We are considering relocating to a warmer climate. Our two choices are Las Vegas or Florida (not sure which area, leaning towards Orlando maybe?) Please advise which state would do you think would be more accomadating- cost of living. We are in our early 30's, not big partygoers. Looking for someplace nice and not to expensive. How's the job market in either states? What are the pro's & con's in both states. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, we would be selling our house, and looking at buying a home or renting an apartment or condo.

Vegas has been the fastest growing city in the US for over 10 years. I heard the other day that there are something like 4000 new jobs per month being added. There's no state tax in NV. That might sound enticing but the downsides are that the town is heavily populated by more transient type people, who move in, in many cases stay 1-4 years, then move away, or who don't tend to 'bond' with others in that environment. As such, there's very little sense of community in Vegas. Harder to make friends than in more stable communities.
The city feels like it has no soul, in many ways. Cost of living is relatively reasonable, especially compared to many other cities its size.
Schools are relatively poor. There's a good deal of crime, though the local government does an excellent job of covering it up to protect the city's image for tourism.

Thanks Jack for the info.. I did forget to mention we don't have any children, so schools, will not be an issue fo us. It's only me and hubby whic works out great!

for heavens' sake stay out of Vegas....my son lived there and I`m speaking from experence...Tampa area is nice and growing...maybe you`d better visit an area you have in mind first....check some papers about job opportunities...depends on you job history.....

both places are unbearably hot in late summer. florida has the beach, vegas has the desert. florida is humid, vegas is dry. the other person touched on a good point, vegas is very transient. i like it there very much, but i don't think i could ever live there. i could; however, live in many towns in florida. you have a lot to choose from up and down the atlantic coast, not to mention the gulf and the panhandle. i would not live in the center of the state though. florida is relatively cheap too, depending on which town of course.

Pam,

I have lived in Orlando for 25 years so I now consider it home. I like it but like anywhere there is good and bad. The weather is very hot about half of the year. It is growing very fast. Traffic is bad and getting worse since there is a lot of tourists in cars here. On plus side there is lots to do here. you definitely will not get bored. Housing runs the gamut from $80K to several million. There are a lot of nice aparments to rent avg rent is 700 - 1000 for 2 bedroom apt. 1hr to 1.5 hours to beach either east or west coast. Lots of good restaurants contrary to what you may read about orlando. There are tourist areas and non tourist areas. Yes there is more to Orlando than disney. Good luck

I've lived in Florida (but the panhandle, not Orlando) and now live in Vegas. Although FL was nice and I have lots of friends there, I couldn't take the bugs and the humidity. I'll visit the friends any time but the summer, but plan on making my home in Vegas. Humidity today is 16%, a lot better than the 90+ in FL (105 with 16% is a WHOLE lot better than 90 with 98) and no mosquitos or palmetto bugs. Drawback? We have 250 miles of beach to cross before we get to the ocean! Another is that because the area is growing so rapidly, road construction can't keep up. They are trying, but traffic can be a serious problem, especially during rush area. (But it's still a lot better than the problems the LA area has.) Job market may be marginally better in Las Vegas, it is the fastest growing city in the U.S. Compared to a lot of other areas Vegas is not that expensive, but can't comment on it compared to Orlando. Apartments/condos/houses are plentiful in Vegas. Thousands being built every year. If you decide to move to Vegas, I would advise the Henderson area. It is very close to Las Vegas (for the entertainment)--you can't tell when you leave Las Vegas and enter Henderson-- and very much a family town. Lots of stores, decent schools, and just a better place to live IMHO. Stay clear of the north end of the valley. Lastly, although Las Vegas is known for the Strip, there is a lot more to do, all the time. We have great little theater, sports opportunities, etc. I second the suggestion to visit both areas before you make a decision. And when you visit Las Vegas, I'd encourage you to stay at a hotel off the strip. It will give you a better picture of our unique valley.

No one has mentioned FL has no state income tax either. As hot and humid as it is here, I need to live near water. If not, I'd head back to Dallas in a "NY minute".

Thanks everyone for your advice! Much appreciated. I have a question for Linda, What is the rent going for, for an apartment? 2 or 3 bedroom preferably?
We defintely want to stay away from the strip. Lots of traffic and conjestion.

Pam, here's a couple of suggestions.

Use the excellent Search Engine, Google.

www.google.com

For any city you're considering, just type in the city name, followed by the word: relocation

Example: Las Vegas relocation

You'll get a number of websites to peruse.

As for apartment costs, look for the local newspaper being online; many are, unless they are really small.

Again, use Google, and type in search words:

Las Vegas newspaper, etc.

Once you get to the website, look to see if they have their "classifieds" online; again, most do.

Here's a couple of websites that may be useful to you:

http://www2.homefair.com/calc/salcalc.html

and

http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/

As for online newspapers, I have the following website in my "favorites" listing:

http://www.newspapers.com/npcom1.htm

A very handy website!

P.S. You can learn a great deal about a city, town, etc. by reading the local newspaper.

Pam, apartment rental costs vary widely. You can find decent 2-3 bedrooms for as little as $500, depending on the area, though most are a bit more. Or you can buy an apartment for 2.5 million! And they go for anything anything inbetween.

Having lived in Orlando for 15 years, I'd never recommend anyone move here. We have a lot of problems with traffic, low pay, terrible schools, rising housing costs, and in some areas, great tension between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. However, if you want to read up on it, I suggest you go to www.orlandosentinel.com

xxx

Florida all the way!!!!