Las Vegas is the closest major city to Nellis AFB. Las Vegas has about 597,000 people, and is in Clark County, which has a population of about 2 million people. Other nearby communities include North Las Vegas (230,000), Sunrise Manor (190,000), Paradise (224,000), and Henderson (265,000).

It is about 13 miles from downtown Las Vegas to Nellis; this takes about 18 minutes to commute, but the city is very spread out and travel times can vary significantly. The average commute in Clark County is about 24 minutes; the average off base housing for Nellis personnel can easily be less than 15 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Clark County area ranges from $650 to $1,200 per month, with a median of about $900 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in the greater Las Vegas area is about $202,000, compared to $203,000 for Nevada.

Short Description of the Area: Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and one of the largest in the Western US, with a strong tourist-driven local economy. Las Vegas is near the southern tip of Nevada, not far from both Arizona and California. The area is generally flat, desert, and warm to hot year round.

Climate and Weather: The area has a desert climate, with winter temperatures of the high 50s to high 30s, and summer temperatures of the low 100s to low 80s. The area is generally sunny and dry with the wet months (2-4 inches of rain a month) in January to March, July, August, and December. Summers vary from hot to very hot.

Las Vegas is full of distractions and entertainments, and casinos and shows should be easy to come by. Other activities may get lost in the background noise, but consider the parks, wildlife refuges, and local museums.