Apartment Blog

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? I would like to think that’s the first thought that comes to mind for the average person when Las Vegas is the topic. When I think of Las Vegas, I picture casinos, big shows, and of course “The Strip”! Well according to Jana Gordon, former Nevadan, the number one misconception that non-Vegas residents have is that most people live on “The Strip”. Gordon remarked, “No, we have houses and neighborhoods! I think the mountains get ignored. It’s very picturesque with the waterfalls and people have their weddings there too.” Could it be that there’s more to Las Vegas than gambling??

Las Vegas has been aptly named, “The Entertainment Capitol of the World” and at the close of the century it was considered the most populous city founded in the 1900s¹. Las Vegas was discovered and founded by the Spaniards in the 1800s (in Spanish it means “The Meadows”)¹.

According to Wikipedia, the average age of Las Vegas residents is 34. With that fact, I would have gathered that there would be an overwhelming population of renters. And to my surprise, nearly half of the population (41 percent) is renters. Even still, rent prices seem pretty reasonable; in 2005 the average rental cost was $765². Of those who rent, the average number of rooms per apartment is 3.7².

So I asked my dear friend Jana, recent graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and life-long resident of Las Vegas, what is apartment living like in Vegas? To my surprise, Jana actually resided in what we call “Senior Housing” during her college years.

Not so surprising is the idea that UNLV can be tagged as a regular party school, just as any other school in the country can. Per Jana, UNLV is definitely a commuter school, but there were parties in and around campus. The majority of students lived in apartments and duplexes around and near campus. “It’s very communal,” she says. To find Apartments Near the University of Nevada Las Vegas, check out ForRent.com.

Also, I was interested in what residents of Las Vegas did besides go to the strip. “We have the Arts, talent shows, the park, movie theaters, bowling and resorts.” So I guess you could say aside from “The Strip”, Vegas is like every other city in America, minus the gambling. “Without it, Vegas would be pretty boring,” Jana commented. It seems to me that Vegas would be a cool place to start out for a young person just graduating college. Nice apartments for reasonable prices. You can’t really beat that. So if you’re looking for something new, check out these Apartments In Las Vegas, NV.

1 Wikipedia

2 CityData.com

Tired of spending an arm and a leg on gas? Want to eliminate the amount of hours you spend in traffic? Well the perfect solution is simple, move closer to your job!

I was reading this article “Renters go downtown to save on gas, commuting” by J.W. Elphinstone, and it appears that people are getting the idea to move closer to their jobs or mass transit areas in order to save money. This seems to be a nationwide trend, therefore, making rents higher in those metropolitan areas. Cities where this trend seems to be the strongest are Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Seattle, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Portland, OR.

Young renters and empty nesters alike want to move within walking distance of their jobs to save time and gas. Although the rents for apartments in downtown are increasing, the math is quite simple. You already spend $900+ on rent and an additional $200-$300 on gas due to your daily commute. So moving closer to where you work might cost more in rent, but you’re saving in gas and essentially getting more hours added into your life by eliminating the long commute.

Apartment seekers need to think about how they will narrow down their apartment search based on the aforementioned reasons. Landlords, management companies and apartment owners are advertising their properties with maps and brochures to showcase where they are in relation to landmarks and public transportation. The informed apartment hunters will do the research about location and ask questions regarding mass transit so they can find the perfect apartment for their needs.

Currently I work in downtown and the rents within walking distance of my job are so much more than what I pay now. However, if I were to eliminate the cost of my car (repairs, gas, insurance and maintenance) the cost would be about the same. And I would save an extra 45 minutes to an hour of my day from commuting. Plus, another added bonus would be extra ‘going green’ efforts by saving on consumption of fossil fuels! So maybe this is something I should think about…..

What are your thoughts?