Relocating to Las Vegas Area

Hey we are from around the same area. We moved to vegas about 7 years ago and to tell you the truth it is not a good place to raise children. The schools are in bad shape as well as the hospitals. We are planing to move back in a few years. My girls get too old and make to many friends out here.

R.,
I've been in Vegas about four years. We relocated from Nj for the weather, among other things. I've been subbing in the school district for a little while now, so I can definitely give you a little insight into the school system out here. The school district is broken down into five regions, east, northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast. Subs get paid more to go to east/northeast schools because no one wants to sub there. You don't want your kids in schools in those areas. They are older, crowded and underfunded. The nicest schools I've seen so far are in Green Valley in Henderson (southeast region). We live in Silverado Ranch (also SE), and I like the schools here, too. We've been very happy with our son's school, Cartwright Elementary. Summerlin is expensive, but I hear it's nice. I haven't taught at any schools out there because it is a little far for me to drive. If you go to the school district website, you can get more info. It's www.ccsd.net.

My husband produces a TV show for Century21 here in Vegas. If you want to get a good look at some of the homes out here, you can watch the show on line at www.completelasvegastv.com. You'll get a good look at the interiors and also get to know some of the realtors, too.

Good luck!
D.

Dear R.,
I too, like most LV locals, come from a cold climate (NJ & NY). We've been here 7 years and have no desire to move back. We moved and rented an apt. for a year so we didn't rush into making a decision we might later regret. It gave us time to explore and decide if we really wanted to live here and just where we wanted to buy a house. We're about 5 miles from The Strip and just east of Summerlin. I worked in a job that had me driving to homes all over the city and there is a lot to choose from. New and expensive or less new and less expensive. There's something for everyone. Two other words of advice-- water and sunscreen. Good luck!
B.

Even though this post is kind of old I really felt compelled to respond to all the negatives people were saying. My husband and I have 5 children we are raising in vegas and while I do get homesick for southern california the cost of living here is still better then that. We live in a brand new part of town called Providence that is an absolutly beautiful friendly area. We have neighborhood pot lucks and get togethers and our neighborhood feels like something out of Leave it to Beaver. My only children that are school aged have been in private school for kindergarten and 1st grades but this year they will be at public school but the demographics and test results I have looked up for the school they will be attending are very good. All in all we really like it here but I wouldnt live in any part of town but here, which is the far Northwest if you are wondering. North Las vegas really is nowhere I would want to live with my family. It houses some of the worst areas in Vegas and definatly some of the worst schools.

Good luck! We just moved here a year ago and love the Summerlin area. We are transfering back to the midwest in Junebut if I was staying this is the place to be. We are in the Givens school district and it is rated very high, check out great school.com There are lots of great churches around and community centers and wonderful parks, whole foods, etc. It was tough getting use to but after a few months we setteled right in, the street grid is easy to learn. Your won't miss the snow because you can drive north to Mt. Charleston and let the kids play in the snow. Order a kit from the chamber of commerce it has a good book about what is offerd. Drop me a line if you want more info.

Hi R.,

I moved here from Wichita, Kansas about 17 months ago and I have been a substitute teacher here for 15 months. I will say that coming from the Midwest, you are definitely in for a culture shock. I HAVE READ A FEW OTHER POSTINGS, SO LET ME START WITH THOSE. First of all, that realtor that responded to you is simply trying to sell a house. Property does not retain or increase in value in North Las Vegas, the way it would in Summerlin and Southwest Vegas. I have two children of my own 8 and 14; this is a horrible place to raise kids. Children get kidnapped walking to school (frequently, check the news sites) they get ran over by cars, crossing the crosswalks. A few GREAT schools, but lacking for the most part. This is not a family friendly place to live. Cost of living is extreme. But on a positive note, I love the weather. It is quite moderate in comparison to the Midwest.

EDUCATION: There are some great schools here, but the majority of them leave a lot to be desired. I believe that this is due to the teacher shortage; Las Vegas has a very high turnover rate among educators. The system is well funded, there are no registration fees, the students have plenty of books and resources, but the majority of the schools that I have been to do not provide the consistency necessary to make sure students are meeting standards for their grade level. This was shocking for me, because in Wichita, the goal was to not only meet, but also EXCEED standards. So, when you are considering an area to live, the first thing you need to do is check the local schools. Also, look at greatschools.com, view the report card, and look at the demographics. NORTH Las Vegas has some of the roughest schools in the district.

HOMES: I live in the Southwest part of LV, great area! Nice homes, close to major department stores, great restaurants, safe schools, fairly good curriculum, and of course 2 minutes from Wal-mart. Do yourself a favor, and stay away from North Las Vegas. If you use a realtor, be careful. With the way the housing market is now, they are like animals.

Cost of living: In Wichita, We rented a 1800 sq. ft. town house with 3 levels, 4 bdrms, 3 bth, finished basement, 2 fireplaces for 775.00. Here we rent a 1700 sq ft home for 1300 a month, 3bdrm, 2 bth, frplce, living room, hearth room. Nice, but expensive! Owned a house in Wichita 2000 sq ft. 3bdrm, 2bth, and 2-car garage for $89,000, here you cannot get that for less than $300,000.

My suggestion, read all of the responses, make a list of pros and cons and weigh it out. Good Luck!

T.

We relocated from Grand Rapids, MI so I know about the freezing winters. I would seriously think twice about it. The schools are not good. The private schools are about double in price what they are in the Midwest. It is very sterile, all the houses have similar colors and styles. And forget having a yard or even space for your child to play. There are a lot of parks, but as far as playing catch in the backyard, forget it. There are not a lot of doctors, so you will usually have to wait quite a while to be seen. And the housing market is not good either. Even though it is a buyers market the houses are still overpriced and they are built very cheaply. Everything is master planned so they all look the same. Do a lot of online research.
Hope I did't sound too negative but that has been our experience here.
S.

R.,
I moved to Las Vegas last year with my 2 1/2 year old and one on the way. My husband is military so this was a move with his job. We found a house in North Las Vegas, a community called Aliante. The houses are wonderful but we are just renting. Most of the houses in my neighborhood sell for about $500,000 to $700,000. There are numerous parks in the area but other than the parks there really is not much for children to do away from casinos. I have actually found it difficult to live in Las Vegas with children. As for the schools, they do not seem to be great (public). My daughter attends a private preschool and will continue there for elementary school. We love it and it is close to my house. The name of the school is Lamb of God Lutheran. After living here a year I am just getting settled in to life in Las Vegas. It is a very different way of life but this is coming from a Texas girl. I am sorry that I do not have more positive feedback but this is some information I wished I had before moving here. I would be happy to tell you more if you want. Just send me a message and we can exchange phone numbers. I would like to help your move be a smooth one.

Hey R.,
Like most places it depends on where you live. We have lived here for two years, out in Henderson, and we absolutely love it. Lots of stuff to do, lots of moms, and lots of parks and rec. centers. I live in Green Valley, but Summerlin is a great place too. The housing market is definitely overpriced, but we are renting a house and doing fine. Schools out here are good too.
Becca

Hi.
I've lived here almost 20 years and have 2 daughters - 13 & 10.
First let me say that no one, so far, has told you much about the weather. Coming from CA I was a little surprised to find out that in a "typical" year (we are currently in a draught) the rainy season here is from July thru September and the storms are called monsoons and they are awesome - thunder, lightening and lots of rain - but warm. Also we have a windy season that runs from April thru June with an occasional microburst that can put out power, down trees, etc. and we also get the occasional sand storm which can be a nightmare. We average 100 days a year of temperatures over 100 AND we do freeze in the winter because we are high desert. We generally get a snowfall every 3 to 4 years and temperatures can get to freezing and below anywhere from mid December to mid February. The hottest I've seen it in the summer is 117 and my coldest winter got down to 18.
I agree about schools here - when they're good they're really good, when they're bad they're awful. I live in Green Valley, but my oldest went to Kindergarten and 1st grade in an "inner city" English as a 2'nd language school that was close to my work. The teachers she had were great but unfortunately nothing could make up for the over-crowding which resulted in a shortage of supplies. Both my girls are now in good schools on our side of town.
I work in mortgage and have been involved in lending on houses in every state except HI, AK and LA. Housing here is somewhere in the middle when you look at the market across the country as a whole, and realize that Las Vegas/Henderson hasn't got the history of anywhere back east so you won't find really old homes here. You would pay more than twice as much for the same size house in CA, CT or FL. Our housing boom did not last 5 years - it ran from late summer/fall of 2004 thru spring 2006 and we are currently in a slump with more houses for sale than buyers - so it is currently a buyers market with the prices on some houses falling and builders throwing in extras to move inventory.
I'll tell you my biggest pet peeve with living here - I can't buy any decent fresh thin skinned summer fruit like peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines - they arrive at the market unripe and never ripen fully, you have to eat them while they are still too firm so they don't begin to lose their moisture and have the skin shrivel. The up-side (I guess) is I no longer have to worry about juice dripping down my chin or onto my hands/arms as I did when I was growing up in northern CA.

Hi R.:

My family and I have lived in Las Vegas for almost 7 years now. We moved from NW Pennsylvania, so I absolutely know how you feel about those freezing winters on the lake. Las Vegas can be a difficult city to live in at first, like any city, I think. But it really is a beautiful place to be. You will quickly tire of the casino scene, but that's why most locals stay away from the strip.

There are tons of parks out here, community centers that offer a bunch of different activities for kids and the mountains are beautiful, especially when you are from back east and don't see them there. The traffic stinks, but you get used to it; it is a big city. And the school district isn't the greatest, but it just means we as parents have to get more involved. The weather can't be beat. It does get pretty hot in the summer, but I've always looked at it like 2 months of extreme heat is better than 6 months of snow and freezing temps.

My husband and I have always lived on the SW side of town and have loved it. Henderson is pretty nice too, but I still like the SW area much better. We recently bought a house in Mountains Edge, which is a new community. In all our years in Las Vegas, we've never felt a better sense of community than here; we absolutely love it. There are parks, walking trails, activities for kids, everything. And being a SAHM of 3, things like that are important to me.

If you need any more information, or have any other questions, I'd be more than happy to help you out. You can email me anytime at ____@____.com luck with your move.

H. W.

Hi R.,
It great that you are looking to relocate! Las Vegas is a booming town and we get better and better every year. I will say, this is a place where you kinda get stuck.... :) Comparatively speaking, Chicago (Illinos) has history, great food, and lots and lots of green.. I think they are called "Trees". . . .lol.... seriously tho.. I have lived here for 14 years and not many places compare, in terms of affordability, location, and convenience. The weather here is nothing to be excited about but it is definitely the change you are looking for. There are some great areas to move that are completely out of the main part of Las Vegas.

I am a realtor and I will say North Las Vegas is the place to move. "Aliante" has so many parks, activities, and a great community atmosphere. Henderson, is on the opposite end and is great too but the traffic over there can be daunting. It has been around for a little longer than the Northern part of Las Vegas so people are more settled in there. You can find some really nice houses futher North near Aliante or Centennial for some phenomenal prices!! Don't get me wrong, certain parts of "North Las Vegas" have some not so great neighborhoods but this area has really grown with all the brand new homes and shopping plazas being built.
Keep in mind that Henderson is about 20 -25 mins from the Strip depending on what side your are closest too and Northern Las Vegas can be a drive of about 25-35 mins (again, depending on what part you are closest too).

That is a very big move. I know we just moved here from Michigan. I have been here 2 weeks and so far so good. i am very happy with the area that we choose to move too! we livein henderson around black mountain zip code 89012. The nice area's are 89074,89015, 89012,89014,89052. I am sure thre are more but those are the ones we usedin our search. This is close but not to close to vegas. I am very happy not to be to close to the strip. We are 12-18 miles from the strip. If you would like any info please feel free to contact me I can give you the nam of the Agent we used to rent ou house. The huse next to us is for rent as of Monday. It has a beautiful pool and we are in a gated community. I know this can be a very stressful move so please feel free to email me anytime.
T. ____@____.com

I just saw your request even though it's a few weeks old, thought I'd throw in my $.02.

We just moved to Henderson last summer after 5 years in Southern California and most of the rest of my life near Kansas City. We have two 'tween daughters who are still bitter that they're not anywhere near the beach but who otherwise have loved having all the perks of being in the city.

I will actually detract from most of the folks who've responded and tell you that I've loved living out here and raising the kids. I've met more moms at school and kids' sports who are open and accepting of new parents in the nieghborhood then I ever did in CA, and it's a really easy city to find your way around. It's definitely not as cosmopolitan as Chicago; I find it actually "feels" a lot more like KC... just a generic, working, red-meat-eating "city" once you're away from the Strip. Not a lot of urban core, but lots of 'burbs old and new (lots of new!). Plenty of neighborhoods I woudn't want to live in, but none I'm concerned about driving through. The crime is standard city crime, just lots more property theft then I've seen anywhere else, so keep your garage locked.

The schools are great compared to California (we actually *have* funding here), but they are really struggling from the population boom. They're decent, but the teachers tend to be too harried to give a lot of individual attention. The kids have lots of rec centers to choose from at least in this side of town- and they include a lot of classes (dance, art, cooking), sports (softball and basketball for us), cheap daycare, and nice pools.

The things that differ most from the Midwest other then the weather? Kiss your back yard goodbye; ours is big by most standards at 6000 sq feet. And take a deep breath before you call your insurance guy about transferring your auto policy. Ours almost doubled, though the first month driving on LV highways explained why... the drivers are nuts. (Though they can navigate a 4-way stop much better then Californians!)

Hope this helps!
-B.

R.,

Contrary to some of the other postings Las Vegas is an awesome town to raise a family in. Yes it takes a little digging to find all of the activities for kids, but they are there...and we are getting more all of the time. The county is great about building good parks which accomodate kids of many different ages.

Yes, the school system is bad, but again that varies with the pockets of town you live in. There are many mothers who swear by some of the public schools in the Summerlin and Anthem areas. Of course these tend to skew to a little higher SES.

We have museums now which my preschoolers love. We have a great petting zoo. Boulder City nearby has a steam engine locomotive that kids love. There really is a lot of stuff to do. There are also a lot of opportunities for play groups, kid friendly gyms, etc. I recently put my daughters in Pee Wee Soccer at a YMCA and was really pleased to see how clean and new the facility was, how good the coaches were, etc.

Las Vegas is not Chicago and does not try to be. You can, however, raise really great kids here just like you could anywhere else in the country.

If you start to zero in on any areas of town where you are thinking of living, I would be happy to lend you any feedback I can. Good luck with the move.

I have lived in Vegas for 9 months now. I would NOT stggest moving here. The school system is the worst in the country. There is not much for families to do out here. We go hiking, but it's now getting too hot for that. From now until Sept you don't see many kids out b/c it's too hot to play outside. Have you taken a trip here durin gthe summer yet? I would suggest visiting here first. There's a lot of XXX type ads to appeal to the tourists. To me it's just NOT geared towards families at all. Everything is geared towards gambling and drinking. That''s fine occasionally, but there's more to life. I have a 4 year old son and almost 3 year old daughter. We hope to move in a year as I don't want my kids to have to go through the school system here.

There are some good things about Vegas, but to me it's just not geared toward families and it's very expensive to live here. The houses seem overpriced for the quality of them (there's been a housing boom the last 5 years or so, so they are put up quickly, but seem like they cut corners to get it done quick).

I hate to sound like Ms. Negative, but I came here w/out a clue to how it really was despite 2 trips out here first. I don't want someone else to find out the hard way too.

Good Luck!

I completelly agree with lisa and michelle i hate vegas this is not for raise kids and people here are not as nice and familiar.
I preffer cold winters but with warm people around.
My advice dont came to vegas if you want a comunity place to live.
If you only want to make money honey! Came to vegas!!!
Josie