[pocketaces74]

Originally Posted by MomMom

Well then, considering our steady population in the valley, there must be a lot of successful stories out there, or else they would have high tailed it out of town long ago.

It's a steady population NUMBER, but it's a large influx of people IN, and people OUT.

Highest unemployment rates in the country? Check. (way higher than published in the construction/engineering sectors). Second Highest Foreclosure rate? Check.

In addition, you have a large swell form the influx of skilled tradesmen and their families for the building of CityCenter, The Cosmopolitan, Fontainebleu (before it went FUBAR), etc etc etc.

I personally know a large number of extremely successful people who have to leave, or who have had lost it all and had to rebuild their lives as a result of the crash.

There's no way to sugarcoat the statistics.

(a further statistic? population growth has basically flatlined. in a city that used to lead the nation in population growth, it's barely a blip on the radar - and the struggling economy will continue to hurt that number. most cities will post growth, year after year, hence the 0.9% average - because the population grows, regardless. so "total population" in numbers basically means nothing, when the growth is as low as it is).

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by pocketaces74

It's a steady population NUMBER, but it's a large influx of people IN, and people OUT.

Highest unemployment rates in the country? Check. (way higher than published in the construction/engineering sectors). Second Highest Foreclosure rate? Check.

In addition, you have a large swell form the influx of skilled tradesmen and their families for the building of CityCenter, The Cosmopolitan, Fontainebleu (before it went FUBAR), etc etc etc.

I personally know a large number of extremely successful people who have to leave, or who have had lost it all and had to rebuild their lives as a result of the crash.

There's no way to sugarcoat the statistics.

(a further statistic? population growth has basically flatlined. in a city that used to lead the nation in population growth, it's barely a blip on the radar - and the struggling economy will continue to hurt that number. most cities will post growth, year after year, hence the 0.9% average - because the population grows, regardless. so "total population" in numbers basically means nothing, when the growth is as low as it is).

My dear, I've been here probably longer than you've been alive, and I don't need to sugar coat anything.

I am basing my opinion on what I've experienced and what I see...there's certainly a lot more people here in this valley today than there was in 1990, 1995, 2000 or even later than that...that's for sure!!! LOL...

Here's a neat news article for you and some figures as well. If you want to argue your point, fine, you are correct and you know best. Enjoy!

Current Clark County Population is at 2,036,358 as of December 2010 per the US Census.


Population in Clark County Grows


Comprehensive Planning Demographics

[eventusstultorummagister]

Originally Posted by Nolan05

No idea about what people hear but the strip has been packed the last 3 nights I have been here and the casinos were taking plenty of money..It was AWESOME to be back home, even if it is for 5 nights...My wife had plenty of great interveiws and is hoping for some news soon...Went on a boring time share so we could get some great tickets and dining cards; looked at some homes that were possible destinations; and walking through the Monte Carlo Monday night heard a guard say free beer and food right here at The Pub, seems there was a beer tasting conference going on so we went in and drank free beer and had good food for about 2 hours!! Tonight we are hitting Dick's last resort for the first time and then Tony and Tinas wedding Wed.

Packed with people looking for free show tickets/beer no doubt. That's the way things are now. The free spenders are gone. My friend who drives a taxi tells me that people are taking the public bus from the airport to their hotel room. Enjoy it because it won't last forever, these are desperate times and these casinos are trying to keep the creditors at bay. I was just in the Hilton sportsbook and it was a ghost town. The manager told me they were hoping for things to pick up in September (football season).

2 sides to every coin...

[Nolan05]

We do the free tix on the timeshare all the time, even when we live here. Not many people took the guard up on his offer as many just walked by thinking it was a joke...taking the bus will save you money to use in other places and every night club we walked by had huge lines waiting to pay to get in..Slowly things will begin to get better which is a good way to grow as compared to what happened before..I also saw buffet lines busted out at the seams with people waiting...

[airics]

I take it that you still have "out of state" driver's licenses...

[Nolan05]

1 yeah..no one questioned her Nev one at all

[eventusstultorummagister]

Originally Posted by Nolan05

..Slowly things will begin to get better which is a good way to grow as compared to what happened before

Yes, visitor numbers are up but gaming revenue is down. Vegas is packed but people aren't gambling or spending like in the past. That's bad news.

The casinos are governed by loan covenants and are required to maintain a certain level of Earnings (aka trailing EBITDA). All it takes is 1 weak quarter and a company is in financial peril. The regional players have been suffering while the global players are enjoying the revenue from Macau and Singapore. They (the local casinos) are going to need to get real creative to get visitors to start loosening the purse strings.

[eventusstultorummagister]

Originally Posted by Nolan05

Not many people took the guard up on his offer as many just walked by thinking it was a joke...

Maybe the other people were in a hurry to get out of the Monte Carlo, that place seems to catch fire a lot.
Oh... and wasn't there a drive by shooting at the Cantina out front?
<shrug>

[pocketaces74]

Originally Posted by MomMom

My dear, I've been here probably longer than you've been alive, and I don't need to sugar coat anything.

I am basing my opinion on what I've experienced and what I see...there's certainly a lot more people here in this valley today than there was in 1990, 1995, 2000 or even later than that...that's for sure!!! LOL...

Here's a neat news article for you and some figures as well. If you want to argue your point, fine, you are correct and you know best. Enjoy!

Current Clark County Population is at 2,036,358 as of December 2010 per the US Census.


Population in Clark County Grows


Comprehensive Planning Demographics

I'll try and take this point-by-point.....

1) Obviously there's a lot more people there than XXXX year. Last Vegas experienced unmatched growth for well over a decade due to the largest housing boom in the history of the country. That's no secret. It's also no secret that this gigantic boom was a once-in-a-lifetime (or at least, to this point) event, so no matter how long you've lived there, it's something new to you. Living there for a hundred years makes someone no more an expert than someone who lived there during the boom.

2) Again, you're arguing total population. That doesn't really mean much. The national average for growth is 0.9%. Las Vegas grew by 1.5%. Vegas was growing at a clip of well over 5% at one point. So obviously, something is wrong.

The original poster asked about the economy in Las Vegas. I'm pretty sure that it'd be in their best interest to paint a realistic image of what's really going on there. Other than living there for 30+ years, how exactly do you have your finger on the pulse of the economy, other than population statistics? It's a resort town, people will always want to come there.

Meanwhile, the state has the highest unemployment rate - and the numbers do not include those whose benefits have run out, those who can't collect, those who choose not to collect, etc etc. You have a gigantic workforce sitting on the sidelines. Hotel construction has trickled to, for all intensive purposes, a halt. They've delayed numerous MAJOR construction projects (Echelon Place and the Ivanpah airport, for starters), and they have more vacant houses than anywhere but maybe Florida.

It's the ideal place if you have a bunch of excess money to spend, or have a job lined up in a "safe" industry that won't be affected by the current economic crisis. Otherwise, Las Vegas doesn't have a ton of white-collar jobs, so that leaves hospitality, construction/trades, and real estate. Two of those industries are completely crippled right now.

[cecnj]

I wonder if LV, and Nevada in general, will seize the opportunity to expand upon the entertainment industry that has build the place and enter emerging energy sectors. I believe there is one large solar field somewhere in the area----lots more solar power available in NV than many other states. And heaven knows with the way the wind kicks up, wind turbine technology could be put to use. Seizing on the ever-growing demand for energy, combining it with emerging "greener" technologies could open up great economic opportunity for the state. I'm sure it is already being done, of course, to some degree. I'd love to see the CC area a leader in alternative energies ten years from now. Vegas could host every darn energy-related convention and be booked year-round!