People & Places
The truth about Las Vegas
Famous for glitz, gambling and gargantuan dreams realised in stone and glass, Las Vegas is more than a long shot for those looking for a little lady luck with their emigration.
But, says Catherine Deshayes, 'The Meadows' deserves a second chance to impress as a first choice for relocation.
Time stands still in the psychedelic city of Las Vegas. There are no clocks, just an eternity of gambling, cocktails and high-octane entertainment. Best described as an adult Disneyland, a long weekend in Sin City is a must-do. Any longer and you may well be begging for mercy. However, what Las Vegas does offer is the only true democracy in America. Colour blind and class free, the only thing that matters is your credit limit. It also has 300 days of sunshine a year, a strong exchange rate (currently two dollars to the Pound), and amenities matching those of Los Angeles and New York, for a fraction of the population.
You can travel the world in a day, with New York, Monte Carlo, Venice, Egypt and Paris jostling for attention on the famous Las Vegas strip. But what if you didn't want to simply visit Las Vegas in order to feel like you were somewhere else? Rather, what if you wanted to consider Las Vegas as a destination in itself, and even view it as a new home? After all, once you step away from the neon and the annual influx of 40 million tourists, Las Vegas is a city much like many others around the country, with quality schools and universities, churches, libraries, fine restaurants and cultural events. In fact, a booming economy, buoyant job market, and abundant and affordable housing make Las Vegas a tempting place to live. If you are tempted, you're not alone. More and more people – including Brits – are becoming eager to take a gamble on a whole new life in the land where every night is New Year's Eve.
Las Vegas means, rather ironically, 'the meadows' in Spanish, and was founded by Mormon missionaries. It is hard to believe that only 70 years ago this thriving metropolis, now the fastest growing city in America, was a backwater with less than a thousand inhabitants. With more than 50,000 new residents making Las Vegas home yearly and a population that will exceed two million by 2010, the city is clearly more than dazzling lights and glittering resorts. The overall cost of living is 20 per cent below the national average, and jobs are plentiful, thanks to a booming local economy and a pro-business environment in which companies do not pay corporate income, franchise, inventory, or unitary taxes. Las Vegas has continued to rank first nationally in employment growth since 1995, and has been the fastest growing metro area in the nation since 1990. Each month 6,000 new residents flock to Las Vegas, drawn by the sun, entertainment, friendly tax structure, and economic prosperity.
Gavin Rowe, from Thame, Oxfordshire, left the UK 12 years ago to live in America. "I have lived all over the States since I first moved here," says Gavin. "I started in New York, before moving to Hawaii, then onto Miami, San Diego, New Orleans, Atlanta, and San Francisco. It was when I was living in San Francisco that I decided I wanted to buy my own house, and Las Vegas seemed to offer a lot for your money, and entertainment wise it was second to none." Gavin made the move to Las Vegas last year, and loves the lifestyle Sin City offers. "Living costs are far cheaper here than in the UK, and there is a lot more opportunity to start up your own business, which has always been another of my dreams. Since moving to Las Vegas, I have started a Vegas entertainment site, which promotes Las Vegas nightclubs and bachelor parties."
Whilst settled and happy in his adopted homeland, Gavin does miss elements of the old country. "I obviously miss my friends and family a great deal," he says, "and, even though I have a few good friends out here, you can't beat the British sense of humour. I also find the American approach to road rules and traffic infuriating, as nobody ever seems willing to use common sense – not like back in the UK!"
A property perspective
Newcomers tend to have an easy time finding property. According to the US Census, every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, another two acres of Las Vegas land are developed for commercial or residential use. "The number of people buying homes in the city has gone through the roof, due in part to the endless entertainment on offer," says Linda Rheinberger, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.
When house hunting, stay away from the Strip, unless you want to part with big bucks. There is a wide choice of apartments and houses near the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or in one of the other cities in the greater Las Vegas metro; Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City. "There is an increasing demand for high-rise residences, continues Rheinberger, and I expect that, over the next five years, around 15,000 high-rise units will be built in the city."
As of April 2006 the average Las Vegas house price was £158,116, an increase of nine per cent from the previous year. There are many developments going up in suburban areas – called 'huburbs', or 'micro cities' – which offer a range of housing options, jobs, schools, and shopping. Seven Seas International is offering two- and three-storey homes in a gated community five minutes from the Strip, with swimming pools, club houses, and business centre, for £85,192 for a one-bed, one-bath apartment, and £130,581 for a three-bed, three-bath property. The American property market offers the same stability as the UK market, and, currently, British buyers can get a lot for their money. However, Las Vegas is also the fastest-growing urban centre in the United States, so, however promising the long-term prospects, anyone buying now runs the risk that they are coming in at the top of the market.
Looking at leisure
Whether you're a culture vulture, an outdoor adventurer or need to keep your shildren happy, Las Vegas offers a multitude of leisure options. Children will adore the Ethel M Chocolate Factory, 15 minutes from the Strip, with hands-on tours and free samples. Adjacent to the Chocolate Factory is Cactus Botanical Garden, one of the largest collections in the world of cacti and other desert flora. Las Vegas is also home to two of the most entertaining museums you could hope for, the Liberace Museum, dedicated to the late entertainer, and the Guinness World of Records Museum.
There is non-kitschy culture too, with the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and the Las Vegas Art Museum. The restaurant scene is as you would expect: loud, lively and colourful, with every taste catered for. The Market Grille Cafe in the Centennial Centre serves fresh and healthy Mediterranean food, perfect for when the temperature outside is soaring. When dining on the Strip, America, in New York, New York, offers specialities from particular states, such as Philly cheesesteak sandwiches from Pennsylvania, and Buffalo wings from New York. Wolfgang Puck's Trattoria del Lupo has bought classic Italian cuisine to the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and the surroundings match the food, with Baroque-era inspired walls and patio seating. Sun worshippers will enjoy the arid desert climate, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees most days in July and August. There is year-round sunshine, little rainfall, and winters are comfortably cool but short.
Too addicted to British shops to ever consider moving to Las Vegas? No problem: Harrods is planning a twin on the Las Vegas Strip. The development includes replicas of Big Ben, Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral. "It would bring the retail-gaming synergy to a new level,"says George Connor of Colliers International, the commercial real estate consultants. It will allow expats to shop at one of the world's most famous retail stores without having to hop across the pond. Shopping and sunshine aside, there is an eclectic range of activities aside from the obvious gambling and cocktail swilling. Red Rock Canyon, less than 20 miles from Las Vegas, is perfect for hiking, biking and having a picnic lunch. Set in 197,000 acres within the Mojave Desert, it is an area of geologic interest and beauty, and was designated as Nevada's first National Conservation Area. A day trip to Mount Charleston, about an hours drive from the Strip, is well worth doing, if only to escape the inner city heat. Part of the Spring Mountain Range and Toiyabe National Forest, it is Nevada's eighth-highest peak, and with ski resorts and hiking trails, is a year-round destination. The Mary Janes Falls Trail is perfect for beginners or young families, and has a waterfall and cave en-route. For more experienced hikers, Big Falls and Cathedral Rock are great half-day hikes. For a weekend getaway, Mount Charleston Lodge, with its 24 log cabins in Kyle Canyon, is a perfect mix of rustic luxury. Almost 7,000 feet up, each cabin has an outdoor deck to enjoy the spectacular mountain views.
Forget New York, Las Vegas really is the city that never sleeps. A caricature of itself; everything is bigger, better, louder, brighter than it was five minutes before. The city is constantly reinventing itself, becoming a million different things at once. For most people, living in this neon wonderland is an escape from reality too far. For true party animals, who adore the stifling heat, Elvis wedding chapels and luck of the draw, Sin City could well be worth gambling on.
Further information:
Las Vegas Tourist Board
Lavish Las Vegas
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