With the exception of very limited hangar space it's a great area to base out of. Make sure your density altitude calcs are up to speed, we are at 117 degrees here today, field elevations avg. around 2500. Boulder City is very nice but it's a 60 mile drive from my home in the NW part of the Valley. I co-own a 3500 sf hangar at VGT (N. Las Vegas) which we rent out half to another pilot. Henderson has two new runways and a new completed hangar project with one more to come but be VERY prepared for sticker shock on those and any other hangar facilities. Henderson has pretty much run out smaller GA ops so they can brag about their new "executive" services.
VGT has tie down space (covered and open) but I'm not sure of the waiting list. Weather is great most of the year, getting out of the valley in an RV is no problem, I have circled it before several times in the summer to clear the mountains depending on my destination, of course that was in a tired 172 in June temps.
Housing used to be pretty affordable, the average home price now for a 3 BR 2000-3000sf is getting close to 400K. If you can stand the "brown" of everything in the desert it's a nice place to live. If your used to lakes and greenery it takes some getting used to.
I arrived in 1979 in the USAF, if I could have left once I saw the place I would have, it's changed a bunch since then and I really like living here now.