Families who moved to Reno (Sparks, Carson City: transplants, co-op, hotel)

[Meerame]

I am reposting this under Reno-Sparks per recommendation.

Hello. We are looking to relocate out of the Bay Area. We are a family of three, two adults in their early 50s and our 6-year-old daughter (currently 1st grade). Our priorities are close to Mtn biking, winter sports, a lively downtown, above average schools (elementary school must be within walking distance), mostly sunny days and within one hour of an airport. Reno seems to fit a lot of these requirements.

I would love to hear from others families who made the move, neighborhoods to consider and in particular the issue with school overcrowding. It's very important for me to be in a neighborhood where my daughter can go outside to play with other children and where I might make a few friends. We have a housing budget of about 550K.

I would also like to ask about the gambling environment. I am not against gambling, but it does attract characters. Is that easily avoided? Can you enjoy the city or surrounds despite it? Also is it really windy?

Thanks!

[owelles]

Originally Posted by Meerame

I am reposting this under Reno-Sparks per recommendation.

Hello. We are looking to relocate out of the Bay Area. We are a family of three, two adults in their early 50s and our 6-year-old daughter (currently 1st grade). Our priorities are close to Mtn biking, winter sports, a lively downtown, above average schools (elementary school must be within walking distance), mostly sunny days and within one hour of an airport. Reno seems to fit a lot of these requirements.

I would love to hear from others families who made the move, neighborhoods to consider and in particular the issue with school overcrowding. It's very important for me to be in a neighborhood where my daughter can go outside to play with other children and where I might make a few friends. We have a housing budget of about 550K.

I would also like to ask about the gambling environment. I am not against gambling, but it does attract characters. Is that easily avoided? Can you enjoy the city or surrounds despite it? Also is it really windy?

Thanks!

You definitely can buy a nice house in a family-friendly area within your budget of $550,000. South Reno also would fit your desire to be close to mountain biking and winter sports, since Lake Tahoe is only about an hour away, but the "lively downtown" you seek could conflict with your concern about the gambling environment. Most of the "characters" you refer to hang around downtown.

I can't speak to the school situation since my kids are grown, but the gambling environment can be a non-issue; that's totally up to you. That being said, the casinos often offer some decent meal deals for locals, and you don't have to be a gambler to get them.

The windiest area in my opinion is in Washoe Valley, between Carson City and Reno. I live in South Reno and don't consider the wind a major issue.

Good luck.

[utsci]

Downtown is not much of a player in social life here. There are some nice festivals in the river area and around the university that are close to downtown. But the actual downtown core consists of a few remaining large, fairly nice hotel casinos and a few Millennial concert venues.

Less crowded schools would most likely be in south Reno such as Hunsberger or Pleasant Valley. Hunsberger would fit the bill for above average achievement. You might also look in the old southwest at Hunter Lake or Roy Gomm elementary schools. Some schools are walkable, most are not.

We moved here almost 40 years ago and gambling is a non-issue if you want. As mentioned there are some nice restaurants in a few of the casinos, and there are slot machines at the grocery stores and gas stations. But since we prefer not to walk through the cigarette smoke in casinos, we enter through doors closest to the restaurants. And rarely do I go into the gas station, pay outside. The slots at the grocery stores are off to the side in their little area and are easy enough to walk by.

If you want maximum sunshine and nice weather be careful about living too close to the mountains in south Reno. The farther up Mt. Rose highway you go (until you get to the top in Incline Village), the greater the shadow from the mountains in late afternoon. It can be really dreary in the winter. We had some friends with kids who lived on Joy Lake Road. The kids complained that it was either dark or windy in the winter and nothing ever melted. They hated the winter bus stops for school and cold winter days.

Most of the Reno/ Sparks area is well within an hour of the airport. We live in south Reno and I can be at the airport in less than 20 minutes on the freeway at any time other than 7-8am or 4:30-6pm. Even then I can get there on side streets within 30 minutes.

[Vic Romano]

I am not an expert in the school system here. I have heard comments about overcrowding and the school district is aware of that. The school district(s) are building new schools.

However, since I live in the Spanish Springs (northern Sparks) area, I can tell you they are building a new school east of Pyramid Highway (445). I see the progress every day. Certainly looks very nice. Here is a link:

New Elementary School: Spanish Springs Area – WCSD Infrastructure Plan

And I can tell you with your budget, you can buy a house in the Wingfield Springs community. I can recommend North Highlands as a nice area. In our tract, a number of people are retirees, but we did have quite a few children come by during Halloween. Another good thing (I think) is that a number of law enforcement people live in the area.

Regarding the wind, we have not really experienced much so far, and I think Spanish Springs experiences less wind than some other areas (along 395, western Reno, and especially Washoe Lake). As far as the winter weather, I've heard the magic number is about 5,000 feet in elevation (Reno and Sparks are about 4,500 feet). Higher than that and you'll get more snow.

The old downtown casino area around Virginia Street does have riff-raff. There is a lot of construction and gentrification happening south of downtown. They are working hard to revitalize the area.

You need to remember there are only 350,000 people in Reno/Sparks proper and 500,000 in the metro area (including Carson City/Minden/Gardnerville) so it's not quite like the Bay Area. Haven't found a good sushi or Chinese restaurant yet! But the main conveniences are available nearby. And since there are a lot of CA transplants, you won't feel too out of place (lots of cars). But traffic is lighter and the environment is definitely less stressful.

[NevadaRE]

No question about it, there are a lot of transplants from Northern California here and we have many sunny days! Winter sports and mountain biking are prevalent as well.

Hunsberger Elementary doesn't have any walkable homes in the $550k range. The results for Pleasant Valley ES are minimal. Double Diamond ES, Brown ES, Roy Gomm ES, and Hunter Lake ES, just to name a few do have walkable homes in the price range. If you have a preference on lot size, age of house, distance to downtown, etc. we could narrow down the results further.

If you want some land, the Johnson Lane area in Minden is still within an hour of the airport.

The downtown area of Minden/Gardnerville is very quaint. My favorite downtown is Carson City's. Cute, walkable, and historic.

[Meerame]

Thanks for the responses. So I am trying to determine if we are better in northwest or southwest Reno? I have been researching schools and I think Hunsberger and perhaps Caughlin Ranch are going to be out of reach. I understand there are new schools coming, but not sure where those will be or how long for development. We def don't want to be in the shadow of Mt Rose. It appears the only whole foods is located southwest so that leads me toward that area. Are there other organic food markets? We don't need a big lot, but the home itself should be 2000 sq ft plus or minus. And we could prob stretch our budget to about 600K if the home was updated/new. I would love to be walking distance to some amenities (a coffee shop, local market, 1-2 restaurants).

[utsci]

If anyone in the household is still working a traditional 8-5, then I would heavily weigh the convenience of living near to where they are working. Traffic here is nothing compared to a major metro area. But when the weather is bad and if there is an accident, it can make for a miserable commute. If living here for the quality of life, you should try to decrease your commute to enhance the hours you are able to enjoy the area.

I can't think of many areas that have a walkable shopping/restaurant area in the places you are considering. Reno really isn't made for walking, especially outside of the downtown/ Midtown area.

Most grocery stores now carry organic produce options...Raleys, Sprouts, Smiths actively advertise organics in their weekly ads. There is only one Whole Foods here. There is a co-op downtown. And plenty of CSAs in the summer, not sure which are organic.

The Washoe County School District website is very helpful with knowing where the new schools are going. And they have maps for zoning that you can narrow down a neighborhood for it's schools. It's worth looking at because there are a lot of little islands that look to be in a certain school zone but are actually carved out to go to a neighboring school based on statistics. There are also some highly rated private and charter schools. The ones that come to mind are Doral, Bishop Manogue, and Coral Academy.

[NevadaRE]

The neighborhood near Caughlin Ranch Elementary School sounds like a good fit. There is a grocery store shopping center near the school. The homes nearest the elementary school are typically under $600k. Traveling by car there are also restaurants on Skyline and in the Mayberry area.

[Meerame]

Yes, I think you are right. Caughlin Ranch looks like a good blend of all things. Does it fall in the shade of the mountains though? I think Roy Gomm or Hunter Lake might work too. We plan to visit in January and take a look around. Thank you!

[karenorganizes]

I am also concerned about Caughlin ranch being in the shadow of My. Rose and being dreary. Can anyone please elaborate? We plan to move there next month. Thank you!