We are really excited to be moving to Las Vegas, but also a little unsure of where exactly in the city we’d like to live. So, during our last vacation there, we rented a car 2 of the days to drive around and the explore the different neighborhoods of Las Vegas.
Criteria while Driving the Neighborhoods of Las Vegas
We had a few criteria we were keeping our eyes open for during the drive:
- Safety – How safe does the neighborhood look? Are there abandoned buildings around? Do the houses have bars on the windows? Are the houses well-maintained?
- Activities – We don’t want to spend all of our free time on the Strip, so is there a lot to do in the immediate area?
- Age of the Residents – We’re young professionals with no children, we’re not really looking for a family-friendly neighborhood. We’re looking for a little excitement!
- Resellability – We will most likely be purchasing a home after the first few months of renting, we don’t want to buy into an area with declining values.
Please excuse the quality of the photos, we took them while driving from a camera phone.
Summerlin
Any area in Summerlin is going to be one of the most desirable neighborhoods of Las Vegas.
This neighborhood featured many gated communities, which made it hard to drive into the actual neighborhoods. It’s safety, green parks and proximity to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area make it top of our list of places to live.
All of the housing communities featured these large walls around them, which made it hard to get a “feel” for the area.
We did find a few that were ungated and where we could drive down the streets. Outside of the residential areas however, there wasn’t much to do.
Spring Valley
Spring Valley is located just a few blocks outside of the Strip. We found this area to have the most to do , but many of the streets were busy.
This area is densely populated, there were a lot of condo and apartment building complexes as well as single family homes. It seemed to be a mixed neighborhood, some of the areas had bars on the windows and some did not.
There were a ton of strip malls with lots of shops and restaurants – we actually had a very nice lunch at this one place that I wish I could remember the name of. This is one of the few neighborhoods of Las Vegas that is a good combination of city and suburban, but I do question how safe it is.
Green Valley Ranch
This area was beautiful, we really liked it and it reminded us very much of home. For a desert, I’ve never seen so much greenery (I guess that’s why they call it Green Valley).
There were some commercial areas, much less than Spring Valley, but enough to have a few stores close to home.
The houses were beautiful with lots of grass, “Northern” looking trees and an overall sense of safety and neighborhood pride. It definitely ranked high on our list.
Downtown Henderson
We were a little underwhelmed with Downtown Henderson. Much of the area looked a little run down with a lot of motels and those tiny, monthly-rental condos. There seemed to be a lack of restaurants and many of the strip malls had half of the stores abandoned or boarded up.
The town center area consisted of a few casinos and not much else. I got an “older person” vibe from this area, it definitely did not feel right for us.
Warm Springs
This neighborhood was a real mixed bag. You had moderately nice houses in ungated communities just one block away from trailer parks and abandoned houses.
As far as activities, there was nothing and safety would be a concern of mine. The houses were decent though, you could probably purchase something nice with a pool at a great price.
Enterprise
One of the last neighborhoods of Las Vegas that we visited was the south-western area called Enterprise. This area was very different from all the others.
It had lots of wide open spaces where you could see the sky and the mountains. It was actually really nice. There were a lot of great new housing developments being built, some gated, some not. The houses were HUGE, but be careful – many of the developments seemed to be near power lines.
As far as restaurants and stores, we were hard pressed to find any. We did stumble across a strip mall with a few restaurants and a cute cafe where we stopped for coffee.
These were far and few between, this area was closer to rural than urban. It seemed like a great place to live – spacious and quiet, but we’re looking for a little more excitement.
MacDonald Highlands
Not much to say about this area since we couldn’t get anywhere near it. The entire area is basically one big gate.
This neighborhood is for the super rich – big houses built on mountainsides with gorgeous views. It’s sad, I would have liked to drive around and see just how the other half lives.
What’s your Input?
Have you driven around the neighborhoods of Las Vegas looking for housing? What did you think of each area? Leave me some comments below, I’d like to know what experiences you guys had in each area.
Tayla says
Hi
I know this article is about a year old but I’m gonna give it a shot here.. Stumbled upon this because the boyfriend and I are planning on doing the exact same thing you did. Boston to Vegas. We would love to pick your brain if you’re interested.
Mika says
This is funny! I stumbled across this site today also, looking to do the exact same thing. Boston to Vegas!
Tayla says
Feel free to email me if u wanna chat about our journeys. Where in the process are you? We are heading out there in a few weeks for apartment searching and job fairs. Hopefully permanently there by October.
Tayla says
Jjd135@rocketmail.com
Craig says
Hi Tayla,
I unfortunately have not made it to Las Vegas yet, I have hit some major setbacks (and last winter was no help!) I am shooting for Spring/Summer of 2016 now. Feel free to reach out on my Facebook page if you have any questions, link is on the sidebar at the top of the page.
amanda says
same here! except chicago to vegas. my husband and i spent a week in june exploring the city off strip driving the neighborhoods and such. trying our best to get a real feel for the area. our move won;t be until this time next year.
Maria says
Hello!! Just stumbled upon this site. Thinking of making a move from Virginia to Las Vegas, It’s been overwhelming, have you made the move yet?
maaguirre56 at yahoo
Jkaustin says
Touscon, az is beautiful. Have you looked there?
amanda says
geographically, visually, and financially i like arizona. politically we can’t handle it though.
Lorinda Lee says
Summerlin is highly overrated. If you don’t mind TONS of traffic, have at it. Yes, it has nice amenities, but imo, it’s too far away from the Strip,especially if you work there and it’s too expensive.
I like Silverado Ranch. It’s where the M Resort and South Point casinos are located, on the east side of the South Strip. Airport is about 10 minutes away, you can be on the busy part of The Strip within five minutes, easy freeway access and the homes are far less expensive than Summerlin.
Just across the freeway, in what this writer calls “Enterprise” (which nobody here uses except the post office), is Southern Highlands. It’s a newer community that’s still growing and has the same handy access to the two “locals” casinos, the Strip and freeways. The Rhodes Ranch area is cool too. It used to be nothing but a subdivision but it’s grown nicely with some fun shops and eateries. Homes tend to be a bit pricier here but it’s an in-demand neighborhood so they probably hold their value.
Just my 2 cents! Hope it helps.
Mika says
My wife and I are moving out to Las Vegas in February, we were thinking about Silverado Ranch for an area to look in to for an apt. Is it considered generally a safe place to live? Also, we’re looking in Henderson. Are there any parts to avoid?
Maya says
North LV, or anywhere East of the Strip such as Paradise & Winchester are areas I’d avoid due to older homes & businesses. The vibe is “low-income” & a bit “shady”
Sherryl Jackson says
I am in the throws of moving to Vegas with my company and wonder if you have any areas to rent a house for myself and my 19 year old son. With no knowledge of an area other than the “strip” are there any places you would suggest? Do you recommend any particular real estate company as that is another issue of which I have no knowledge. The few that I have spoken to on the phone say that I have to pay a $200 processing fee to even apply for a rental. Really. Is this the norm out there or can you please please send any information you could provide. Thank you in advance for any advice. Sincerely.
Jesse says
I’m a 30 year old professional and just received an amazing job offer in Las Vegas. I am considering the move from Minneapolis to Las Vegas. Any input from anyone on this thread is greatly appreciated!
Dan says
I moved from CT to Las Vegas begining of 2014
Feel free to email me if you need some input.
daniel.denomme@gmail.com
Darryl Harris says
Hello everyone,
I will be planning to move to Las Vegas from DC and would like to know if anyone can email me of there experience and how they like it there.
I’m looking to stay in a weekly until I can find some more permanent; can anyone suggest a nice clean weekly to stay.
I will also be looking for friends so when I arrive I can have someone show me the area.. Please email me at darrylgardnerharris@gmail.com
Thank you