Las Vegas is great for a quickie vacation, what with the flashy lights, casinos and entertainment on The Strip — but what about living here as a longterm resident? You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Sin City is a lot like other tourist traps; It’s a great place to visit, but living here is certainly not for everyone. If you’re seriously considering living here, you might want to consider some of the following before making a final decision.
Segregation and economic disparity
For being a melting-pot type of city that is teaming with diversity, Las Vegas appears to be almost completely segregated. This is a pre-existing problem that has endured since the days of actual segregation, when African Americans were forced to live in a small part of town called ’The Westside’ in the 1940s. Between the 40s and the 60s, the Westside became the ”Black” side of town. Over the course of the past few decades, the Eastside of town has become the Hispanic side of town.
Las Vegas feels segregated — and the local government certainly doesn’t do its due diligence when it comes to sharing resources equally from one side of town to the other. In fact, there are more parks and recreational places for locals on the sides of town that are not historically Black, Hispanic or Asian — and more money is put into the maintenance of these other neighborhoods. This, in turn, breeds the negative local point-of-view that the Westside, Eastside and Northtown are ”bad parts of town,” — when they’re actually not. They’re actually the most historic parts of town that are rich with cultural diversity.
Not only is Las Vegas pretty much segregated, this city has a huge problem with racism. Most people think you’ll find the biggest racists in the Deep South, but Las Vegas — for having such a diverse population — is pretty bad.
It seems that most of the money and energy into beautifying the city is spent in the parts of town that are heavily caucasian, such as Summerlin and some of the gated communities throughout the city. Developments like Anthem have exuberant decorative water fountains and other water features — and many of the yards have lush green grass with beautiful gardens that waste so much water that the ground is moist and soft beneath your feet. Nevermind that we’re in a drought and our primary source of water — Lake Mead — is going dry. Meanwhile, the rest of the residents of Las Vegas are held to water conservation standards — and we get fined on our utility bills if we’re caught watering our gardens more than twice a week. And watering on Sundays? Don’t even think about it. That water is for the rich folks behind the guarded gates and the golf courses, don’t you know?
At least the food is cheap?
The food is cheap and plentiful here, but housing is so overpriced you probably still won’t be able to afford to eat if you’re an ordinary wage worker. A house that would cost you $75k in a state like Idaho, Nebraska, Missouri — or most states, really — is going to run you around $230k (or more). So if you’ve ever wanted to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a one bedroom hovel that needs its entire floor replaced, you might actually like it here.
Owning a home is expensive here, but so is renting. A recent viral report out of Las Vegas showed that a local man’s rent increased from around $1,500 to close to $7,000 per month. And guess what: Nevada doesn’t have any laws on the books that protect renters from being gouged by landlords in this manner. Numerous landlords and property managers in Las Vegas have increased their rent by astronomical amounts because they’re lashing out over the rental moratorium that took place during the Covid 19 Lockdown. These landlord temper tantrums have caused a noticeable uptick in homelessness.
But hey, Las Vegas is home to so many ”weekly” motels, that you-too can find yourself living in a Siegel Suites — at a rate comparable to renting an entire home if you’d just chosen to live just about anywhere else. Those $5.99 casino steak dinners will definitely come in handy after paying rent here, and that’s a guarantee. That is, of course, if you can even afford it after paying the bills.
The Locals are poorly educated
Nevada is one of the poorest educated states in the U.S. In fact, it ranks as the second least educated state behind West Virginia. Literally every state in the country (aside from West Virginia, obviously) is better educated. Specifically, the Las Vegas school system is also ranked among the lowest in the entire nation.
The lack of appropriate education in Las Vegas at least benefits the service industry, which is a big necessity in most tourism towns, but it’s not great if you’re looking for intelligent conversation or expecting common sense out of random people you might encounter here. Of course there are intelligent people in Las Vegas, but you’re going to have to look harder to find them than if you were to be living pretty much anywhere else. This might sound like a disparaging comment about the locals, but it’s just the truth, and it’s a problem that numerous people in and out of the government have tried to remedy over the years with no measurable success. This is a city where people have scholarships and grants practically thrown at them, but the education here remains dismal.
To put it into perspective: High School graduates are eligible for multiple different scholarships to go to college here, some with such lenient requirements that just about anyone who manages to graduate high school can get one. There are great opportunities for high school graduates here, but the number of people who actually take those opportunities is embarrassingly low. Only roughly 25% of the entire population of Las Vegas has a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and far fewer people have Doctorate degrees here. In fact, Las Vegas has fewer Doctorate degree holders than anywhere else in the nation.
Drug addiction is rampant
Drug addiction is a problem pretty much everywhere, but Las Vegas is among the states with the highest number of drug users. In 2004 we were ranked #5 in the list of states with the highest use of illicit drugs, but more recently we’ve been ranked #9. What’s more, Nevada is the 16th most impacted state when it comes to the effects of drug addiction on the population. That’s probably not really surprising considering Las Vegas is affectionately called “Sin City,” and is a place notorious for drug use, prostitution, gambling and other shady activities. However, visiting a city that ranks high in drug use is far different from living here.
Crystal meth is the most abused substance of choice in Las Vegas, but a lot of people are also hooked on drugs like GHB and Rohypnol, which are also used as date rape drugs. The problem with date rape drug abuse in Las Vegas has been on a steady incline since at least the early 2000s, and numerous locals have been drugged in bars and clubs in the city. In other words, don’t leave opened drinks around a single soul in this city and don’t let anyone pour you a drink. It’s just not worth the risk.
Las Vegas is not an ideal place to live if you’re struggling with your own drug abuse issues, especially if you’re aiming to avoid other drug users in order to stay clean. Recent polls have indicated that over a quarter of the population uses illicit drugs (meaning they use drugs that are harder than marijuana). With that much of the population on hard drugs it’s close to impossible to exist here without encountering drug addicts on a frequent basis. What’s more, the huge population of drug users in Las Vegas doesn’t just include adults. That statistic includes children as young as 12-years-old.
The kids are not alright
The number of juvenile perpetrated crimes in Las Vegas is astoundingly high. In fact, Las Vegas ranks 3rd for number of homicides and other violent crimes committed by juveniles in the nation. Las Vegas has a growing delinquent problem which affects the public both on and off school properties. The amount of violence committed by teenagers and preteens in Las Vegas is such an issue that multiple reports and studies have been done by UNLV and a multitude of journalistic sources to garner awareness.
If you’re thinking about living here and raising a family, you’ll be better off homeschooling. The schools in Las Vegas are rife with physical violence and sexual assault perpetrated by students. Other students are often victims of these violent situations but teachers and other faculty members have also been victims of sexual violence and other crimes committed by youth in Las Vegas. Lately, the Covid pandemic has been a popular scapegoat for the issue, but the numbers over the years don’t lie.
People in Las Vegas talk way too much
If you enjoy having your head talked off a mile a minute until you become disoriented and a little angry, you might actually love it here. People in Las Vegas can talk-and-talk-and-talk-and-talk, to the point that it’s anxiety-inducing for people who aren’t very social. This isn’t an exaggeration or overgeneralization of the locals, either. In fact, the state of Nevada has been ranked the #4 most talkative state in the U.S.. Las Vegas is the most populated city in Nevada, so you could probably imagine how talkative many of the people here actually are. This is also something that is next to impossible to avoid, unless you choose never to leave your home. These people will talk to anyone within earshot of them, including total strangers who are standing in line just trying to pay for groceries. Las Vegas is an incredibly exhausting place to live if you’re an introvert who doesn’t like to talk a lot. And it’s even more exhausting if you’re an introvert who has a hard time being assertive with people who are taking up your time.
Las Vegas is a noisy city, and a lot of it is mouth noise.
Rude and inconsiderate seems to be the culture here
Las Vegas has been deemed one of the rudest cities in the nation by Travel & Leisure, but really all you have to do is live here for a while to see just how bad it is. Being rude and inconsiderate is so deeply ingrained in the culture here that the people don’t even appear to realize that they’re being rude and inconsiderate. For example, the people here tend to interrupt a lot — especially if they’re a part of the chatty population that makes Nevada the 4th most talkative state in the country. Good luck trying to finish a full sentence around a Las Vegas local. They will interrupt you. A lot. And nine times out of 10, they will act completely confused if you take offense to being interrupted. It’s as if nobody taught these people that interrupting is rude. It’s a concept that is completely lost on them.
As if being interrupted anytime you speak isn’t bad enough, be prepared to find yourself constantly wondering what the heck is wrong with people. You don’t even have to spend a lot of time in public here to find yourself continuously amazed by the total lack of self awareness people in Las Vegas have.
Have you ever watched someone block an open doorway in public with their body and then expect others to say “excuse me” to them in order to be granted access through the very doorway that shouldn’t be blocked in the first place? Come to Vegas and you’ll see it on the absolute reg. These people superficially understand the concept of saying “excuse me,” but they expect to hear it from others while they’re the ones blocking public walkways, and hindering public foot traffic in spaces that are designated specifically for foot traffic. People in Las Vegas love being in the way. And as stated previously, it’s like they don’t even realize that they’re the ones being rude.
You can’t really trust anyone
Liars and cheaters abound! Dating and marriage here is tricky when a huge portion of the population is dishonest, and sees no problem with cheating on their significant others. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find monogamous love here in Sin City, but you’re definitely going to encounter far more toads than princes or princesses. Las Vegas is also a popular destination for cheating spouses whether they’re locals or from out of town. A Survey a couple of years ago found that just over half of registered Ashley Madison accounts have cheated on their significant others in Las Vegas.
If you want to live here and you intend on settling down in a monogamous relationship, then you’re going to have to be as observant as an FBI agent. People are incredibly sneaky and dishonest here in ways that will blow your mind if you’re from a more “honest” area. Here’s some beginner advice if you move to Las Vegas and start dating: Background check any potential date or partner. At the very least, you should find out if they’re already married while trying to chat you up, and you’re most likely not going to get an honest answer if you ask them directly.
On the other hand, if you’re into polyamory and swinging, then Las Vegas is probably a good choice. Chances-are, whoever you end up dating here is going to be doing these things whether you know or not, so you’d be wise to decide what your boundaries are — and whether or not you’re willing to enforce them — before living here.
On a related note, Las Vegas has an incredibly high rate of sexually transmitted infections. Las Vegas ranks #1 in syphilis infections, nationwide, as well as #1 in secondary syphilis infections — which means Las Vegas has a high population of people walking around with untreated syphilis that progresses from the primary to secondary stage. It is not an exaggeration to declare that Las Vegas is absolutely crawling with syphilis. We also have high rates of other STIs including herpes, vaginitis and HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion
There are several more paragraphs that could be listed with reasons why you should avoid moving to Las Vegas, but I’m sure you get the point. There is a lot to love about this city, but with all that is wrong the cons almost appear to outweigh the pros. This is a beautiful desert oasis city that has a unique history, and still it has tremendous potential. So much needs to be done for Las Vegas to meet that potential, starting with cleaning up the epidemic drug use and genuinely addressing the lack of educational motivation among the population. Until the Las Vegas population starts to clean up its act, overall, this place really isn’t a good choice for longterm living.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
