Heres another viewpoint. I moved to Vegas in 1985 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Someone else had mentioned Fresno. I lived there for 5 years and couldn't RUN back to Vegas quick enough. As for schools...try pm'ing ginawins...she's a teacher in a middle school(actually a guidance counselor) she might be able to give you some info.

As for the weather...we got 3.5 inches of snow a few weeks ago. This is the most the area has seen in 30 years. Yes it gets over 100 during the summer...but it's tolerable. Summerlin;Rhodes Ranch and Anthem are good places to live and have good schools. PM me if I can give you more info.

I'm a Las Vegas resident and I've grown up in the country, lived in the suburbs, and now reside in the city.  I love it, I lived in Hawaii for a couple months when I was about 12...loved it there too, but I remember it being very slow and laid back!  We lived on the big island in hilo and then moved to Kona for a bit, right before we moved back to the mainland, we stayed in Honolulu and I remember liking it so much because there was so much more going on...so I think by nature, I'm a city person.  I grew up in the country (military kid) and I think it's good for kids, Vegas has it's fair share of the "fast life" for kids and with parents being so wrapped up in making money or partying, i think they leave their kids alone too much to experience the "real world" on their own.  Being a military kid, I know that no really, no matter where you live, you'll always have to go to work, you'll always have to come home to make dinner and do the dirty laundry, each place is what you make it.  I've found that with living here, there is so much competition among grocery stores, you can usually find any staple on sale at one of the 4-5 major grocery stores, and if you like to shop at wal-mart neighborhood markets, they price match all ads if you bring them in, saving you the time.  Gas is about $1.79 right now (mid grade) and housing is desperately cheap because of the economy.  I bought my 2 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage house during the boom for about $210K and now, for $210K you can probably get your hands on a 4 bedroom house with a pool and yard!  As for school, you definately have to do your research, private being top dollar here, but well worth it if you can afford it.  There are a few good public schools, but like I said, you have to do your research! 

Across the board, I love living here, my daughter is only 8 months old and I would probably consider moving somewhere more rural by the time she starts school if we can't afford private school - but there is so much opportunity here, especially if you are moving here with a job already.  Times are tough everywhere, I just got laid off last month, but I'd much rather be looking for a job here versus a rural area.  The diversity here reminds me a lot of Hawaii, I like that aspect.  There are all types of people here and it truely reminds me of the American Dream, if you are willing to work for it, there's not much you can't achieve here! 

If you have any other question, let me know!

debra

p.s. they also have a hawaiian festival here each year, it's getting bigger and bigger each time!

(hope you don't mind me crashin' your post .  Saw it on the "My OH" page)

So as far as how good a place is, I guess it boils down to what you are looking for.

As you know, I live in the Sierra Mtn. foothills of California.  It is very beautiful here and housing is cheaper than in the San Francisco Bay Area.  What I love is that we are above the fog and below the snow line (usually-- we do still get fog or snow occasionally).  We are also less humid than the valley but higher humidity than Nevada.

My mom and dad live in NV in the Carson Valley between Carson City and Minden.  It is very beautiful there even though it's desert.  It is also very dry-- very, very low humidity.  It snows there often during the winter, but usually not in large amounts.  The roads are typically melted enough to drive easily by late morning.  Carson Valley is also less than an hour from Lake Tahoe and many ski resorts, and less than an hour from Reno.

ATVs and dirt bikes seem to be very popular in my Mom's neighborhood, as well as horses.  There are a few skate parks around, but I'm not sure there is much else for kids to do other than the usual "hanging out" stuff.  I suppose that air-soft and paintball goes on around there with all that open land (both are popular here).  I don't think there is anything less for kids to do around there than there is anywhere else that is away from the beaches.

I'm certainly very partial to northern NV and Northern Calif.!  I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!!!

Let me know if I can be of any help in your research.  Are you looking more for setting or economy?  I don't know if it would be helpful, but you can check out a web site that will tell you about almost any city in the US at:
http://www.city-data.com/

Peace & Love sweetie,
Rana

Not a big Nevada fan... but I know this either the "vegas area" is recruiting from Hawaii or something but I wouldn't live there. Too hot and too cold. Nevada does get snow in most parts so that's something to consider for a family from hawaii. My neice took her teen boys to the snow and they've since left her and are back with Grandma in Kauai. Life will be different for your kids. Girls adapt better than boys, generally. Reno area is cheap right now. You may want to consider AZ or North Eastern Cali.  Modesto, Fresno, Sacto Areas. I'm in Tracy, close to the Bay Area yet not Bay Area at all --- Cheaper and soooooooooooo nice.

Thanks Barb. I am having an endoscopy next week to see what is going on. I am also on ulcer medicine. I had some abnormal labs from my internist so I had an abdominal ultrasound yesterday and I am having more bloodwork. It is one thing and another!