Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Nevada > Las Vegas
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-15-2015, 02:31 PM
 
1,081 posts, read 2,471,525 times
Reputation: 1182

Advertisements

I tried to use an existing thread first to help me with this, but only got one reply, so I'm posting a new thread hoping to get a better response.

Here's my situation: I'm a New York native who has lived in the suburbs of NYC for most of his life. I have a degree in business admin and have had office jobs, but for the last several years I've been working as a driver for limousine/car services (long story). I've decided I want to move out of New York, as the cost of living is much too high here and I'm really tired of the cold winters. I think I have narrowed down my choices to Las Vegas and Tampa Bay (with Raleigh, NC as a distant third). It's been many years since I've been to Vegas, but from my basic research it seems like it does offer housing that is much less expensive than where I live now, and of course very little, if any, snow. It would also provide a jumping off point for road trips to places like the national parks in southern Utah and Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, and points in southern California. I'm not much of a gambler, so the casinos really don't have much appeal, except as a possible place of employment as a driver (though I would really like to get into a different field).

It would be great to hear from anyone currently living in Vegas who also has experience as a resident of Florida, specifically Tampa, or could give me input on any of the following:
  • Employment: How competitive is the job market with 6.9% unemployment? Can anyone comment about getting a job in auto sales, real estate sales or as an apartment leasing agent or apartment/community manager?
  • Weather and outdoor activities: Las Vegas gets a lot of sunny days, which is good, but being a desert location, it seems like there might not be many trees or foliage to provide shade during outdoor activities. Is this a problem for people who like to go hiking or bicycling there?

I did read the intro thread for people considering moving to Vegas. I am still a little freaked out by that thread about palm trees and scorpions. Didn't realize you had those things there. I always thought that a scorpion sting was fatal (guess I watch too many movies, lol). I would be renting a 1 or 2 BR apt (I'm single, 50+, no kids) and there seem to be many available for under $1000. I think I've got a handle on what to expect as far as utility costs, and the way Nevada figures car registration fees.

Before someone suggests I make a trip out to Vegas or spend time there during the summer before deciding to move, my timetable for moving is between the end of February and late March, preferably during the first half of March.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can provide!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-15-2015, 02:57 PM
 
15,842 posts, read 14,476,031 times
Reputation: 11916
How long can you float yourself on your savings before you can find a job?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-15-2015, 04:25 PM
 
1,081 posts, read 2,471,525 times
Reputation: 1182
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBMW View Post
How long can you float yourself on your savings before you can find a job?
Sorry, forgot to mention that. I figure that I can cover my expenses in a modest 1 BR apt ($800 or less) for at least a year, though of course I wouldn't want to go that long without bringing in some sort of income (I'd go crazy not doing anything that for that long, too).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-15-2015, 04:27 PM
 
340 posts, read 664,773 times
Reputation: 374
Lots more biting critters in Florida than NV. Even found a scorpion in my parents home in Ft Myers so those exist there too to some degree. I live in Reno not LV but what I like is the lack of mosquitos and no-see-ums.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-15-2015, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Sunrise
10,864 posts, read 16,992,760 times
Reputation: 9084
Plenty of scorpions in Florida, too. The best parts of Florida are very expensive. May as well move to Hawaii and not have to worry so much about storm surge. (Yes, they have tsunamis there -- but people can live a few hundred feet above sea level and not worry about surge.)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-16-2015, 07:34 AM
 
1,081 posts, read 2,471,525 times
Reputation: 1182
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoopLV View Post
Plenty of scorpions in Florida, too. The best parts of Florida are very expensive. May as well move to Hawaii and not have to worry so much about storm surge. (Yes, they have tsunamis there -- but people can live a few hundred feet above sea level and not worry about surge.)
Didn't know they had scorpions in FL either. Never saw one in the 2 1/2 years that I lived there back in the late 90s. Sure there are expensive places in FL, but I wasn't thinking about moving to the Keys or West Palm Beach. I'm just focusing on the Tampa Bay area in general, and will determine the exact neighborhood once I go there (if I go there). Hawaii would be great, but it's too pricey for me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-16-2015, 07:36 AM
 
1,081 posts, read 2,471,525 times
Reputation: 1182
Anyone have any more recent experience with finding a job in Vegas? Any transplants from NY or FL here?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-16-2015, 08:21 AM
 
13,586 posts, read 13,118,325 times
Reputation: 17786
Quote:
Originally Posted by manyroads View Post
Anyone have any more recent experience with finding a job in Vegas? Any transplants from NY or FL here?
My former boyfriend moved here from NYC. He loves it here, but the job market has been brutal. He's in tech, and that's a whole nother thread.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-16-2015, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Here and there, you decide.
12,908 posts, read 27,991,974 times
Reputation: 5057
I'd do Florida. 50+ here is tough to find a job...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-16-2015, 09:15 AM
 
15,842 posts, read 14,476,031 times
Reputation: 11916
Tampa strikes me as more a "real" non-tourist driven city than LV or a lot of other parts of FL. Then again, you do something tourist related, so your experience may transfer better to LV. If you can float yourself for a year, you can likely establish yourself in either place. My take is that the cost of living is likely a bit more expensive in Tampa than LV, but I could be wrong.

If you believe in global warming, you have to decide on your trade off. Either run out of water in Vegas, or be underwater in FL.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Nevada > Las Vegas

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top