[MissIrishLady]

Okay, these two subjects are my main concern when it comes to moving to Vegas. I am concerned that moving there would not allow me to escape the poor wages they offer in Florida. It would just be more of the same in Vegas. And as for crime, I've been on the Vegas forum long enough to see that it's a huge issue. And where are all the freaking happy singles in Las Vegas?? It seems that the only ones you hear about are from those who complain that finding a "good and decent" single is about as slim as finding a "unicorn" in Vegas. When was the last time you saw a "unicorn"? So I'm concerned that my desire to move there would be overshadowed by the high crime, crappy pay and hearing about all the miserable single people that already live there and are disillusioned.

Where are all the happy people that are thriving in Vegas? Where are the people making good salaries? Where are the people that actually feel safe in Vegas? I want to hear from people who LOVE Vegas and are happy to live there. I have lived in San Diego and I swear it's like living in a little town like Mayberry if you like that sort of thing. It's more geared for families than anything else. I have lived in NYC and the people are fine but its extremely expensive, very crowded, very dirty and polluted, with very cold grey winters and it has a very old subway system that's constantly breaking down. And I have lived in the Washington, DC area where its incredibly materialistic, snobby and extremely expensive. I've heard that the DC beltway has become a literal nightmare from my brother who still lives there. He says it takes him an hour just to go a few miles on the beltway. Ugh. To the credit of DC and NYC, I was able to get decent paying law firm jobs with excellent benefits while living there. I left the big city in 2006 to venture to California and stayed there for almost three years. I have been living in Florida since 2009 and it's been a struggle because they don't pay well at all and it's a main complaint of many people who try to make it down here. Seriously, most of the businesses down here want well qualified candidates for beans like $10 to $12 an hour.

My background consists of being a legal secretary, legal receptionist and medical transcriptionist. I have worked for some really great law firms in the past mainly in big cities. I'm currently enrolled in an online legal assistant certification program to further improve my skills. Never too old to keep improving is how I see it.

So are my concerns valid? I'm at a crossroads in life. I would be giving up a nice and peaceful condo in a gated community, my little dog and everything I own for a change of scenery and something new, BUT if Vegas is going to offer more of the same as in crappy wages, etc. just like South Florida, then I'm probably better off just staying put. My heart might want a change but I might be duped by the "smoke and mirrors" charm and excitement that Vegas seems to offer.

[BBMW]

You're issues are more likely skill and experience related than geographic.

To turn things around, you pay for what you get. If you live somewhere with high wages and booming economy, the cost of living is going to be high. If you live somewhere that has a low cost of living, you're likely to see a moribund economy and low/stagnant wages. Take your choice.

[West of Encino]

Originally Posted by BBMW

You're issues are more likely skill and experience related than geographic.

To turn things around, you pay for what you get. If you live somewhere with high wages and booming economy, the cost of living is going to be high. If you live somewhere that has a low cost of living, you're likely to see a moribund economy and low/stagnant wages. Take your choice.

I never understood why home prices would be high if the economy is booming.

[MissIrishLady]

Originally Posted by BBMW

You're issues are more likely skill and experience related than geographic.

To turn things around, you pay for what you get. If you live somewhere with high wages and booming economy, the cost of living is going to be high. If you live somewhere that has a low cost of living, you're likely to see a moribund economy and low/stagnant wages. Take your choice.

Thanks for putting it bluntly. So the best thing I can do is improve upon my skills right where I am but it is a well known fact that many LEAVE Florida when they discover what CRAP wages they offer people who have great skills, maturity and dependability. Most people cannot survive on what Florida offers. Only those who are highly skilled make it here (doctors, RNs, lawyers, paralegals) or retirees. The rest are struggling to make ends meet.

[Laminate7]

certain IT professionals (of which i am one) do well in Vegas. Vegas has the largest datacenter in the world (Switch) there...

Its pretty easy to make 100+ salary there

I like vegas - its has crime but so does Dallas (where crime is also spiking). I like areas of summerlin and henderson - there are some nice family areas

[MissIrishLady]

Originally Posted by West of Encino

I never understood why home prices would be high if the economy is booming.

They want a piece of the pie and they want half your paycheck, especially if they know what the going rate is. So if you live in Irvine, CA for example, and make $60,000 as a legal secretary, the lowest rent in town will be $1,200 for a tiny one bedroom and that was in 2008. That's the truth! Unless you want a roommate to cut costs. ***I just checked the rental for 2016 and they now want $1,499 for a one bedroom! Wow!***

Not sure what the price of a one bedroom is to rent in Vegas but I saw a recent article that said their rentals have gone way up recently. Is this true? How can they do this when the pay isn't that great on an overall scale? Vegas in the past has been a draw for many because of the low cost of living. It seems to be changing now...

[MissIrishLady]

Here is a good "current" link on Vegas: How Much Money Do You Need to Live in Las Vegas? | Investopedia

After reading the entire article, I think I have my answer. Stay put. You'd have to pretty much have a lot saved up in the bank and have the ability to snap up a job when you arrive that pays around $40,000 to $50,000 a year. The TRUTH is thousands that come to Vegas STRUGGLE with menial low wage jobs that DOMINATE the city. So Vegas has the very same problem as Florida. It's not worth it to uproot everything I have that is stable to STRUGGLE in Vegas.

----------------------------- A clip below of the article must be read for those dreaming of moving to Vegas!!!-------------------

Living in Las Vegas as an Unemployed Job-Seeker

Las Vegas is not an ideal city to live in when unemployed and looking for a job. The maximum weekly unemployment benefit in Nevada is $407. It is difficult enough to pay for rent, utilities and food on that amount. When you add car expenses – pretty much a necessity so you can get to job interviews – it becomes a mathematical impossibility.

As of August 2015, the Las Vegas metro area unemployment rate is 7.3%. That is significantly higher than the national rate of 5.5%, and the number does not even tell the whole story. Even if you land a job quickly, there's a decent chance that you will still end up struggling to pay the bills. Thousands of Las Vegas residents who are employed still cannot make a living because service jobs, many of which do not even pay a living wage, dominate the city.

The city's high unemployment rate and dearth of decent-paying jobs combined with Nevada's low unemployment benefit amount makes Las Vegas a poor relocation choice for an unemployed person seeking work.

[West of Encino]

Originally Posted by MissIrishLady

They want a piece of the pie and they want half your paycheck, especially if they know what the going rate is. So if you live in Irvine, CA for example, and make $60,000 as a legal secretary, the lowest rent in town will be $1,200 for a tiny one bedroom and that was in 2008. That's the truth! Unless you want a roommate to cut costs. ***I just checked the rental for 2016 and they now want $1,499 for a one bedroom! Wow!***

Not sure what the price of a one bedroom is to rent in Vegas but I saw a recent article that said their rentals have gone way up recently. Is this true? How can they do this when the pay isn't that great on an overall scale? Vegas in the past has been a draw for many because of the low cost of living. It seems to be changing now...

I don't know. I, myself, was considering moving out to LV Valley. I've only been there three times.

[MissIrishLady]

Originally Posted by West of Encino

I don't know. I, myself, was considering moving out to LV Valley. I've only been there three times.

You've got me beat! I've only visited twice. Once last year and then back in 2007. Loved it both times!

I'm beginning to think Vegas would be a very risky move, the more I learn about it.

[lovecrowds]

I much prefer Florida to Las Vegas. I was in Florida for 2 months and Las Vegas for 8 months.

Florida is far cleaner, far friendlier, far more-laid back then Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is entertaining to say the least as there are 100,000 new visitors in town each day which makes it interesting with the variety of people. I do like that element.

The area though is a terrible place to be single. Its a very married city and its filled with large families. I have no idea why people raise families in Vegas as time and time again the state and city is considered to be one of the worst places to raise a family.

The majority of singles are females and the city is the epicenter of leisure and hospitality industry which is a overwhelmingly female industry. It's very rare for men in Las Vegas to be single as they have a massive variety of single women to choose from.

Las Vegas is no mayberry like San Diego. They are of similar size and San Diego had 37 homicides compared to 136 in Las Vegas last year. San Diego is a very-laid back city of content people, Las Vegans are type A, aggressive and high-strung.

Las Vegas has nearly double the violent crime rate of Los Angeles. The police department in Las Vegas has citizen to officer ratio's that are comperable to small towns in the midwest. They are completely overwhelmed with hardly any resources.

I think wages are low for such a large metropolitan area but it also is probubly the cheapest large metropolitan area in America. Where else can you rent a studio for $450 and a newer house for less then $1000 a month.