[yellowsnow]

Las Vegas is not for everyone. And neither is Des Moines or Miami.

Some of what he wrote is true. The housing market is in the toilet and regular people lost a whole lot of money they worked very hard for. I don't know if there were enough winners who sold when prices were astronomical to balance it out.

We need DECENT jobs. Full time jobs at a living wage rate with benefits. Las Vegas is too much of a one trick pony. Customer service type jobs just don't pay enough here. And don't get me started on all the part time, extra board work. Employers will only pay what they have to pay and here, that's not much.

To balance out the lack of good jobs, Las Vegas has a very reasonable COL. Cheap food, housing, entertainment, and low taxes do a lot to help balance out low wages and expensive things like electricity and car registration. The people who do have decent jobs can live really well here.

Las Vegas is a desert and it does get hot here. Except for about 8 weeks in Summer, I think it's wonderful. Pretty darn perfect. But I lived in Houston and Minneapolis so I know bad weather intimately.

I don't know a thing about the schools because I don't use them. But other than that, Vegas isn't much different than everywhere else. It all depends on your perspective and where you came from. If you are accustomed to life in East Podunk, it's an adjustment.

[LVPoker1]

1) I agree with him on the weather. I hate it. I miss the seasons when I live in other places. Some people think the lack of seasons is perfect

2) It is hard to make friends and meet people here. I would not want to move here single.

3) Unemployment is a major problem, but a lot of the job loss was in construction. It is not hard to find a job, but finding a good job is not easy.

4) I have no first hand experience with healthcare.

5) The police seem to shoot a lot of people, but if you read through the LVRJ story about all of the shootings, most seem justified.

6) Public transit is close to zero.

7) Education overall is poor, but we live in one of those "Far flung suburbs" that have good schools.

8) Housing is quite cheap here. I see that as an advantage, although there are a lot of people underwater that would disagree.

9) There is a lot of property crime, but I grew up in Atlanta which is much worse. Buy a dog and a gun, and you will be fine.

10) I rarely deal with people that have poor English skills where English is necessary.

Overall though, it is a humorous article, and I feel sure the writer has the opinions that he wrote about here. Some of his now deleted posts towards the end were very negative before he moved to Seattle.

Rex wrote this "10 best" article too before writing this ten worst. As you see, he could not come up with 10 best things, unless you include things like "ease of suicide".

10 Best Things About Living in Las Vegas

[cdaq]

LOL, LVPoker thanks for that link. I was ready to write him off as a disgruntled old man but it seems like I have a similar taste in music so not too sure "old" is accurate (my kids would disagree I guess).

[eventusstultorummagister]

I for one and surprised he did not mention gas station panhandlers, too specific?

[cdaq]

LVPOker, how far-flung do you live? Do you have kids?

[LVPoker1]

Originally Posted by cdaq

LVPOker, how far-flung do you live? Do you have kids?

I live in Summerlin towards the south end. If you go much further west, you would be in the desert. We have two kids that are both in public schools and are doing great. My wife volunteers and is very involved, which may make a difference. The only complaint is that the class sizes are too big. It seems that is a problem everywhere though, not just in Las Vegas.

[Gatsby1925]

Let me go over each point individually.

1. He is right in that the weather in the summer months sucks, but compared to most other cities we have a very mild climate. With the exception of flooding, we really don't have to worry about any severe storms. And as to his complaint about outdoor activities being as miserable in the winter as it is in the summer, I say to go ahead and say that to the guys who are shoveling snow out of their driveways in the Northeast.

2. He complains about the people we attract, but he forgets to mention that every major city has its share of "undesirables." I hardly find Las Vegas to be a city for "reject," and I even consider that offensive. And since when are vegetarians considered "weirdos?" This guy seems to be the type of guy who loves to stereotype people in an attempt to elevate himself.

3. He is right about the lack of employment opportunities. We are recovering, but it's still tough out there.

4. Healthcare. I never had a problem with the healthcare here, and have even seen top doctors to handle sports injuries. No complaints from me.

5. Yes, Metro has its black marks, but I find that if you stay out of trouble, you won't have a problem. Bad incidents happen to police forces all over the country; Vegas is no exception.

6: Yes, our public transportation isn't great, but there are relatively few cities in the country with excellent public transportation. In general, west-coast cities will have you rely mostly on private transportation. And stop complaining about Metro doing jaywalking stings. Don't be lazy, walk to the crosswalk.

7. Education can be better, but in High School I was mostly in Honors and AP classes, and I received a lot out of those because I put a lot of effort into them.

8: Housing. I rent an apartment, so I can't comment on that.

9: Crime. Haven't had a problem with crime. I remain aware of my surroundings and I stay out of bad areas.

10: English as a second language: I rarely deal with people who have difficulty with the language.

Honestly, this guy comes across as a bitter old man with a superiority complex. It would be easier to take him seriously if he came across articulately and with an educated tone, but he sounded like an angry talk radio host by using rash judgments and stupid stereotypes. Referencing people who don't speak english as having "cars on blocks," calling "introverted intellectuals" and vegetarians "weirdos," and basically referring to all the people who live in this city as "rejects of other cities," makes him sound like he has serious ego issues. He sounds like the type of man who would find ten or more things wrong with anywhere he could possibly live.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Gatsby1925

Let me go over each point individually.

1. He is right in that the weather in the summer months sucks, but compared to most other cities we have a very mild climate. With the exception of flooding, we really don't have to worry about any severe storms. And as to his complaint about outdoor activities being as miserable in the winter as it is in the summer, I say to go ahead and say that to the guys who are shoveling snow out of their driveways in the Northeast.

2. He complains about the people we attract, but he forgets to mention that every major city has its share of "undesirables." I hardly find Las Vegas to be a city for "reject," and I even consider that offensive. And since when are vegetarians considered "weirdos?" This guy seems to be the type of guy who loves to stereotype people in an attempt to elevate himself.

3. He is right about the lack of employment opportunities. We are recovering, but it's still tough out there.

4. Healthcare. I never had a problem with the healthcare here, and have even seen top doctors to handle sports injuries. No complaints from me.

5. Yes, Metro has its black marks, but I find that if you stay out of trouble, you won't have a problem. Bad incidents happen to police forces all over the country; Vegas is no exception.

6: Yes, our public transportation isn't great, but there are relatively few cities in the country with excellent public transportation. In general, west-coast cities will have you rely mostly on private transportation. And stop complaining about Metro doing jaywalking stings. Don't be lazy, walk to the crosswalk.

7. Education can be better, but in High School I was mostly in Honors and AP classes, and I received a lot out of those because I put a lot of effort into them.

8: Housing. I rent an apartment, so I can't comment on that.

9: Crime. Haven't had a problem with crime. I remain aware of my surroundings and I stay out of bad areas.

10: English as a second language: I rarely deal with people who have difficulty with the language.

Honestly, this guy comes across as a bitter old man with a superiority complex. It would be easier to take him seriously if he came across articulately and with an educated tone, but he sounded like an angry talk radio host by using rash judgments and stupid stereotypes. Referencing people who don't speak english as having "cars on blocks," calling "introverted intellectuals" and vegetarians "weirdos," and basically referring to all the people who live in this city as "rejects of other cities," makes him sound like he has serious ego issues. He sounds like the type of man who would find ten or more things wrong with anywhere he could possibly live.

I missed the "vegetarian weirdo" comment. I resemble that remark!

[cdaq]

Thank you Gatsby. I'm flying out Thursday for a third interview (first 2 were over the phone), I guess until I actually have an offer I don't have any decisions to make.
Not to hijack my own thread, but is there a lack of qualified technical people in Las Vegas? I didn't think I interviewed particularly well and yet the company is flying me out and will pay to move me and my family if they make an offer. Seems strange to shell out the extra expense when you should be able to hire someone locally. Red flag?

[Gatsby1925]

Originally Posted by cdaq

Thank you Gatsby. I'm flying out Thursday for a third interview (first 2 were over the phone), I guess until I actually have an offer I don't have any decisions to make.
Not to hijack my own thread, but is there a lack of qualified technical people in Las Vegas? I didn't think I interviewed particularly well and yet the company is flying me out and will pay to move me and my family if they make an offer. Seems strange to shell out the extra expense when you should be able to hire someone locally. Red flag?

No, that's not a red flag, because it doesn't matter what you thought about the interview. It only matters what the interviewer himself thought. The one thing you should never do when job searching is doubt yourself. I have interviews where I thought I was terrible and I advanced, and I had interviews that I thought I aced and ended up being rejected. It happens.

Don't make any judgments as to red flags until you actually meet in person and have a chance to look at the office. Be sure to ask solid questions. Don't rush to judgement when you haven't even had the chance to meet in person.