Originally Posted by
Alan Mendelson
I moved to Vegas for reasons other than gambling. In fact I haven't been to the Strip and the Caesars properties since New Year's Eve.
I came here to escape California’s high prices, congestion and taxes.
The weather here in Vegas during the summer is no different than the weather in the San Fernando Valley of LA. Both places are above 100 degrees. Vegas is colder in the winter.
There is no state income tax in Nevada. The sales tax is lower. Gas is at least fifty cents a gallon cheaper. My one bedroom apartment in LA cost $2,000 a month, my two bedroom in Vegas costs $1,100 and is in a safer area.
I'm amazed that the same grocery products cost about 30% less in Vegas.
And in the locals casinos there is 8/5 Bonus Poker at 25-cents and you won't find that in California. Oh, and it's real craps here.
Of course I'm not addressing the concerns of the tourists. I hope the tourists keep coming. They keep my taxes low.
You're understating the heat in Vegas during the summer.
It's far worse than the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, except perhaps the period from about August 15-September 15, where Southern CA typically experiences its hottest weather, and Vegas starts to slowly cool down.
In July, Vegas is routinely over 110 degrees, and it remains around 100 degrees as late as midnight. LA doesn't do that, even in the hottest parts. Even during heat waves, LA cools at night.
Winter weather in Vegas, while mild compared to much of the US, is considerably worse than LA. Most days don't reach 60 degrees, and there's a frequent wind which makes it feel a lot colder, especially at night. There are actually years where New Year's Eve in Vegas is colder than in Times Square (though this isn't common).
The fall and spring weather in Vegas is actually beautiful, and is actually nicer than LA. But that can be said of a lot of the country.
As someone who lived in Vegas almost a decade, here are the pros and cons I noticed:
Pros:
- More things open 24 hours (though not as much as there used to be)
- More high-end dining choices concentrated in a small area
- Access to the highest number of casinos in one city, and the most advantage play opportunities
- No state income tax
- A lot of friends/relatives from other states will visit, making it easy to see them every so often (though I guess this could be a minus for some people)
- Lots of concerts & other entertainment venues concentrated in a small area
- Aside from the summer, weather is nicer than most of the US
- Lower cost of living than California (though other places in the country are substantially lower)
- If you're a single guy, it's in Vegas culture for younger women to date older men, and not always for money
- Easy access to hookers and Asian "jerk shops" if you're into that (I'm not)
Cons:
- Brutal heat from June-August
- Bad public school system (doesn't matter if you don't have kids)
- Relatively few career opportunities if you don't work in gaming (for a city of that size)
- Remote. People don't think about this, but Vegas is far from EVERYTHING. Los Angeles and Phoenix are the closest two major cities, but both are around 300 miles away. Aside from Henderson and Boulder City, which are part of greater Vegas, there are no other cities for 100 miles in any direction (aside from tiny, inconsequential towns).
- Health care is horrendous. Most doctor's offices are consolidated into large groups which treat you like a number, rush you through, and often misdiagnose you. I've heard horror story after horror story regarding Vegas health care, and have had some negative experiences myself.
- Bad traffic for a metro area of fewer than 2 million people.
- Lots of dysfunction and addiction issues, especially revolving around gambling. This is rarely talked about, but living around it for many years depressed me.
- Obnoxious tourists are everywhere near downtown and the strip, and they're also terrible drivers
- No MLB or NBA team, and up until 2020, no NFL either.