Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
demoknite- I agree about public schools not being so hot in America- sad state in general. But, that's another topic. I wasn't trying to imply that ONLY Vegas had bad schools though. And yes there will always be McDonalds and the likes anywhere we go but living in the desert, the water issue scares me. Vegas seems to make every list, along with L.A., San Antonio, and others for "running out of water". Obviously not "tomorrow" but the "eventual" is a concern for me.
I've heard awesome things about Henderson for families! I really appreciate the feedback. MyFamilyMove- what do you all do in regards to family fun type stuff in the area? I've read several posts about crime but then when you read through the details it's people saying, "lock your car at night..." We do that anyways but it did sort of make me laugh that people are making a point to comment on crime but follow up wtih "lock your doors." Maybe I'm use to living on the east coast and a suburb of D.C.?? Not sure where people are living that they AREN'T locking their doors...??
If and when the southwest ever runs out of water it will be a national or even global concern and there will be no escaping it no matter where you live so that is a moot point. If you move here and live here for even 10 or even 20 years, I doubt that water will run out. I think government policy and modern engineering would curtail that long before any mad max type situation. Of course anything can happen. There is a recent thread about perceived safety here. Have a read. Once again, we arent all driving around in tanks and wearing bullet proof vests because the crime is sooooooo bad here. Moving from the DC area you will think this place is like Mayberry. Yes, lock your belongings up at night and be mindful of your surroundings.
Families, do the same thing just like in other burbs. Our kids play in sports leagues on the weekends, we watch fireworks on the 4th of July and we crowd the shopping centers on Black Friday. There are parks and swimming pools all over. Lots of places to hike and camp. Libraries with kids days, etc. If you do it in DC, you can more or less do it here. LV is a major tourist destination which means you can catch flights to anywhere in the world hassle free. California, Utah, and Arizona are all just a few hours drive away for short breaks.
Thanks again- I completely agree. I've read a few things about crime but then also take into consideration it's a big city with LOTS of walks of life coming to it. I get that. I hear a lot about Henderson from people and PM's. Sounds like a nice place to me! Good point about the water. My father loves to say- they make/spend too much money in Vegas, they won't let it go dry.
demoknite- I agree about public schools not being so hot in America- sad state in general. But, that's another topic. I wasn't trying to imply that ONLY Vegas had bad schools though. And yes there will always be McDonalds and the likes anywhere we go but living in the desert, the water issue scares me. Vegas seems to make every list, along with L.A., San Antonio, and others for "running out of water". Obviously not "tomorrow" but the "eventual" is a concern for me.
I've heard awesome things about Henderson for families! I really appreciate the feedback. MyFamilyMove- what do you all do in regards to family fun type stuff in the area? I've read several posts about crime but then when you read through the details it's people saying, "lock your car at night..." We do that anyways but it did sort of make me laugh that people are making a point to comment on crime but follow up wtih "lock your doors." Maybe I'm use to living on the east coast and a suburb of D.C.?? Not sure where people are living that they AREN'T locking their doors...??
Take it all with a grain of salt. Virtually all upper middle class schools in the US are similar. If you look at the average income in a zip code it tells you pretty authoritatively what the schools will be like.
Las Vegas is a little different at the high school level in that they have always maintained a rather heterogeneous zoning pattern. Alll high schools with perhaps one exception have rich and poor areas.
Parts of Hendertson are quite nice. Other parts are not. In general there are four or five other areas that are as good or better than good Henderson...and that is good Henderson...not any Henderson.
Southern Highlands, Mountians Edge, Silverado, Pecole ranch, The Lakes, Multiple places in Summerlin, Centennial Hills and Lone Mountain all have neighborhood equivalent to much of good Henderson.
If your goverment work ends up at Nellins or Creech you probably don't want Henderson.
We are looking to relocate and were considering Vegas. My parents are about to retire and looking to move there as well and we'd like to remain semi-close in proximity to them. My husband and I are currently Federal Employees and we know jobs are a big deal and wouldn't make the move until we've secured employment. He's a prior Marine Vet and very, "well make it work where ever we end up." Which is great but I was hoping to get some feedback.
I've seen Henderson listed a few times as a great place for families? Are there any private schools anyone can recommend? My oldest is currently in a small private school and we were hoping to continue that.
Any informaiton would be appreciated...family friendly? Are the people friendly? I, myself, have only ever been on the strip so of course think of Vegas as one thing. However, I'd like to believe that there are great, prospering families out there? Maybe I'm delusional. We love that we'd be a stones throw away from many great National parks and other great states to visit. Being a large family means driving to most destinations as flying is too expensive.
Any feedback would be great!!!
Sounds like you have a good reason to move here. We are a family of 5 and moved here from Baltimore for a job. We are originally from Southern California. I prefer living in Vegas to Baltimore or anywhere on the east coast. There are plenty of family friendly areas such as Henderson, Summerlin, and Lone Mountain area. We live in Summerlin and decided to live here because of its close proximity to everything we need and its many parks. It is also about 8-10 degrees cooler than Henderson on average.
Our kids go to a private school in Summerlin. I wouldn't enroll my kids in any public schools in Vegas.
Most of the people here are transplants and bring their culture with them. Overall people are friendlier here than MD/DC area.
Although many national parks and cool places are within driving distance, we feel more isolated here than we did in MD or CA.
We are moving back to Southern California mainly due to a better lifestyle, greater diversity, the weather, proximity to family and friends, and of course the beach. In my opinion, it is a better place to raise our kids. I personally don't like the greedy and materialistic culture that is common in Vegas and don't wish to raise my kids in such a culture. As teenagers in CA, we would hang out at the beach and had many outdoor activities available to us year-round. Here, It is too hot 4 months of the year to do anything outdoors unless you want to hang out by the pool. You will see many deserted playgrounds in the summer months. My kids can not ride their bikes outside, because it is too hot in the summer. You will see many local teenagers hanging out on the strip, which in my opinion, is not the best environment for that age group. The casino/gambling culture is everywhere, even in the suburbs, like when you go to the supermarket or convenience stores. My 5 year old daughter asked me the other day at the supermarket if she could play with the slot machines. If you wanna take your kids to the movies or bowling, they are usually inside the casinos so you have to pass by all the gaming tables, slot machines, drunk people and smokers with your kids on your way to your destination. I think Vegas is a great place if you don't have kids and enjoy gambling, nightlife, shows and great restaurants geared toward adults.
This is my opinion of course, and you and others may see things differently. Good luck on your move!
Frank_black- Thank you! No offense to anyone else...but this was sorta my concern. I know many will say "you have obstacles anywhere" type thing but I tend to think Vegas would be GREAT for my parents. No snow to shovel, they're retiring with the only concern being "what can we do for fun". They LOVE the strip for the shows/food so for them I think- awesome match! Plus, they love that they can obtain an awesome house right now for half of what it might have cost a few years ago there. For us, I'm not sure it's such a good match. We have 3 boys and they LOVE being outdoors! Staying inside for several months would drive ALL of us crazy
There is a ton to do outside here anyday of the week. There are parks on every other corner it seems and dry lake beds 15 mins from you (bmx bikes etc) you can go hiking anywhere (Red Rock is awesome!) theres never a weekend we can't find anything to do. Back in Missouri before we moved we never did much outside - the humidity was horrible and we never enjoyed doing much outside the house because of the weather and allergies. Granted here its hotter and there are allergies BUT with the low humidity we are outdoors almost every single night. I've literally lost 45lbs in the year since moving here because we are so very active here. Hubby has lost 35lbs. It is all lifestyle change because of the weather. Not saying we couldn't have been healthier back in Missouri had we tried harder we just didn't have the ump to get up and go there as we do here. Only advice I can give is visit here. LOTS. My husband actually came here 6 months before we did and lived in a apartment while getting to know the area. Once we decided yes this would be a good move I sold the house in Missouri and followed with the kids. Good luck in whatever you do!
The valley is so big that the neighborhood you end up living in will probably depend on your jobs. Up here in the NW we have Nellis air force base, Creech air force base and the brand new VA Medical Center on the 215 and Pecos. You didn't say what kind of government jobs you have, but those are definitely the biggest government employers around here. Coming from DC, crime will really be a non-issue for you. There are endless things to do for families here in LV and an infinite number of car trips to take from here. It's a great place to retire. I keep trying to convince my own parents to retire here to escape the winter shoveling! Henderson is great. The Northwest is great. I was very concerned about schools as well before I moved here. However, my oldest is still in preschool so we still have time to figure it all out. I'm learning about better-performing schools, charters, magnets, private schools, homeschooling, etc. There are many options and I'm pretty sure we're going to be alright.
momofcrawler- That's sort of where we are with schooling- just investigating all the options there. My oldest is about to be in 3rd grade here in a small private school and right NOW- it's what works for him. I'm open to trying something else, just not sure what yet.
Myfamilymove- congrats on all the weight loss! That's fantastic. I'm all for a healthly lifestyle, getting my kids out to play... I've read repeatedly how people site the location they live in and say "I would never know I'm near the strip." I don't mind the heat I'm seriously just a conspiracy theorist of sorts I suppose and the water issue scaaaares me. I can handle heat, no problem. But when you do the research it's a serious issue. My dad is a long time Vegas lover so he's forever saying "there's too much money on the strip to let it run dry" but, you can't manufacture water. Let me stop before I start sounding like a total whack job...lol
We work for the Census Bureau in an outskirt of DC (Suitland to be exact) and it sucks.
I spent some time reading the news online in Vegas yesterday and I have to be honest it WAS slightly depressing. I think the lay of the land looks awesome! Different from what we're use to and when we go out to Vegas on vacay in Oct we plan to get off the strip and check out neighborhoods. Someone point me in the right direction of positive examples of Vegas???? We have 3 boys ages 2, 2, and 8...where is "it" you'd point me towards?
Jumping in here, I'd steer you towards summerlin or Providence (master planned community in the NW). I will also second the recommendation for Challenger school, the academics are definitely ahead of the game.
Head out towards the Green Valley Ranch area and you will see the better areas of Henderson. Plenty for kids to do as we raised our 3 here and right now they are 14,12 and 10 and would hate to leave. Sports year round....I read that someone wrote to ot 4 months a year, not quite that long. You do see people out in the parks until maybe mid July and August and that is about it. My 12 year old starts football next week and has 3 practices perweek until the games start in late Aug, so you get used to it. We came from Ohio and it is worse there with the humidity. Always stuff going on, never have to ask "what do you want to do" and get no response. Also Lake Las Vegas will be nice in October to walk around the shops. We go to bowling and movies all the time and have never been bothered by anyone, and have plenty of those places to go that you do not have to walk through a casino. Your kids would ove it here and DO NOT have to be locked inside for months on end. There are plenty of places to take the that they can be very active, and the local libraries are better than any we had in Ohio. There are always movie nights and get togethers, and also movie nights outside under the stars at palces like Green Valley Ranch, Town Square and Lake Las Vegas. You will find that living away from the strip will be beneficial, and sometimes you may not even realize you live in Vegas. Things that happen here are the same as other places, just like where you live now.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
