[TraceyCCM]

My husband and I are waiting (impatiently, of course) for our short sale purchase in Sunrise Manor to go through. The house is east of N. Hollywood, and between E. Washington and E. Bonanza.

Just a little background; DH grew up in SoCal (Huntington Beach) and was living in Palm Springs when we "met" 17 years ago. I grew up in Michigan. We lived in Columbus, Ohio for a couple of years while I was going to school. Then we spent 12 years in Connecticut. Two years ago we packed up and moved to the Palm Springs area to be closer to his family. We quickly realized we were WAY TOO CLOSE to them and started looking for somewhere close-but-not-too-close that we could afford.

Vegas has always been special for us. We had our first date in Vegas. We got married in Vegas. Over the years we've been back many times. We did some house hunting back in 2006 but at the time everything was priced out of our budget.

Last September we vacationed here and realized it had become much more affordable. In December our cash offer on a short sale in Sunrise Manor (El Cielo Ranchos) was accepted by the seller. The BPO has been done, the negotiator is finally being assigned, so we're making progress, albeit slowly.

Mid-December we went back to Vegas to see the house and neighborhood (as you probably know, the housing market in Vegas is so competitive we had to put in an offer sight unseen and cross our fingers) and were THRILLED. Everything exceeded the photos. Loved the look and feel of the neighborhood. Loved the house, the lot and the incredible views. During our visit we went back to the neighborhood several times at all times of the day and night. It was always incredibly quiet.

The only real downsides we noted were the distance to the freeway, the lack of amenities nearby and the fact that you need to drive through a not so nice area to get to anywhere else in Vegas. We're self-employed, and although we hope to find more opportunities to do business in Vegas than we have in Palm Springs, we can pretty much work from anywhere. Schools are not a concern for us. DH and I are in our 40's and it's just us and four Greyhounds. Also, we know there are coyotes in the area as we saw one in the vacant lot across the street from the house. I'm not too concerned, though, as the yard is fenced and the dogs would not be left out unattended (plus, they are much larger than coyotes).

Anyway, although we love what we've seen in the area and have been doing loads of research online, we'd like to know what people who live in or are familiar with the area actually think of it? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[jasper12]

I grew up living on Hollywood, just north of Bonanza, the area has gone down a bit, but folks are real nice. Freeway access down Charleston, no problem. Dog park just past Lake Mead, your dog's will love it.

I think you get value for your money in that area.

[NLVgal]

One of our regulars, ScoopLV, lives in the Sunrise Manor area. He likes it. Maybe he'll be along to give you more insight.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

One of our regulars, ScoopLV, lives in the Sunrise Manor area. He likes it. Maybe he'll be along to give you more insight.

"Like" is relative when it comes to me and Las Vegas.

Sunrise has it's pros and cons.

Pros:

1) The view. I hope you have one. It's one of the main reasons to buy up here.

2) Air quality. It's better up here. You can see the pollution down in the bowl in the summer and say, "Glad I'm not breathing THAT." This is not limited to Sunrise. Anywhere with high elevation gets this.

3) High percentage of retired Air Force and LDS neighbors means the area is quiet.

4) Not on any flight paths. Very little airplane noise. (Compared to the rest of the valley.) The further north you are, the more you'll hear Nellis, though.

5) Relatively far away from a highway. Very little traffic noise.

6) Easy access to several excellent Mexican grocery stores. (Yes, this is in the "pros" ledger.)

7) This one can't be understated: If you work 9-to-5 on the Strip, the sun is at your back on both the commute to and from work.

8) You have the Hollywood Rec Center, and the Hollywood Aquatic Center within walking distance.

9) There is decent hiking in your relative back yard.

10) You can find fossils on your hike.


CONS:

1) "Insular" and "cliquish" is the best way to describe your neighbors. You may luck out and get some friendly neighbors. My mother in law did not. Nor did we.

2) It is hotter here than the rest of the valley. My aunt up the side of the Spring Mountains, due West of me. In the summer, at 5 p.m., it's up to 15 degrees cooler at her place. She gets evening shade two hours before we do. Her garden is much more productive than ours because of this.

3) There are some streets you'll want to avoid to get home -- Lake Mead, Charleston and to a lesser extent Sahara. Charleston and Sahara are accident prone. Lake Mead has some rather rough neighborhoods. There is no getting around the fact that you will pass through some rough sections of town to get home. Basically, everything around Nellis Blvd. is a high-crime area. Don't let that scare you though, we do 50% of our shopping around Nellis Blvd. and never had a problem. It's just something to be mindful of. Because of traffic lights that are best described as "random," it can take 20 minutes just to get from your front door to the US-95 ramp on Charleston.

4) Unless you live in a gated community, you will deal with a parade of weirdos at your door. Because of the missionaries, the door-to-door salesmen, the maids/nannies/landscapers, and the downright insane, I installed a camera at my front door so I can see if it's a neighbor or a package delivery. Otherwise, I don't open the door.

5) Beware of old men in cowboy hats driving pick-up trucks. Their driving habits are best described as "random."

6) When criminals from the area around Nellis want to burglarize a house, they come here. It isn't likely you'll be the victim of crime. But I'd still install a decent security system.



Neutrals:

1) There's no getting around this, the East Side of Las Vegas is the Latino side of Las Vegas. This isn't really a negative. But many people (los güeros) think it is. You will learn a considerable amount of Spanish just by osmosis. Shopping at the Mexican grocery stores (see #6, pros column) is like leaving the country.

[binionrat]

Hi Scoop...We'll be down at our condo in May and then again in August for a couple weeks. Where would you recommend the best Mexican grocery stores by us (Nellis/Vegas Valley Rd)? One of our neighbours said there are some produce trucks at certain corners on particular days too but I'm wondering what are the best year-round open all the time Mexican stores. Funny you mentioned learning to speak Spanish...My neighbours' mother babysits her grandchildren while they work and I ran into her when we were picking up our mail...We walked all the back "communicating" with each other with me only understanding English and her only understanding "Spanish". When I retire down there in the Winters I seriously want to take a night school course! Tried doing it on my own with a book and sampled the Rosetta Stone method but that's not working. Maybe there are some teenagers in the complex that might want to make some extra money to teach me...I'll have to see.

[ScoopLV]

Best Mexican markets -- El Super (Lamb/Charleston), Liborio (Lamb/Washington), Marianas (Eastern and Flamingo; Eastern and Bonanza). King Ranch used to be great. Then they changed to "Marketon" (Save a Ton at Marketon!) to try to appeal to los güeros. Went downhill real fast.

I hardly ever go anywhere other than El Super. Three of my favorite markets didn't survive the recession.

[FML157]

I lived in the sunrise manor area from 02-10.... ScoopLV nailed it on the head. Here are some things I wanted to point out
Pros:
- That specific area has some really nice homes (many of them custom built) with big lots and great views of the valley. Also, you probably won't have to deal with HOAs. Grass is allowed in your frontyard; I think newer homes cannot have grass in their front yard. You're probably are going to get a better deal sf/$ compared to other parts of town with similar homes.

- Proximity to just about everything: restaurants, big box stores, gas stations, car washes, fast food, casinos, grocery stores, gyms etc....The Mexican markets are indeed great places to get good deals on groceries.

- Long time neighbors. Your neighbors will have probably have been there for a while, compared to other parts of town I think this is a plus.

- Good police presence. The North East metro command center does a good job of showing their presence in the area.

Cons:
- Everything is old. With the exception of a few new small strip centers and Hollywood Park.

- Getting down to the 95/Charleston freeway entrance takes a while during rush hour (take Stewart down and cut through the small streets for faster access)

- Negative stigma. A lot of people have a negative stigma about 'The East Side'. So when I would tell my co-workers where I lived they would give me that 'ugh' face. Not sure if it bothers you or not.

- Crime: I would say there is a bit more crime in the lower income parts of the area . However, I never felt worried.

[jjameson922]

When I relocated here, I was told by realtors that was the least desirable area of the city. I notice you can buy more house for your money over there because of that. About 6 months after moving here, I began to date a man that lived in that area. He was sick about the neighborhood he had purchased in and has had serious problems with Latinos in his neighborhood and those he encounters when out running or walking his dog. I, otoh, bought in Summerlin and he is so sorry he didn't make that same choice.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by FML157

- Negative stigma. A lot of people have a negative stigma about 'The East Side'. So when I would tell my co-workers where I lived they would give me that 'ugh' face. Not sure if it bothers you or not.

This is why you get so much more house for the money.

$300K gets you a 2,000 sqft house (give or take a couple hundred sqft), on a small lot in 89134. No view, nothing special.

$300K gets you a 3,500 sqft house (give or take) on a half acre, with a commanding view of the strip and a pool in 89110.

I'll take the "negative stigma" and the insular, cliquish neighbors (and the fact that many people speak Spanish as their first language.) I prefer the East side to Summerlin and Green Valley and Mountain's Edge and the rest. The large Latino population gives the place a little character.

If the neighborhoods of Las Vegas were bread, here's how it would work.

Green Valley: Wonder Bread.
Summerlin: Wonder Bread with the crust cut off.
Mountain's Edge: Generic store-brand white bread.
Aliente: Toasted Wonder Bread
Anthem: Old, stale, dried-out Wonder Bread
East Las Vegas: Bollilos


Here's something I simply don't get. "I have problems with the Latinos." What does that mean? Is it some kind of shorthand for "xenophobia?" What kind of problems can someone have? As a group, they are a genial, good-humored, industrious and generous. What's not to like?

The Mexican families are the only neighbors I speak to with any frequency. We exchange treats during the holidays -- and that includes lesser known holidays like Dia de Muertos. (The bread for this holiday is EXCELLENT. Google Pan de Muertos.) They throw lavish birthday parties for their kids, and lots of people show up and they barbecue and play their music a little loud. So what? Like I said earlier, it gives the neighborhood a little character.

[von949]

Downtown around Fremont- Toasted Whole Wheat Bread.


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