NWR question for Vegas locals

Valeriecruz82 · May 2014

To those of you that are Vegas locals how would you say the economy us over there? We are thinking of moving from LA to Vegas sometime next year but we really want to think it through. I looked online and read it can be really hard getting a job. My husband already looked into the possibility of getting transferred since he works for Tmobile. But I hear getting a job at a hotel can be difficult for me. The cost of living in LA is just so much we pay 900 for a 1 bedroom and I know for the price we can get something much better but I don't want to relocate somewhere unless I know the job market is stable.

tcnoble · May 2014

If you are stuck on a job in a hotel, I'm not much help there... but my mom manages a retail store in the Grand Canal Shoppes for the company that owns all the Brighton and Pandora stores in Las Vegas and they are hiring on a pretty consistent basis throughout the company. Retail is huge here, so I would think you'd be able to find some kind of job in that area. If you look at MGM Resorts employment center online I know they usually have a list of all the open jobs and you can see what the prerequisites are and see if you think you'd have a shot at what's currently open (as it could predict what might be open in the future as well).

With any job that isn't on contract (like teaching, etc) I think there's always a risk that it isn't stable, but for the most part in Vegas I think you can always find work somewhere.

For housing - there's constant development but I don't know much about cost, etc. We have looked at renting and have been able to find 3-4 bedroom homes for around $1000 a month in the Southwest part of town.

ssteele04 · May 2014

i'm obviously not much help as i don't live there, but I have heard that California is super expensive! I wish you the best of luck, even if you don't live in Vegas, check the suburbs out usually cost of housing is cheaper!

Valeriecruz82 · May 2014

@tcnoble‌ thanks for the input. I actually have a lot of retail experience so that should help. I'm open to anything really. I'm also in school right now finishing my units for early childhood education but if I can't find work in that field I can always fall back on my retail experience. I've looked at the rental section on Craigslist over there and I fall in love every time it's do crazy in the price difference and how much better looking homes you can get for the price. As long as my husband gets transferred I'm hoping it works out! @ssteele04‌ thanks LA is bad. I mean I live in east LA and paying so much for a crappy 1 bedroom I just hate to be away from our families.

cirena166 · May 2014

Things are getting better. While we lost a ton of jobs during the recession, we have a new influx of jobs through recent developments at SLS, which just started hiring, and the Cromwell, which just recently opened.

There are jobs outside of the Strip, too, in a variety of positions. Zappos is always looking for folks, whether in customer service or website development, and there are a bunch of start-ups that go along with it. Switch is another company in the tech space that's here in Vegas. The companies that supply the casinos are another place to look for jobs. PM me with your general background if you want detailed ideas.

For $900/month, you can at least get a 2-bedroom condo in a good area. No state income tax to Cali's 1-12%. Gas is about $1/gal cheaper. Sales tax is a teensy bit less, 8.2% here.

BUT there's no beach close by, less culture, less "hipness," less fresh veggies.

Quite a few Cali transplants and you're not too far from home.

When thinking about quality of life, think about what you do every day. If you're at the beach every day, or if you're passionate about the arts, especially theater arts, the money may be saved but your lifestyle will be wrecked.

If you like hiking and the outdoors, photography, Burning Man or gambling, then you'll find a good, strong community. Or at least that's the community I know.

tcnoble · May 2014

@valeriecruz82 as a teacher I know there are TOOOOONS of openings right now for this coming school year. More than last year for sure. So if you are finishing up and will have the qualifications in early elementary, you SHOULD have success finding a job in that field. Retail for sure - just be prepared, if you work on the strip, to work really weird hours. For example my mom is the director of her store and working till "close" isn't 9pm normal mall hours, it's 11pm or later because she works in a hotel. That's her only major complaint about working on the strip. My sister works at the massive Nike store in Caesar's and loves it too. Retail isn't for everyone but if you're good at it, it can be a great field.

Ditto what Cirena said... if you think your lifestyle would fit well here it could be a good move. I have friends who come to visit and 'can't believe you live in Vegas!' but we really do love living here

Valeriecruz82 · May 2014

Thanks ladies! Well we aren't really into the typical LA lifestyle. We actually love the Vegas nightlife. We come out about 4x a year. We like the beach but we don't go too often we like going to water parks or lakes, or out to different restaurants. We don't gamble so that wouldn't be a problem. We have 3 kids though so it's important we are in a good neighborhood. I also want to make sure my early childhood education units are good in Nevada. Even though I'm fine with working retail, I actually enjoy customer service work.

cirena166 · May 2014

Just remember that Nevada and Las Vegas consistently rank at the bottom of national lists for education. You can certainly keep the kids off the Strip and away from most of the adult things. There are two waterparks, both far from the Strip, that would be great for the kids. I'm a stone's throw from Wet & Wild, and I'm pretty happy with my neighborhood. There's a regular park closeby, homes are generally cared for, streets aren't too busy, and I can safely ride my bike to work when it's not too windy.

As to the nightlife - I know quite a few folks who have gone too deep into it, and it's really hurt them. I have a few friends who manage to balance raising kids and continuing to enjoy themselves as adults too, so just keep it in perspective if you do come out.

Valeriecruz82 · May 2014

Wow I had no idea the rank in education was so low. That's also something for me to think about! As for the night life, since we have no family out there to baby sit we wouldn't be going out much lol aside from when our families visit. But thank you for your input all this info and suggestions are really helping

ktbabe530 · May 2014

I'd be so jealous date twin! We looked at moving to Vegas about a year and half ago, but the fields we are in the pay cut would have been too much so we had to turn it down. Good thing Phoenix is still fairly close! Good luck - I'm sure it's not an easy decision!

tcnoble · May 2014

Valeriecruz82 said:

Wow I had no idea the rank in education was so low. That's also something for me to think about! As for the night life, since we have no family out there to baby sit we wouldn't be going out much lol aside from when our families visit. But thank you for your input all this info and suggestions are really helping

It's true our education system is ranked low but as a teacher here I can personally say that doesn't mean our schools are awful or anything like that. We are a very transient city, very broad demographics, the district has gone through a lot of changes... It's not a cake walk being a teacher anywhere. So don't let that deter you

Valeriecruz82 · May 2014

That's true, I know even here the education system isn't the best especially the LAUSD
I'm actually more concerned from a parents perspective since I have children that would be attending but I know not every school district is perfect. Right now it's looking like a good possibility that we might relocate out there but it's just a matter of when. For sure it would be next year just not sure what month. Most likely it w pull be the first half of the year though

NWR question for Vegas locals

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