Reno or Las Vegas - relocation

[SixDemonBag]

Originally Posted by LabMom2010

Hi there. We moved to Reno in August 2008 from Los Angeles due to my husband's job. We absolutely hate it here. There is such a disconnect among ourselves and the true 'locals.' We thought LA was unfriendly, but Reno sure has it beat by a mile. People are very critical about outsiders coming in here, especially since they wouldn't survive in this town if it weren't for us 'outsiders.' Forget it if you are from California.
I would live in Vegas happily in comparison to Reno. There is really not much too do here if you are not a gambler. The mountains are wonderful, Lake Tahoe is breathtaking, but it gets old fast. People here don't make a lot of money in comparison to the jobs that they do. I couldn't find a job with my background so I ended up taking a job that paid $33,000 a year compared to the 75K I made before. But our bills are the same, so cost of living doesn't really matter. We are renting a house for $1300 in the Double Diamond area, and trust me, we thought we were getting a steal. All the homes in Double Diamond are in process of a class action lawsuit against the builders. Don't buy there, stay far away. It is a decent location in terms of Reno, but the drywall is cracking and there are tears in our foundation, etc.
Wal-Mart's abound, so if you are looking for culture, you really won't find it here in town, unless to you culture is watching some tribute band to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
Moving here was one of our biggest regrets.
Don't come.

Honestly, it sounds like you brought your LA smug with you, people in NV caught wind of it and responded in kind.

This is what I never understood about the people who complain about NV/Reno/any small city or sparsely populated state, things are NOT going to be like NYC/LA/where ever and you shouldn't expect them to be. People in these locales don't like people from NYC/CA because they generally come to town, ***** and moan, try to change things when people who live there like it just fine. CA is a cesspool, the politics destroyed the state so you can imagine how people feel when you bring that outlook to their home.

You know what I like the most about Reno? The fact that Californians (at least the ones I wouldn't want as my neighbor) don't like Reno.

[Robothings]

I'm a 45 year old current resident of Carson City (12 yrs), expat of Houston (20+ yrs) and Las Vegas (12+ over 2 stints). Hands-down, I'd take the Reno/Sparks/Carson region over Vegas, although I'm likely moving back to Vegas due to work. Sounds like some real haters on this thread. I have just 2 words: "Lake Tahoe". There's a reason it's considered one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

Although some reference to culture and maybe fine-dining are close to the book, if you're like me and my family, it's not the most important thing in our lives. We have all we need in Carson: 2 Home Depots, Lowes, sporting goods, good selection of markets and other stores like Dillards (15 min drive), Nordstrom Rack (20 min), among others, all with little to NO traffic, so hearing local complaints about a 'slow down' at the spaghetti-bowl is comical, to say the least.

As for climate, I've never lived in a city with a more moderate climate. Being here for over the last decade, each summer, we see approximately a total of 10 days over 100 degrees per year. The majority of our annual precipitation comes in the form of snowfall during our winter 'Monsoon' season, and it only precip totals about 9" per year. That is NOT a lot (Houston:~30"+, Vegas:~4"+). Another example would be that I probably only had to shovel snow from my driveway twice last year, and could have gotten away without it at all if my driveway was not on the north side of my house, shaded. Most of my neighbors dont at all. But if you REALLY want snow, you drive 30 minutes to Tahoe, then get to come back from it very easily. Humidity? Fact of the matter is Vegas is actually MORE humid than Reno, although Reno has 10 times the greenery. This is mostly due to the Vegas micro-climates caused by the pools, cars and geography. My electric bill for a 2000/sf home this month (Oct.) $90. In the summer, as high as $200, but thats if I use the A/C, which is not always necessary. Can't say that about Vegas where I recall $400 summer power bills. No BS here, if it's 20 degrees outside, on a sunny day, it's tee-shirt weather. I kid you not. Beeeautiful. As for below zero?! WTF are you smoking? I think, in the 11+ years here, I've seen a sub-zero temp on my weather station TWICE. It's notable only if the high does NOT get above the freezing mark ... sub-zero is a certain anomaly, so don't consider that the norm.

Crime in Reno? Laughable. My biggest clue to the culture, anywhere, is paying attention to the local news. Watch the Vegas news for a few days ... crime, murder, burglaries, blah blah blah. Reno? Maybe one story or two about a mugging, then it's about the local High Schools' sports or the local cantaloupe festival. This alone meant a great deal to me as far as local mentality. I understand it's not for everyone, but for me, coming from Houston and Vegas, it meant a whole lot. Couple all this with the new relocation of major corporations like Tesla, Microsoft, Apple, WalMart, Toys-R-Us, just for starters, and this is another indication of the outlook. More jobs, more money and better infrastructure. Vegas culture? It's all southern Californians escaping the sh%thole that it is, and I can say that, I was born in LA. So, with that, they bring a lot of the sh%thole problems and mentality to Vegas, like gangs.

All in all, if you want a nice, CLEAN, quiet city to live in, Reno is the best in the west. If you want nightlife, hustle-bustle, Vegas may be your pick. Either way, those are facts from someone who's lived in both.

[Hotfeet]

Robothings, thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. While this is an older thread, I agree that there are a lot of haters that appear on this forum and it baffles me, especially regarding those haters that have moved on -- why would anyone continue to come back here to express their negative thoughts? IMO, you've already made your decision, that's fine and dandy, now get a life, move on and be positive for a change.

I love the climate in this area. I'm surprised to hear that Vegas has more humidity, and in any case Reno's climate is fine by me. As you say, colder weather is just a few minutes away up the hill in case it's too hot. Utility bills are low, and could be even lower if I didn't treat myself to as much A/C as I do. Coming from big cities in the Midwest, the complaints I see about traffic are a joke, although admittedly I don't have to drive through any spaghetti bowls during rush hour. I also don't feel the impact of any crime -- I experienced more neighborhood crime in my 'safe' neighborhoods back in the Midwest.

Hope to hear someday that you have moved back to the Reno/CC area - in the meantime, good luck in Vegas!

[Nn2036]

If someone says Reno is humid, they have probably never been to Reno.

[MayMoveInFuture]

I'm glad to hear about the weather!!!!

Is Carson City cheaper than Reno/Sparks for housing? I've noticed that the prices in Reno/Sparks have really increased the past couple of years. Similar in Carson City?

I've read (on these forums) that jobs are hard to find in Reno/Sparks. Again, same with Carson City?

[NevadaRE]

Overall CC housing is cheaper than Reno/Sparks currently.

It seems it would be easier to find a job in Reno/Sparks than CC.

[rocky76]

I have lived in Nevada since the late 90's. When I first came here, it was to Las Vegas and all I wanted to do was leave. I always traveled to the Reno area and Lake Tahoe and really liked it, so I made the move. I recently had to move back to Las Vegas to help out a family member getting sick and old but, my job allows me to do that. But, I will be returning to Northern Nevada as soon as I can. My opinion of the two is this and I am sure people will get upset and their opinions are welcome as well.


Las Vegas is overcrowded and most of the people are obnoxious and rude. Grant it, I've met some really nice people here. But, for the most part this is a very obnoxious town. Just look at the way people drive. Someone mentioned Southern Nevada made the list for the worst drivers but, I am not sure. A lot of people in Las Vegas go along with the theme of make believe with their personalities as they try to be something they aren't. A lot of fakes and posers here. It's nothing more than an extension of Los Angeles. And when people speak of outdoor activities here I don't understand what they mean. Mount Charleston is not that great and Red Rock isn't as well. Usually Mount Charleston is crowded with a bunch of citidiots from in town anyways taking selfies and they can't drive in the snow and create traffic so you cannot enjoy it anyways. So of course there will be nice people anywhere but the overall consensus of Las Vegas for me was the people are obnoxious and rude. Las Vegas draws not the best type of people overall to move there. Yes I know there are plenty of really nice people there. Another thing to consider is if you have kids and they get a degree in something substantial can they live here? Maybe , maybe not. But, that's Nevada in general. Most likely they will have to move out of state to find a job like in Texas, California, New York, Washington. It's an extremely annoying place to live. The pros for me would be they have a lot of good restaurants and really that is about it. The summer is brutal and it is constantly windy.
Now on to Reno. I really enjoyed living there. The cons were they did not have as much of a restaurant scene and it's not as Cosmopolitan if that is your thing. That is not my thing. It is way more laid back and the people are definitely more friendly. As far as outdoor activities it is one of the best places. Lake Tahoe is very close and you can find anything from hiking, camping, fishing, snowboarding, tubing, kayaking within 30 to 45 minutes and it is very scenic and beautiful. Anything from basic trails to beautiful trails through the Sierras even the Pacific Crest Trail runs through but a very scenic portion. Many lakes close by as well. You have a very cool laid back town of Truckee close by as well. Reno is starting to grow with more dining and shops. I like Reno because it still has everything you need such as the basic stores like Costco and restaurants but, you can be at the Lake in 35 minutes. Reno is windy too and it gets cold but, I prefer the cold to hot summers. It's more laid back and very little traffic. There is my opinion. Any more questions you can just ask. I lived in both cities for years.

[Hotfeet]

rocky76, a great first post -- it should be of help for folks interested in living somewhere in NV. It's true that Reno is getting more dining options -- some of the new restaurants are very good and not horribly expensive. Somewhere on this forum is a thread that includes a link to an article describing the new restaurant scene.