Las Vegas isn’t all that bad for young families

You may be surprised to learn that young, upwardly mobile families are shunning Las Vegas because it's too expensive and hard to get around like — you know — LA and New York.

What? We're like the West Coast and Northeast?

That doesn't fit what I've seen in Las Vegas, but a new report called Where American Families Are Moving puts Las Vegas among the bottom 10 cities for aspiring young families — along with the big, pricey metros.

Here's what the report says drove the results: "Low costs, the availability of more middle-class jobs and shorter commute times are driving young families to places that are becoming the new nurseries of the nation."

The report, from the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, notes that expensive metro areas are falling out of favor with families with children because people with kids (who tend to be younger and less advanced in careers) can't afford to live there. They're opting instead for mid-sized cities like Des Moines, Iowa, Madison, Wisc., and Albany, N.Y.

I can see where young families can't afford those expensive, coastal metros — the study noted that San Francisco has 80,000 more dogs than children. And while Madison is a charming small city, and Des Moines has many things to recommend it, all these places, though — and particularly Albany — violate my family's snow policy (We visit it; we don't live where it visits us, uninvited and unannounced).

Much of Texas rated high, which makes sense according to the parameters noted: Cost of housing, availability of good jobs, ease of commute.

I emailed the authors to ask how Las Vegas fell so low on the list, as it's not apparent why given what elements drove the rankings. Here's what I told them:

Certainly, the LA and San Francisco areas and Northeastern cities are expensive and hard to get around, and Texas and mid-sized cities are much less so. But Las Vegas has an average resale home price under $220,000 and average household income above $50,000 with an expected job growth rate well above the national average. And for a metro, it's very easy to get around (as long as you avoid the Strip, which aspiring young families would do unless someone worked there or they're foolish).

The response was that Las Vegas lacks high-paying jobs and that poor job growth and unemployment have hung on longer than elsewhere.

OK, we're not awash in Silicon Valley engineer jobs, but everything else seems to be going in the right economic direction for young families. An earlier report by RealtyTrac noted that the average home in Las Vegas could be purchased with about a third of the average income, and then there are all those new —and somewhat techie — companies moving here.

Something must be going well.

We see these "10 best (or worst) places to X" stories fairly regularly, and they attract high readership. But I think the people who put them together should have someone on the ground taking a closer look now and again.

Albany … really?

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Cool, solar tech at the International Builders Show in Vegas

One of the great things about living in Vegas is the plethora of conventions that come through town touting the latest and greatest. The home-building industry got its turn this past week, and we sent a crew to the see what's new and cool to homes. You can see some of that coverage in these pages (check out the New American Home in today's Real Estate Millions section), and there will be more individual product videos under RJRealEstate.Vegas.

Solar, mobile tech and marvelous ways to relax or play attracted my attention.

A company called Eye Trax offered a solar-powered and wireless security camera controlled by cellphone. Kwikset promoted its second-generation device that unlocks your door with your cellphone when you touch the lock. It also presented another company's doorbell that sends a video image of who's ringing it to your cellphone.

Velux skylights has a programmable solar-powered unit that lets in light and air, which you can control remotely, one that automatically shuts off if it starts to rain. The Mockett company had pop-up chargers and outlets that offer power when and where you need it but that drop out of sight when you don't.

Marvin Windows & Doors (and others there) showed off a trend I'm seeing more and more in Las Vegas new home models — sliding and stacking doors that allow families and gatherings to flow in and out of the house, opening up space and making your living area much bigger.

We saw sport courts, faux stone walls you can apply yourself, useful configurations of paving stones that can be stacked to build fire pits, outdoor bars, seating areas, fireplaces and water features.

My guess is that all this windows-open, casual leisure outdoor living is more appealing in Las Vegas than up there in that supposedly more-appealing Albany, but I digress.

NOTE: If you have a real estate topic you would like covered email hdekeyser@reviewjournal.com.

Hal DeKeyser is director of product development for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and a real estate licensee.