Has Anyone here retired to Vegas area? How is the experience?

[Prague]

We are planning to move to a state with lower taxes and someone mentioned that we should look into the Vegas area (specifically Summerlin or Henderson areas outsides Vegas). We have done some initial research and it does look interesting to us for a few reasons:
- Lower taxes overall
- Vegas airport is very close by and easy to get to anywhere in the country/international destinations (we hope to do a lot of travel once this Covid thing is over)
- A lot of activities/food in the area and within a few hours' drive
- No major natural disaster on a regular basis (no hurricane, fire, etc.)
- Seems moderate political environment, not too left or too right

A couple cons come to mind:
- The current no/low taxes for residents seem to be mainly supported by tourism/"sin" industries. As they are being impacted by Covid, would this no/low tax situation not sustainable in the future?
- It seems to be an area of quick growth and fast downfall in the past. Would that pose some instability in the future?

I would love to hear your experience in moving to the Vegas area for retirement and anything else that we may not be aware of in considering Vegas as a retirement destination, esp. potential shortfalls. Thank you in advance!

 

[timo2]

As anywhere in the West, water will continue to be a mess. There is a constant litany of hand wringing statements about water in most western states. ""Between historical over-appropriation and over-pumping in our water basin and people moving to Nevada– regardless of the number of tourists we have coming in–we have had an influx of population in the north and in the south," Brad Crowell, director of the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, told local television show Nevada NewsMakers.:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...critical-mass-with-water-supply-official-says

 

[njhowie]

We had considered it as well.

DD lived in Summerlin for the 2 years prior to last summer - she needed to be walking distance to Nevada Ballet Theatre studios. We visited two or three times a year. Both Summerlin and Henderson areas are very nice. We visited the dam and while there did some house browsing before heading back and really liked what we saw. It was much more affordable than Summerlin. I also liked Henderson specifically because it was a bit outside of the Vegas area, where Summerlin was more like being adjacent. Now, that was a couple years ago, so I have no idea what's happened with housing prices since. But you are certainly correct - historically the housing market in/around Vegas has been pretty volatile. Maybe we are on the cusp of another crash and your timing may be just right to swoop in and find a great bargain.

 

[Car-Guy]

I've been there many times (3 to 10 days per visit).... Impressions: Hot in the spring and fall and super hot in the summer... But it is a dry heat. Some cool days in the winter.... Dusty much of the time. Not much rain, usually...Lot's of crazy (seriously) people on the strip and downtown areas. Lot's to do and see but super expensive for someone like me. I'm a multimillionaire but there's no way I could afford to live there... But that's me and my lifestyle.

 

[samm]

I retired to LV in late 2017.
1. Best areas I like: far North West (89128, 89134, 89144)
2. I think the state will have to start taxing income because the gaming/hotel taxes are severely depressed and the state needs $$ for education/prisons.
3. Crappy schools (or parents?)
4. Crime! Even before the Covid-crash, there was a lot of crime in the "good neighborhoods" (porch pirates, b&e, car thefts). Now its getting worse with so many unemployed and LV attracting a lot of losers.
5. Very hot this year. About 80 days over 100 degrees. Global warming will fry this place.

I may relocate to North Nevada to get away from the "issues" here.

 

[CaliKid]

Vegas is on our short list for retirement. For reasons stated above it's still a "maybe" for us as have some concern about the excessive heat, crime, bad medical among other things. However, housing is pretty affordable (even in nice areas like Summerlin), great restaurants, and world class entertainment (once Covid is over). Plus, great sports fans, great golf courses and great hiking/biking. It's definitely high on our list but still debating options.

 

[Katsmeow]

We considered this very strongly a couple of years ago when we were planning to move for our retirement home. I particularly spent a lot of time on the Las Vegas forum on City Data (also asked retirees on the retirement forum). And I did a lot of reading.

We decided against it for one huge reason and another smaller reason.

The huge reason was medical care. This has been a couple of years so maybe there has been change. But the general gist was that anything other than routine medical care was not good in Las Vegas or really the state.

For a long time the only medical school in Nevada was in Reno (although I think some internships and such were in Las Vegas). However, Nevada was behind in having specialists and being able to have students for advanced fellowships. Essentially, not many people go to medical school in Reno and most who do leave to get more advanced training.

I don't know about now, but I was told that if you need to, say, have a transplant you would have to go out of state. A number of retirees told that for their chronic medical conditions, they just flew to Los Angeles for treatment (some went elsewhere but LA was predominant).

The other issue was emergency care. It is fine to decide you are willing to go to LA for our ongoing chronic condition are, but what if you have a heart attack or stroke and need care now. Repeatedly I was told that the care available in Las Vegas was not up to the standards of most major cities.

They were hopeful things were changing. UNLV was starting a medical school in Las Vegas. I think they were about to have students start when we were looking. The desire is there to improve medical care in Nevada. But, as older people, we wanted good care now. And, I didn't want to have to go to California (or wherever) to manage any serious conditions that I had.

This was the ultimate reason we decided against it that really outweighed everything else.

We ended up moving in state to another metropolitan area. The other factor for us was that we ultimately decided we didn't want to move somewhere that we knew no one. We had family in our current state (albeit spread out all over). I am very happy where we ended up. That said, if I was making the decisions again I might decide that going somewhere entirely new was OK.

If we were looking now, we would most likely consider (in this order):

Colorado or New Mexico (Albuquerque).

Other places we considered but rejected:

1. California - DH grew up mostly in Southern California (with stints in Hawaii and Albuquerque). I didn't like the cost of real estate there. I wasn't enthused about earthquakes and, now, I wouldn't want wildfires.

2. Arizona - The big negatives is, of course, the heat. I have been in Tucson during August and, wow, was that hot. DH argued for Flagstaff which is better from a weather standpoint. But I am a big city person and like having lots of amenities nearby . Flagstaff was too small. So that left Phoenix, kinda, and it was still really hot and I just didn't feel it.

Anyway, a lot of it just depends on what is important to you and what you are looking for. Good medical are, though, for us was just non-negotiable.

 

[6miths]

I was in Summerlin for a week just before COVID shut things down. Seemed pretty nice but I would have concerns about crime, water and power. On recent trips to Lake Mead it has looked like a slowly draining bath tub over the past decade. I guess there is lots of potential for solar to generate the power necessary for the air conditioning that makes the place livable from May to September but at some point the costs have to be paid.

 

[LV_Travel]

Have lived in Henderson for nearly 20 years. ER’d in early 50’s. Henderson is routinely ranked one of top ten safest cities in America.

Like most big cities there are parts of Vegas, i wouldn’t drive through. Definitely avoid anywhere North Vegas.

Summerlin, Henderson, Southern Highlands are the places to be. Each of these areas have a lot to offer. Heat in the summer can be tough if you have to be outside in the sun. We don’t, so doesn’t bother us. We also prefer warm nights outside versus a cold chill. Winters are completely unpredictable. Some years 20’s for a month or so. Other winters are beautiful with only a week or two of cold and 50’s to 70’s all winter. Elevation around the valley and southern northern exposure have a huge impact on your micro-climate. But summer will be hot unless you move to Mt. Charleston.

The airport offers outstanding point to point travel. We have flown direct flights to Germany, London, Panama, Mexico, Canada and Asian cities. You are a 4 hour drive from Orange County, CA beaches and cool weather in the summer. The dining and entertainment is world class (once Covid is over). Now NHL and NFL as well as minor legue baseball, soccer and hockey.

Also a vibrant arts scene with the Smith Center Broadway plays, opera, ballet, philharmonic and jazz cabaret. Everything is cheaper here except car insurance. The outdoors activities are oustanding between Red Rock Canyon and Mt Charleston hiking and climbing and Lake Mead boating as well as Henderson’s well developed bike path system.

There are several Dell Web independent living retirement communities. 2 in Henderson and 1 in Summerlin. Anthem in Henderson is spectacular. 36 holes of golf, two recreation/activity centers and lots of clubs. Wide age range. 55+. Though many are more the active 70+ crowd.

There are caveats:
1.) If you are a serious gambler (unlikely on this forum) this is definitely not the place for you. Too much temptation everywhere you turn
2.) Driving near the strip at night can be as hectic and dangerous as any big cities worst traffic. Lot’s of drunk tourists. Avoid late night driving.
3.) While the economy has diversified some, tourism still is very important and critical to tax revenue. As is mining. The Government has already tapped all of the rainy day fund and if Travel doesn’t get back to normal, there has to be tax increases.
4.). Health care was weak 20 years ago. Today there are many highly qualified specialists. The problem is the population is growing so fast, there aren’t enough docs moving here fast enough to keep up. The new medical school will help. But the biggest help is a critical mass of respected docs is helping recruitment by the bigger specialist groups.
5.) Las Vegas is quickly becoming Southern California without the perfect weather. Vegas used to be more of a cowboy or midwestern culture. Everyone was friendly and courteous. With all the growth primarily from Southern California transplants the culture is becoming more LA like. Aggressive drivers, neighbors who don’t know each other, showy/jerky behavior in stores or restaurants, etc. At same time, there still are many family oriented people in the areas mentioned above that you can build good friendships with.

If you want to really check out all the options it will take more than a week, I would try to get a realtor that really knows each of these areas. Most only know one or another so might need to consult with several. Renting first and spending a year exploring all the areas would be best to see what fits.

 

[Nick12]

I read that crime is high in Vegas, according in 2018 89.4% of cities have a lower crime rate than Vegas. I've vacationed there. It's a mix of all walks of life.

 

[CardsFan]

DSIL and family moved to Reno about 6 years ago. IMHO it is a far better place than Vegas.

Due to a lot of CA transplants (her cousin included) housing is still pretty expensive, but not outrageous.

South Reno has great access to Lake Tahoe, less than an hour away, depending where you are going.

Weather is more variable, even getting some snow in the winter. To me, that is a plus.

Just a thought.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have friends in Henderson, they are only their because of their kids, we were neighbors in SoCAL and moved from CA. at about the same time, we moved to Florida, they went to LV. They put me off moving there a few years ago because of the poor standard and availability of quality health care. When one retires we think that is the most important service period! We can put up with most other things. Although the elevated crime in LV recently would also put us off.

 

[samm]

...Reno...IMHO it is a far better place than Vegas.
...
South Reno has great access to Lake Tahoe, less than an hour away, depending where you are going. Weather is more variable, even getting some snow in the winter. To me, that is a plus.

Just a thought.

+1
Good observations on Reno advantage over LV.

Reno also has other lakes, access to mountains, and easy access to CA.

When the eviction moratorium ends in NV (and mortgage forbearance) there will be big problems. Very high unemployment due to shutdown. If tourists do not come back fast this will be a very bad fall.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

As mentioned earlier the main reason we chose Florida over LV and AZ was the availability of superior health care services. This was No. 1 on our list when choosing a retirement location. Most if not all the locations where we would consider in Florida all have excellent world class health care services.

OK. Po-Dunk Florida does not, but who would want to live there in ER and Normal Retirement anyway?

That makes up for a lot, including, not in any particular order and not limited to:

Alligators
Florida Men & Women (But they tend to live where we would not)
Spiders
Mosquitoes
No Seeums
Humidity
Hurricanes
Tropical Storms

 

[Prague]

Have lived in Henderson for nearly 20 years. ER’d in early 50’s. Henderson is routinely ranked one of top ten safest cities in America.

Like most big cities there are parts of Vegas, i wouldn’t drive through. Definitely avoid anywhere North Vegas.

Summerlin, Henderson, Southern Highlands are the places to be. Each of these areas have a lot to offer. Heat in the summer can be tough if you have to be outside in the sun. We don’t, so doesn’t bother us. We also prefer warm nights outside versus a cold chill. Winters are completely unpredictable. Some years 20’s for a month or so. Other winters are beautiful with only a week or two of cold and 50’s to 70’s all winter. Elevation around the valley and southern northern exposure have a huge impact on your micro-climate. But summer will be hot unless you move to Mt. Charleston.

The airport offers outstanding point to point travel. We have flown direct flights to Germany, London, Panama, Mexico, Canada and Asian cities. You are a 4 hour drive from Orange County, CA beaches and cool weather in the summer. The dining and entertainment is world class (once Covid is over). Now NHL and NFL as well as minor legue baseball, soccer and hockey.

Also a vibrant arts scene with the Smith Center Broadway plays, opera, ballet, philharmonic and jazz cabaret. Everything is cheaper here except car insurance. The outdoors activities are oustanding between Red Rock Canyon and Mt Charleston hiking and climbing and Lake Mead boating as well as Henderson’s well developed bike path system.

There are several Dell Web independent living retirement communities. 2 in Henderson and 1 in Summerlin. Anthem in Henderson is spectacular. 36 holes of golf, two recreation/activity centers and lots of clubs. Wide age range. 55+. Though many are more the active 70+ crowd.

There are caveats:
1.) If you are a serious gambler (unlikely on this forum) this is definitely not the place for you. Too much temptation everywhere you turn
2.) Driving near the strip at night can be as hectic and dangerous as any big cities worst traffic. Lot’s of drunk tourists. Avoid late night driving.
3.) While the economy has diversified some, tourism still is very important and critical to tax revenue. As is mining. The Government has already tapped all of the rainy day fund and if Travel doesn’t get back to normal, there has to be tax increases.
4.). Health care was weak 20 years ago. Today there are many highly qualified specialists. The problem is the population is growing so fast, there aren’t enough docs moving here fast enough to keep up. The new medical school will help. But the biggest help is a critical mass of respected docs is helping recruitment by the bigger specialist groups.
5.) Las Vegas is quickly becoming Southern California without the perfect weather. Vegas used to be more of a cowboy or midwestern culture. Everyone was friendly and courteous. With all the growth primarily from Southern California transplants the culture is becoming more LA like. Aggressive drivers, neighbors who don’t know each other, showy/jerky behavior in stores or restaurants, etc. At same time, there still are many family oriented people in the areas mentioned above that you can build good friendships with.

If you want to really check out all the options it will take more than a week, I would try to get a realtor that really knows each of these areas. Most only know one or another so might need to consult with several. Renting first and spending a year exploring all the areas would be best to see what fits.

This is very helpful! Thank you! Of all the things you mentioned, I would put healthcare availability and quality on the top of our list. Are the areas you mentioned pretty safe in your opinion? Some folks mentioned that crime could be an issue even in good neighborhood. We are hoping to spend a month in the area to check it out.

 

[Prague]

We considered this very strongly a couple of years ago when we were planning to move for our retirement home. I particularly spent a lot of time on the Las Vegas forum on City Data (also asked retirees on the retirement forum). And I did a lot of reading.

We decided against it for one huge reason and another smaller reason.

The huge reason was medical care. This has been a couple of years so maybe there has been change. But the general gist was that anything other than routine medical care was not good in Las Vegas or really the state.

For a long time the only medical school in Nevada was in Reno (although I think some internships and such were in Las Vegas). However, Nevada was behind in having specialists and being able to have students for advanced fellowships. Essentially, not many people go to medical school in Reno and most who do leave to get more advanced training.

I don't know about now, but I was told that if you need to, say, have a transplant you would have to go out of state. A number of retirees told that for their chronic medical conditions, they just flew to Los Angeles for treatment (some went elsewhere but LA was predominant).

The other issue was emergency care. It is fine to decide you are willing to go to LA for our ongoing chronic condition are, but what if you have a heart attack or stroke and need care now. Repeatedly I was told that the care available in Las Vegas was not up to the standards of most major cities.

They were hopeful things were changing. UNLV was starting a medical school in Las Vegas. I think they were about to have students start when we were looking. The desire is there to improve medical care in Nevada. But, as older people, we wanted good care now. And, I didn't want to have to go to California (or wherever) to manage any serious conditions that I had.

This was the ultimate reason we decided against it that really outweighed everything else.

We ended up moving in state to another metropolitan area. The other factor for us was that we ultimately decided we didn't want to move somewhere that we knew no one. We had family in our current state (albeit spread out all over). I am very happy where we ended up. That said, if I was making the decisions again I might decide that going somewhere entirely new was OK.

If we were looking now, we would most likely consider (in this order):

Colorado or New Mexico (Albuquerque).

Other places we considered but rejected:

1. California - DH grew up mostly in Southern California (with stints in Hawaii and Albuquerque). I didn't like the cost of real estate there. I wasn't enthused about earthquakes and, now, I wouldn't want wildfires.

2. Arizona - The big negatives is, of course, the heat. I have been in Tucson during August and, wow, was that hot. DH argued for Flagstaff which is better from a weather standpoint. But I am a big city person and like having lots of amenities nearby . Flagstaff was too small. So that left Phoenix, kinda, and it was still really hot and I just didn't feel it.

Anyway, a lot of it just depends on what is important to you and what you are looking for. Good medical are, though, for us was just non-negotiable.

We are probably where you were a couple years ago - currently looking into FL, TN and Vegas areas. Yes, healthcare at our age and the next 20 years would be important. I am hoping it has improved for the last few years and coming years with all the folks moving there....If not, then that would be an issue for us as well.

 

[Prague]

We had considered it as well.

DD lived in Summerlin for the 2 years prior to last summer - she needed to be walking distance to Nevada Ballet Theatre studios. We visited two or three times a year. Both Summerlin and Henderson areas are very nice. We visited the dam and while there did some house browsing before heading back and really liked what we saw. It was much more affordable than Summerlin. I also liked Henderson specifically because it was a bit outside of the Vegas area, where Summerlin was more like being adjacent. Now, that was a couple years ago, so I have no idea what's happened with housing prices since. But you are certainly correct - historically the housing market in/around Vegas has been pretty volatile. Maybe we are on the cusp of another crash and your timing may be just right to swoop in and find a great bargain.

It looks like with all the CA folks moving there, it is keeping growing....

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Found a nice little "shack" in Boulder City, NV:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/119-Caperna-Ct-Boulder-City-NV-89005/7225278_zpid/

 

[Nick12]

As mentioned earlier the main reason we chose Florida over LV and AZ was the availability of superior health care services. This was No. 1 on our list when choosing a retirement location. Most if not all the locations where we would consider in Florida all have excellent world class health care services.

OK. Po-Dunk Florida does not, but who would want to live there in ER and Normal Retirement anyway?

That makes up for a lot, including, not in any particular order and not limited to:

Alligators
Florida Men & Women (But they tend to live where we would not)
Spiders
Mosquitoes
No Seeums
Humidity
Hurricanes
Tropical Storms

Add the love bugs that destroy the paint of the car if not removed literally daily.

 

[Ronstar]

Check out Mesquite, Nv as a possible retirement landing spot. On 15 about 70 miles north of Las Vegas. Still on my list of possibilities.

 

[Dtail]

Add the love bugs that destroy the paint of the car if not removed literally daily.

Yup, I saw a couple of them yesterday.

 

[flyingaway]

If you don't like casinos, or want to work in casinos, why do you want to be in Las Vegas.
Someone earlier mentioned that a serious gambler should not move to Las Vegas. I have been considering move there just to play slots in casinos.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I moved to Reno 23 years ago for my career and love it. It has a mild 4 seasons and many years snow that melts when the sun comes out daily. Housing prices keep rising because of Californians fleeing. The downside is the smoke from the surrounding states fires. Lots of things to see and do.

 

[SunnyOne]

ShokWaveRider - do you mind providing names of the highly rated healthcare facilities? If off topic here, I can send a PM? but maybe others want to know...so

 

[Katsmeow]

If you don't like casinos, or want to work in casinos, why do you want to be in Las Vegas.
Someone earlier mentioned that a serious gambler should not move to Las Vegas. I have been considering move there just to play slots in casinos.

When we considered it there were a lot of reasons. Now, I actually do like casinos/gambling to a mild degree. That is, I play some of the table games but not for high dollar. If I lived in the LV area I would probably go there occasionally but not every day by any means.

Things I liked about the area:

1. The climate was acceptable to me. Yes, yes, I know how hot it is in summer but being from Texas that was acceptable to me. Basically, I wanted something in the more mid to southern half of the US.

2. The cost of living was acceptable to me. The cost of houses was acceptable. In fact, both were better than most places.

3. Southern California was a place we rejected basically due to excessive costs of housing and natural disaster risk. However, it is a nice place to visit. it is easy to do so from LV.

4. Travel costs to and from LV are generally low. Our family mostly lives in Texas (although it is scattered in many places). It would be cheaper for them to visit us and us to visit them if we lived in the LV area than most other places out of state from where we were.

5. There is a lot to do in LV even if you are not gambling. There are shows to see, wonderful restaurants to eat it, lots of retail, etc. I liked that idea of always being able to go and do something not that far from where I live. Again, I wouldn't do that everything day but I like the idea of having the option always.

6. The size of LV was acceptable. While we probably would have lived in Henderson, I like the idea of being in a large Metropolitan area. While not huge (by my standards) it was acceptable. And, because of how it has developed, LV itself has many of the entertainment, food, and retail amenities of many larger metropolitan areas.