A year into our move to Reno/Sparks - our thoughts. (coupons, employment)

[missingthesierra]

First, I'll correct my previous post (edit isn't working), the post was one year ago, not 3. Second, Let's get this back on topic.

Replying to Andrea SD,
I have lived in Boston, San Diego, and Reno. All three cities have some great attributes. Boston has culture, education, the ocean, and a great downtown. San Diego has great weather, a nice downtown and great outdoor activities.

Here are some pluses that Reno has.
Its weather is almost a cross between San Diego and Boston. You get the four seasons, but the seasons are sunnier with blue skies year round. It is not extreme on the hot or the cold side.

Like San Diego, Reno has great outdoor activities. In the summer you can go hiking, biking, kayaking and hit the beach at Lake Tahoe. In the winter, of course you have some great skiing. I never thought that I would live somewhere where you get excited for the winter and cold weather. You also get a little bit of foliage in the fall (but not at grand as you get in New England).

One thing that I find unique to Reno and the southwest is a very libertarian feel. There is still a lot of open space and a big sky. You get a feel of freedom driving around the edge of town looking at the incredible snow capped mountains. You don’t feel as though you are in area that has already been established and has had the rules set for generations. Although the big retail chains are here, they are not at every corner. There are still the mom and pop stores and restaurants. I feel that it is a place that is mine and I have my part here. I don’t feel lost among the millions of residents. There is also a great feeling of community here. This is evident at the events that happen throughout the year. During Hot August Nights there are thousands of Reno Residents that volunteer to put on this very successful event. There is also a great community turn out, at the crack of dawn in September, to watch the Balloons.

As far as areas, I lived in the Northwest. I found it had the amenities that you would find in the PUDs in San Diego, but with a nicer view. The access to UNR and downtown was ideal. It also has easy access to I-80 and North Lake Tahoe. Another great area is around California Avenue downtown. It is a pocket of victorian style houses as well as some much larger houses along the river. This is an older community so you get a scene similar to what you would find in New England with mature trees lining the streets. If I were to move back I would explore what options the South had to offer. The main reason is the close proximity to South Lake Tahoe. Here you will find PUDs like the ones you'll see in San Diego and Southern California. In this area one PUD seems to be the same as the next. As posted above, the nicest areas line the western foothills from Somerset to Galena. You get some great views and a feeling that you are out in the country or mountains. I LOVE Galena!!! Galena would be my number 1 choice for the area. With that said I would probably end up back in the Northwest. All of the places that I mentioned are very safe. You won't find any of the bad things, that some post about Reno, in these areas.

[AlexxM]

Well you have a very narrow view of this town in general.

I am not saying it isn't a bad place to live. From what you say I imagine you have quite a bit of money and a house that is payed for or you are easily paying for it. I bet you have 2 fairly new reliable cars and plenty of money to play around with every month. I also bet you have a nice job somewhere with air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. You have plenty of toys as well I would bet for enjoying the outdoors.

I am happy for you and you get to enjoy the city in a much different fashion than about 90% of us here.

The average income is 30-40k a year if you can even get that. If you are single that puts you in either an apartment somewhere or a house in a bad area that you are struggling every month just to keep. If you have a reliable car you are making those payments as well which gives you even less money. You need a 4wd car for the bad months of the winter when the roads are icy as all hell. Congrats if you have that.

The winters are long brutal and frigid. This last one never seemed to end. I am glad you have the money to get up to the ski slopes and make it out to tahoe every month. While you are doing that some of us are freezing our asses off in a warehouse because the job market is so bad a college grad (like myself) cant find work in his field.... so I am trying to bundle up so I don't get hypothermia working the job I had to take because of the limited job market here. A lot of us are doing this just so we can keep our apartment or crappy house and our car. For some of us we can't seem to buy enough winter clothes to survive a day at our jobs.

I find it unreal that anyone can complain about the heat in the summer. Our summer is so damn short it shouldn't even matter. June and it was still 40 degrees out mid day. Couldn't plant anything until almost july.

....and the wind.... the constant wind.... why is it always windy here? It never goes away and it really makes any weather unpleasant.

I absolutely love the outdoors and charish the fact that we have some of the most beautiful wilderness in the country right in our backyard. But to enjoy it you need extra money and that aint easy to find in Reno.

So yes if you are financially set, and have money to blow then hell yes it is a great place to live. Just don't expect to make the kind of money you would in other parts of the country unless you already have some gig lined up.

[braindead0]

Odd, according to the old Farmers Almanac, June 8th 2011 was 78 degrees for the high and it just got warmer later in the month. The low for June 8th was 39.9 degrees, so perhaps you meant low? Still above freezing, should be able to plant some.

As far as needing a 4wd vehicle. You just need to learn to drive in snow/ice. I live in Canton Ohio and we get 10times the snow as Reno (at least) often time the street in front of my house has 2+ inches of solid ice (they do not salt my road, just plow the snow off and leave the ice). I have no problem driving my 2wd pickup truck during the worst weather.

I think the above post is exaggerating a tad. I'd hate for someone to come along and read this thread and get the wrong idea.

[tanmctee]

I think the above post is exaggerating a tad. I'd hate for someone to come along and read this thread and get the wrong idea.[/quote]


Maybe it is all about perspective ---- here is mine.....

1 -- I own my own home, purchased three years ago in a great neighborhood in Sparks (maybe some posters would say crappy, I have really enjoyed living here and never felt anything but comfortable)--- not a high end home...it is definitely a fixer upper and in an older community (built in the 60's). My payments are less than rent. My utilities are reasonalbe (although, I am careful with the thermostat...more because I do not want to waste energy).

2 -- My vehicle is not 4 wheel drive and I have never needed 4 wheel drive to get in or around the community. The valley does not see the amount of snow requiring a 4 wheel drive and I avoid the mountain passes if the weather is bad.

3 --- There is so much FREE activity in this area, floating on the truckee river, laying on the beach at Boca (exactly what I did yesterday), enjoying conversation with friends in the park during the Friday Concert int he Park series, Free movies in the park, music, events....tons of activities. You may have to drive to the mountains to enjoy the hiking...but it costs nothing to put your feet on the trails or to watch a phenomenal sunset with friends.

4 --- In my humble opinion the weather here is just about perfect. The wind can be a bit of a pain, but I love that the evening breezes in summer bring on cooler nights and it does get cold in the winter but not the wet cold...I've said it a gazillion times, I know....but it is true.

5 --- I have very little money to even consider wasting each month; however, I never lack for things to do...

Like I said, it is all about perspective ---- I would definitely recommend having a job if you are considering the move; if you are looking for a great place to retire or can work remotely --- I highly recommend Reno-Sparks and Northern Nevada.

Just another opinion : )

[JGC97]

Good post, tanmctee. I've been following the Nevada threads for a while now and even participated in some, even though I don't live there (yet).

While I think it's valuable to take another person's opinion into account, I'm savvy enough to weed out accurate information opposed to that of a person who is generally unhappy about life because they don't have a boatload of money. One negative comment isn't going to dissuade me from moving to the area. I don't think it will for others, either.

Your fixer-upper sounds like fun! I love old houses that need some TLC. All the best to you.

[tiredofraininwa]

Thank you for the original post. I have been researching and researching for weeks now because my husband has a job offer in the Reno area. It sounds as though the lifestyle in Reno is a perfect fit for our family. See you all there soon.

[tanmctee]

Originally Posted by tiredofraininwa

Thank you for the original post. I have been researching and researching for weeks now because my husband has a job offer in the Reno area. It sounds as though the lifestyle in Reno is a perfect fit for our family. See you all there soon.

GOOD luck to your husband and hoping to hear you will be making the trek this way. Keep an eye out for my blogs about Reno on City-Data Forum, you will learn about events and why I believe Reno is a great place.

Best wishes as you consider the transition...

[PhotoMomof3Boyz]

Thank you for a great recap of your first year! This just confirms that my husband and I are looking in the right direction.

Growing up in a National Forest outdoor activities were the only activities to be had. This is what I want my own kids growing up to know. My boys love being outdoors and the vast variety of things you gave as just a sampling is exactly what we want.

The only thing I fear is missing the snow at Christmas time - but then again we can always head up the mountain and rent a cabin for our holiday - or just visit home. Another fear is you did not mention anything about employment experiences. Do you notice many unemployed and a higher average of foreclosed homes?

How about farmer's markets and things of that nature - I know that on the coast of CA they have some amazing daily farmer's markets how about in the Reno area - or is it too dry for good crops?

[SUPERCHIC]

We have snow here and a lot. But like any city or state we do not schedule it to fall exactly at any given date.


Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food will give you the list of farmers markets

[Euodia]

Thank you for the great post. I'd read another about Reno recently which really got me down in the dumps about it but your restored my hopes that it may be a good move for us out there. My question for you is: do you have children? We have two school aged kids and I'm concerned about their quality of life. They have quite a bit of freedom where we currently are: loads of neighborhood kids to play with, large, green lawns and plenty of areas to play. Do you have any input about that? Thanks.