Reno - What is it like to live there? (Sparks: homes, schools)

[kickboxer]

Moved here from NYC a year ago, moving back ASAP, RENO is deceiving, on the surface it seems like a nice place, quiet, anytown USA, live here awhile, look closer and reality sets in. There are really only a few nice locations to live, the schools are a disaster, fast food and buffets rule the day, plenty of strip malls way past their prime and plenty of vacant storefronts, really rude drivers even by NYC standards, I get the feeling of a town past its prime and everyone who pays attention is mad about it, with still too high real estate based on the average RENO salary, and ever thinning supply of available work. The Sunday classifieds show a half page of jobs, a year ago they sometimes took 2 "whole" pages. There is beauty here for sure, the Lake, mountains, weather, but sometimes beauty really is only skin deep.

[NVplumber]

If I HAD to live in a city Reno would be my first choice. I did live there for 11 years before I moved home to my small home town. I'm a country boy through and through but I could tolerate Reno if I had to. I can't think of any other city I can say that about. But thats just me..opinions vary and Reno has changed some since I lived there. I wouldnt right in the city proper either. east Sparks, North Valley's, Virginia Foothills or Spanish Springs would be my top choices.

[schizrade]

Reno is a city. If you have lived in a few cities, you will have a good idea what it is like.

[persiamotorman]

I lived in Reno about 2 years ago for a short time, and I concur with most of what you wrote which pretty much sums up my experience there. One issue I had was finding someone I could trust, but now having been in New England, I essentially have the same issue. I prefer the friendliness of the people I had met in Reno, although I really have heart palpatations when i think about possibly letting another addict into my life should that ever happen again as in the past.
I am into an alternative spiritual practice..more yoga than new age, and I find it more difficult to stay centered in New England than I ever did in Reno. Overall, I think Reno is a good place, but I do have a question: "If I move back, should I be concerned about safety while using public transit?"
It seems like a good bus system, but I remember someone telling me all the time, he got hit several times while walking off the bus.
What's your take?

Originally Posted by Nirvanagurl

But yes I think the wind actually bothers me way more on most days then Meth heads

Ok crime..
Sun Valley, which is a hood in Reno , you will see it on the news alot. When we first moved out here it was on the news every night. Unless you are buying Meth there should be no reason for you to have to be in Sun Valley in the first place, stay out of there, you will be just as fine as you would be in any city Reno's size.

Downtown Reno from the Casinos to the Riverwalk and Idlewild Park

Downtown Reno is neat, UNR area is neat, are they totally safe? nope, is any downtown area totally safe? heck no

I was in a small town in Kentucky once on the corner square and saw the only mugging I have ever seen up close and in real life and this town was only like 5000 ppl or something..

Is Reno worse then any other city it's size I have been too , crime wise, I have to say no, infact even with the Casinos and Clubs all scrunched together it's probabbly safer then a few others I have been too in the midwest, Like St. Louis and Memphis downtowns

Raising Children, now that is why we live in Carson City. And why alot of parents do end up in Gardnerville/Minden
Reno schools are alright but we choose to live in Carson because we did really like the small Jr high and highschool here as compared to Reno.
I went to school in big schools and hated it myself so I wanted to give my children a chance at smaller town schools.
And my kids do love their school and have made alot of friends and do well in them.
But as far as activities both Reno and Carson have alot going on, I think my kids just do feel safer and more down homey in Carson then Reno.
But sometimes we do still consider moving there ourselves just because we do end up going to Reno so often.
And public transportation just sucks in Carson..and Reno actually has pretty good bus system .


Another word of warning, make sure you like brown.
MAKE REALLY SURE you can handle living without the big old trees of the East Coast..
and without fall..

these are 2 things that sometimes really makes me want to move back home, I dont think it bothers the CA ppl as much, and the lack of bugs that we all know from back East sometimes is a real plus to not having trees

but I will tell you I was a city park , big old tree girl, and a Brick and Ivy girl, I loved things like that..big catholic churches, big brick buildings with Ivy, Fall colors, GIANT trees that hung down over the streets in summer
OK you will never see that here..lol
And that is my biggest whine about living here and I whine about it weekly since I moved here 4 years ago

I go home to IL every summer just to see trees and green
I would go nuts if I didnt get too atleast once a year I think..

but thats just me, but just a warning for others who may not realize just how brown it is here..sometimes the photos online dont tell the whole story of the wind and the constant dryness and dust you will live in

buy alot of lotion and learn to love to dust daily and if you love the color brown..well good for you!

The people
They are why I stay here, if it wasnt for some of the amazing ppl I have met here I would of moved , I would of ran back home or somewhere, I stay here because I have met some of the coolest, friendlyist, sweetiest, most down homey , loving ppl you could ever want to meet here
and they start to cry every time I get homesick and talk about moving and beg me not too..so yah this place can grow on you and when it does..GOD HELP YOU

LOL

and speaking of God
Ok I am not christian so I cant speak on that, but I am a spiritual kinda gal, basically Wiccan, and I dont want to scare you so I will just briefly say what I gotta say here, Carson atleast is a very spiritual little town, I have met more ppl of more different religons here then the midwest BY FAR..
and Reno has alot of things going on for people into spirituality, Law of Attraction, New Agey stuff, but I have a feeling thats not what your aimming for but I wanted to leave it out here for other ppl to read and to let you know that from my experince there are alot of in general spiritual folks here of all sorts of different paths ..

I will say I have met way more Mormons here then I ever ever ever did in the East and at first I wasnt sure what to make of that, but I have gotten to know alot of them and come to really respect their beliefs , way more then I would of maybe of thought on the East.
but there are alot of Mormons, I know that much!

But not as many catholics as where I grew up..
and the mexican Catholics seem to do things differently then I remember in my Irish Catholic home..

And thats another thing
St Patricks day is here is so not what it is in the east!

I have a feeling this is not important to most, but it really bugged me out when I first moved here and it still does..
Being Irish and loving a good St Patty's day blow out, I was really shocked that its not this huge street festival that I am used to growing up with in IL
where it was like the biggest day of the year almost!

But I hope this gives you and everyone who might read it a good feel for the area, the people are amazing, truely are, they are great, its really all about the people here , and when it rains there is a sage smell too it that is just so yummy and great,
and there is alot of sunshine..I will say that, it can be bitterly freezing cold and there is still sun

but it is cold..when I moved out here ppl tried to tell me Reno/carson has a mild winter..
mild my butt..

windy and ice cold air is more like it, yah it dosnt snow that much, but dont think its not bitter cold..
it will warm up during the late afternoon with the sun but the mornings and nights are just as cold as any winter in chicago..
its just that yah ..late afternoon warms up to a much more mild climate and atleast the sun is out..

[jaada]

Originally Posted by henry2481

My wife and I are looking to get out of Southern California to a slower town, close to the mountains/great outdoors (but with some big city amenities). Reno is on top of the list (outdoors, Mountains and no state income tax), but we have questions.

Here they are:

- I hear different stories about the wind. Some realtors have told me that it's important which way the house is facing. What is it REALLY like? In particluar, what it is like in Sommersett or Arrowcreek? Execissive wind would be an excessive bummer for us

- What is your overall experience of living in Reno?

- Is it a good town to raise children? We have two preschoolers.

- Is there a bad drug problem? I have seen some things about meth

- What are the values generally? Conservative or liberal?

- We are Christians and a church community is very important to us. What are your suggestions for a good church in town?

- A random question.....Are any of you boaters? If so, what's Pyramid Lake like? I heard it has a high salt content.

Any comments are welcome. Thanks for your time.

ok i will try to answer what i know. first the wind, my dad built many houses in nevada and always put the front door to the east or south because of the wind. the reno experience, well really crowded, dont live on neil rd lots of gang activity and bad neighborhood. lots of traffic down the strip, i dont know if its a good place to raise kids or not. i wouldnt think so but that s me. drugs have gotten real bad in nevada all over. meth is huge. i think nevada was mostly conservative but is now becoming more liberal. i dont think of reno as a church community. i mean there are churches there but its not a small town, its busy and lots of tourism. its like a small vegas. there is also legal prostitution. lots of boaters you can go to lahontan lake or topaz. pyramid lake is nice but no shade. i use to like lahontan but i heard its really gone down. maybe lake tahoe. have you checked out gardnerville minden area?

[schizrade]

Originally Posted by jaada

ok i will try to answer what i know. first the wind, my dad built many houses in nevada and always put the front door to the east or south because of the wind. the reno experience, well really crowded, dont live on neil rd lots of gang activity and bad neighborhood. lots of traffic down the strip, i dont know if its a good place to raise kids or not. i wouldnt think so but that s me. drugs have gotten real bad in nevada all over. meth is huge. i think nevada was mostly conservative but is now becoming more liberal. i dont think of reno as a church community. i mean there are churches there but its not a small town, its busy and lots of tourism. its like a small vegas. there is also legal prostitution. lots of boaters you can go to lahontan lake or topaz. pyramid lake is nice but no shade. i use to like lahontan but i heard its really gone down. maybe lake tahoe. have you checked out gardnerville minden area?

The red parts highlighted are where you are dead wrong. You must be thinking of another Reno.

Oh I just got a note, Nevada is full. There is no more room for pushy people who want to "fix" the state with the same failed things that they are running from.

No more room.

[amarach]

Originally Posted by henry2481
My wife and I are looking to get out of Southern California to a slower town, close to the mountains/great outdoors (but with some big city amenities). Reno is on top of the list (outdoors, Mountains and no state income tax), but we have questions.

Here they are:

- I hear different stories about the wind. Some realtors have told me that it's important which way the house is facing. What is it REALLY like? In particluar, what it is like in Sommersett or Arrowcreek? Execissive wind would be an excessive bummer for us

- What is your overall experience of living in Reno?

- Is it a good town to raise children? We have two preschoolers.

- Is there a bad drug problem? I have seen some things about meth

- What are the values generally? Conservative or liberal?

- We are Christians and a church community is very important to us. What are your suggestions for a good church in town?

- A random question.....Are any of you boaters? If so, what's Pyramid Lake like? I heard it has a high salt content.

------------------------------------------
1. Wind. The closer you move to the "pretty" mountains the more the wind. Especially in the afternoon. Therefore the two subdivisions you mention are in the windier locations of the Truckee Meadows. They also are "planned communities" with CC&R's and all that good stuff to keep everybody in line and behaving properly and safely isolated from anything truly wild...doesn't mesh with my idea of experiencing "The Great Outdoors"....too much of a cookie cutter yuppie California enclave for my liking. I'm not kidding, why bother moving to Northern Nevada if one needs to live in one of these sterile CA style cloned developments? Shades of Wisteria Lane and Desperate Housewives...lol.
There are times when it's mostly calm and others when it's very windy. I built my house with the garage and front porch facing away from the Southwest which is the direction winds in my area are predominent, that way I can work in the garage with the door open relatively unbothered on windy days. The same with my front porch, I can BBQ or kick back and enjoy my mountain views even on the windiest days.
I've been told that all that wind can make allergy sufferers miserable. Do you know whether you are allergic to pollens and the like specific to this region for every season?
2. My overall experience is fantastic..."The Great Outdoors" as you put it...from my porch I've seen deer, antelope, wild horses, hawks, eagles, bluebirds, owls, coyotes, lizards, blah, blah, blah,... surprisingly even a rattle snake once. I live dozens of miles outside the Reno city limits at 5700' elevation on acreage adjacent to tens of thousands of acres of BLM grazing land/mountains...Fantastic!...but then I didn't grow up in S. California. Reno/Washoe County is a cultural and lifestyle opposite of urban S. California. Can you deal with millions Mormon Crickets swarming over your property for a couple weeks at a time? Can you deal with power outages (I have a 12 KW diesel generator and have had to rely on it for days at a time). Can you deal with a couple feet of snow and all the novice winter drivers who think their four wheel drive Volvo/Subaru/Suburban makes them invincible? BTW, I also did the Reno zip code 89523 and 89502 thing, it's fine if you need the city life.
3. A good town to raise children in? Too broad a question. Raise them to go to Harvard, become president? ... you're probably better off staying in S. California, they might not want to go to the big city. Raise them to appreciate "the great outdoors" as you put it, sure? What's your goal, and do expect the place you live to do it for you?
4.Bad drug problem? Is there a good one? I worked and lived in S. California (LA/OC) for 10 years. Without getting into my former occupation I saw plenty of sad results of the S. Calif. drug culture. Drugs are endemic to America both legal (alcohol/tobacco/prescription uppers/downers/mood) and the illegal stuff...and they are everywhere, even Reno.
5.What are the values? That's funny, Conservative/Liberal? Oh, you mean what many people outwardly profess...but don't come anywhere close to living up to in reality or behind closed doors. You'll find every stripe, but generally it used to be self reliant conservative but as every additional former Californian moves in it becomes more tax and spend liberal for better/more schools, more libraries, more after school programs, free school lunches, health care, new animal shelter, improved workers compensation programs, better roads, blah, blah, blah. All nice...and expensive tax wise. I'm not kidding, please consider staying in California.
6.Any good Christian Churches? Can't help you there, being of Irish Catholic descent, upbringing and not being theologically unsatisfied. Since many Christians don't include Catholicism in there search for a good Christian church, my recommendations probably wouldn't be of any help.
My Christian friends are happy with the various Christian churches they attend, but we don't talk religion. It's my impression having lived in Northern Nevada over a quarter century that most people here keep their religious/spiritual beliefs mostly to themself and God.
7.What's Pyramid Lake like. It's about as big as Lake Tahoe but warms up OK in the summer. Having lived in the Great Lakes area they both are small by that comparison. Yet people die every year on Pyramid and Tahoe because they underestimate what can occur on lakes this size. Remember afternoon winds can make both of these lakes treacherous. Pyramid is part of an Indian Reservation, there is no Coast Guard to rescue you if you get into trouble, the Tribe does patrol the lake but not heavily, make sure your boat is in perfect operating condition. One advantage over Tahoe is there are more options to coming ashore if you have a problem, at Tahoe much of the shoreline is large granite boulders and rocks with steep drop offs, not to mention very cold water. There are few amenities at Pyramid other than a developed ramp area that has a gas station and a general store. The water is somewhat brackish, I always flush my engine and wash the boat after visiting Pyramid, never have had any problems with the water jacket or pump. Pyramid is a beautiful DESERT lake (NO TREES), never take it for granted, it can and does kill, just as Tahoe or any large lake can.
You also need a special reservation permit day/annual to use the lake and special license to fish there. The prices are reasonable considering the old addage, a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.

[JacquelineM]

Hi All,

It's great to read all of the information from everyone, whether it's good or bad. It helps a person who is not living there get a general idea about an area. No place is shangri la but I have read many good things about Nevada. I am originally from New York but never liked living there. My husband wanted to give Virginia a try, even though I wanted to move out west. I wish we would have moved out to Nevada 4 years ago but I might have been one of the many people layed off. Who knows. Some of the postings are alittle old but I sure the drug & homeless problems haven't changed. It hasn't changed in New York or even in Virginia. I take that back, it has gotten worst. I am lucky enough to still have a job but I was informed that we are all going to get layed off but our boss don't know exactly when. She said just to have your resume updated just in case. When that happens, we are off and running to Nevada. I'm really scared because we don't have any family/friends to help us out but that has always been the case. We were thinking of moving to the Elko area and I looked for forums to read information from the locals regarding that area but I couldn't find anything. To hear some of the things about Reno, I'm wondering what kind of town is Elko? Does anyone know any general information?

[Maxfli82]

I moved to Reno from the New York City Metro Area (Westchester County) 8 months ago. My wife is a nurse and I am attending UNR full-time for my masters degree. We just wanted a taste of a west coast town before we decided to settle down somewhere permanently and raise a family.

We have come to love this town. No town is perfect but some of the nice things that we have appreciated in Reno compared to the NYC area are:

-less traffic
-no lines or waits at the stores
-much (much) less snow and bad weather
-lower cost of living + taxes and
-slower pace of life
-people for the most part are much more friendly (if you're from NYC, compare the cashiers at any store here to the ones back east and you'll know what I'm talking about)
-mountains on all 4 sides
-drive 30 minutes in any directions, and you're in the middle-of-nowhere and in wonderful outdoor activities territory.

The main things for us that are worse here than NY:
- K-12 education much worse here (mostly because of the higher school taxes in NY)
- 24 hours open-bar leads to more alcoholics and drunk drivers
- No Dunkin Donuts! (j/k)


After 8 months of living here, we see more pluses here in Reno than where we were.
Visit any place for a week or two before settling down. If you have the money and the time, then visit for months at a time to see if you like the place.

[scirocco16v]

Sounds like Reno is similar to Denver in a lot of ways. My wife is a nurse also and we'll be there soon on a travel assignment for 3 months. It'll be a nice getaway from Portland and the rain.