhill. :p

KJ brings up another plus about Vegas. Few people realize there are so many outdoor activities in Vegas. Many were already mentioned by Asian already and there is also Mt Charleston, Brice Canyon, Brian Head an the Valley of Fire not far away. Most people are shocked that there is anywhere to go other than the strip in Vegas.

HockeXpert
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#18
Route 66 from Kingman to Golden Shores, Nelsons Landing, Lakes Meade and Mojave.
Try taking a bus or shuttle to any of them.

BTw- What's Brian Head? I'm not familiar with that one.
 

Mr. T

Well-Known Member
#19
HockeXpert said:
KJ: you must really be in good shape! I wouldn't dream of biking from the strip to RR casino! I'd be more "inclined" to do the return trip since it's mostly downhill. :p

KJ brings up another plus about Vegas. Few people realize there are so many outdoor activities in Vegas. Many were already mentioned by Asian already and there is also Mt Charleston, Brice Canyon, Brian Head an the Valley of Fire not far away. Most people are shocked that there is anywhere to go other than the strip in Vegas.

HockeXpert
Did you say as " mentioned by Asian ". The last time I made the same mistake he almost chew my head off.
 
Last edited:

HockeXpert

Well-Known Member
#20
Mr. T said:
Did you say as " mentioned by Asian ". The last time I made the same mistake he almost chew my head off.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention! I've only seen his handle a few thousand times and I misread it every time.:grin:

My wife always chastises me about not paying attention when I read. I guess she's right.:laugh:

Chew away Aslan!:whip: Unfortunatley there's not much left.
 
Top