Life in Nevada

[Bob K]

I asked this question in the Arizona page a little while ago and thought I'd also post it here for more opinions in case you didn't see it on the Arizona page.
I'm just wondering if any of you have re-located to Nevada for relief of arthritis. I live just outside of Chicago and have just retired at 60 years old and have arthritis through my whole body. It gets more and more painful each year and I'm considering moving to a place with a more stable climate. If you have arthritis and moved to Nevada because of it, have you noticed a difference? Was it worth the move? Any recommendations?
Is it cheaper to live in Nevada or Arizona? Looking at a map, I'm kinda interested in the area of the extreme Northwest Arizona or just over the border in Nevada near that same vicinity. Anybody know what that area is like?

[twobjshelbys]

I replied in your other topic.

Southern Nevada is very similar to the Phoenix area as far as desert climate goes. Maybe we're closer to Tucson. Phoenix will usually be 5-10 degrees warmer. But we get our share of 100+ and 110+ days. Very low humidity. Dec-Feb highs in the 60s, overnight lows can be at or slightly below freezing for a small number of days a year. We, just like Phoenix, do get an occasional snow that actually sticks to the roofs and ground but rarely to the roads (and if it does, stay home).

We chose Vegas over Phoenix because of proximity to some very good that we've known since the 80s. It was really a tie, but the tie breaker was that Nevada has no state income tax. Arizona's tax isn't that high, but it's not zero. We also felt at the time that the cost of living in Vegas was cheaper than Phoenix (metro-area to metro-area comparison). Housing was similar (in 2013) for the money, but I don't know how that compares now. [That was based on "what do you get for $X, where 400K<x<300K". Again, that comparison is perhaps no longer valid.]

Weather wise you're similar. And just like in Arizona, across the state you can go from scorching desert to high mountains that get real winter and everything in between.

Just like in the area surrounding Phoenix you can get out of the metro area where things, especially real estate, are cheaper and still have the climate. There are smaller towns around, like Pahrump but you might have to go to "the big city" for some purchases.

In the Vegas valley, Boulder City might be a place to look. It's probably comparable to Apache Junction. You might still find an acre of land but it'll be pricey and come with development restrictions. There are pockets of ancient development that are acre type lots, some with horse privileges, but they are being swallowed up and subdivided.

Unless you happen to like them, HOAs are evil. You can still find areas in Vegas that don't have one. Many will have a landscape maintenance fee shown in the listing as a HOA, but it's not the kind of association that tells you that you can't leave your garage door open or park on the street. Those do exist, and if you're in a gated community it's probably a given. Our area was developed in the late 90s and is a LMA only.

All things considered, between the two areas (Phoenix, Vegas) I'd consider them about the same.

PS. Locals ignore "The Strip". It's a tourist attraction and we only go when we have visitors that want to go there. On the other hand, if you're looking for part time work it's a good place to find a service industry job.

PPS. I forgot to answer your direct question. We left Colorado for either AZ or NV due to my wife's arthritis/fibromyalgia. The hot/dry climate definitely makes a positive difference. She says she can tell when a storm front will come through although I think sometimes she gets hints from the weather station barometer. But for this kind of relief you want the desert climates not Flagstaff or Reno.

[Bob K]

Thanks Tony.
I can usually tell when a storm or weather change is coming also. The one thing that I noticed while looking is that most of the places that I've looked at don't have garages and that is a must for me. My budget will be around 250K and no HOA fees. I don't need a large place, nor a lot of land, but do need a garage. I guess that during the times when the temp is over 85, I could just stay indoors like I do now. I probably only get a good 3 months out the year where it's nice enough to go out. Other than that it's usually hot with high humidity in the summer or very cold in the winter. Neither of which seemed to bother me much when I was younger. I'll take a closer look at Nevada especially Boulder City as you mentioned. Are the utility costs reasonable with running the AC so much? The Vegas strip doesn't really attract me as I see it as a waste of money. Are there off-road trails where I would be able to go with my jeep in the area? My hobbies are cars of course as I have a Shelby Mustang and am building a replica cobra, target shooting or varmint shooting, and mild off roading (trail rides).

[KarlzEE Bebout]

Bob K. I can't speak about real estate prices other places, but you're going to be hard pressed to find much in your price range anywhere around the Phoenix/Prescott/Wickenburg areas. When I made parole, in 1978, we escaped Ohio moved to Mesa AZ, and have never regretted it.

[jknich]

I spent 7 years in Kingman,AZ Lower cost of living and about an hour from Lake Havasu or Bullhead city/Laughlin NV. About 2 hours from Las Vegas. A little cooler due to 3500ft elevation. Hot Rod friendly Route 66.

[indianamoon]

Very off topic here, but when I stopped eating grains my arthritis improved dramatically

[twobjshelbys]

In Vegas you can find condos for 250k but single family is going to be between 400-500K for an average house. Condos are going to have a HOA. Most garages will be detached. We just looked at a condo (thinking of etting one for my daughter) that is 280K.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/7450-S-.../7159476_zpid/

For single family in that price range maybe Parumph. Anything in that price range in the greater LV area is not going to be in a place you want to be. The days of 250K houses in the greater Phoenix are are just as long gone.

As far as gopher plinking, those days are LONG LONG gone. I admit we did it when I lived in Tempe in the 70s. In fact, the location is now the Intel plant in Chandler. But that was the days of the wild west. I do know of private land in Wyoming, but there'll be nothing like that anywhere I can think of. In driving around the area I do see trails where people have off loaded 4x4s but I suspect they are private land. Federal lands restrict those now. There are of course the traditional "unimproved public roads" that get a road grader and a salt shaker of gravel once a year, but they're going to be a day trip from here.

How about looking is Southern Utah? It's cooler, but also rural areas there will be a lot cheaper. People here have "cabins" up there...

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by KarlzEE Bebout

Bob K. I can't speak about real estate prices other places, but you're going to be hard pressed to find much in your price range anywhere around the Phoenix/Prescott/Wickenburg areas. When I made parole, in 1978, we escaped Ohio moved to Mesa AZ, and have never regretted it.

We went to Tempe in 1976. The slump block 1800sf house we paid 27K for then is now Zillowed at 460K. That's why I think the 250K number is unobtainum. Maybe 5 years ago, not today.

[C5GTO]

I have a related but different question. How easy or hard is it to transfer a Cobra motor vehicle registration from out of state into Nevada? In my case, from CA to NV. Are there any emissions testing requirements either on transfer or annual renewal? The CA title shows mid-90s as year of car and designates it as a SPCN (Specially Constructed Vehicle). It was registered under SB100 in CA so currently exempt from emissions testing in CA.

I have friends who live in Henderson, NV who keep telling us how much they like it and are encouraging us to move there. I'd like to factor what it means to move the Cobra there into a decision if NV is the right place to move.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by C5GTO

I have a related but different question. How easy or hard is it to transfer a Cobra motor vehicle registration from out of state into Nevada? In my case, from CA to NV. Are there any emissions testing requirements either on transfer or annual renewal? The CA title shows mid-90s as year of car and designates it as a SPCN (Specially Constructed Vehicle). It was registered under SB100 in CA so currently exempt from emissions testing in CA.

I have friends who live in Henderson, NV who keep telling us how much they like it and are encouraging us to move there. I'd like to factor what it means to move the Cobra there into a decision if NV is the right place to move.

Can't help you directly but I can tell you that Peter Brock lives in Henderson and was at the Cars & Coffee when it was in the parking lot by Twin Peaks almost every weekend with his Daytona Coupe. Others had maybe half a dozen Cobras. I'd suggest maybe you contact him through his company and ask him. www.bre2.net Phone number on the web page.

[C5GTO]

So I read through the Nevada DMV website to try to find an answer about emissions testing there. Under the list of emissions testing exempt vehicles it says: "Vehicles registered as a Replica Vehicle." And then digging way deep into the regulation text, I found under NRS 445B.759 [Effective January 1, 2020.] this definition: "(b) “Replica vehicle” means any passenger car or light-duty motor vehicle which:

(1) Has a body manufactured after 1967 which is made to resemble a vehicle of a model manufactured before 1968;

(2) Has been altered from the original design of the manufacturer or has a body constructed from materials which are not original to the vehicle;

(3) Is maintained solely for occasional transportation, including exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours or other similar uses; and

(4) Is not used for daily transportation."

A fiberglass bodied Cobra replica should fit this definition but there's no further explanations, examples or registration procedures that I could find to further clarify.

Can any of you Cobra guys living in Nevada confirm that you use this exemption to avoid emissions testing for your Cobras? If so, how does it work?