Questions about ELY... (Las Vegas, Elko, Winnemucca: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[Griffis]

Been hoping to relocate to Nevada for some time. Really love the state and have traveled around it a lot, but it's been several years.

I did do a search for info about Ely but didn't find much and a lot of it wasn't that current.

Considering putting in for a job in Ely and would like to hear from people who live there or have spent enough time there to talk about the town and the area.

We are a family of four...two daughters entering their teens. We like small town living and we aren't big partiers or political activists or troublemakers. We like outdoor activities.

I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about Ely specifically, cost of living, availability of rental homes, etc.

Really appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thanks.

[tortoise]

Originally Posted by Griffis

did do a search for info about Ely but didn't find much

LVRJ article . . .
"Housing shortages in Elko, Ely and in states to the north have been well-documented. Mining companies offer temporary, trailer and hotel housing to workers, but supply is hitting a breaking point"

[uli2000]

I've been in Ely for 7 years now. Jobs wise, I'd say its above average compared to the rest of the state. The mines are still hiring and there are a couple of more in the development stages currently. I don't think there's much in the way of rental property avalilable, but there is a surplus of houses for sale. Maybe an arraingement can be made with an owner and their realtor for a rent to ownership opportunity. Take a look at the Ely Times website (google it, CD doesnt like links). Cost of living isn't too bad, slightly above average, but for alot of things, you will either need to order it in or go out of town. Figure pretty much at least 250 miles any way you travel to find what you need. I think the schools (well, the elementary school is the only one I have kids in) are decent, and most of the teachers are very good and try, but they just dont have the tools they need to help all the kids succeed. School is a 4 day week Mon-Thur. Activities are hit and miss for kids. 4H, AYSO soccer, little league baseball/softball, and school sports are all big, but they all all seasonal, leaving big gaps with little for kids to do. There is a pool in the planning stages and a bowling alley, but we just lost our theater. I have a daughter nearing her teens as well, and I have to say one thing scares me, the teen pregnancy rate. We have a joke around the hospital that it's required for graduation it happens so often.

With summer coming up, I'd suggest take a few days to come up if you can. Ely to me is the kind of place people love or hate. There's very little middle ground it seems.

[cruzin-couple]

We lived in Ely for the last 5 years. It is a nice town. But, it is very isolated. You are 250 miles from SLC, Vegas, and Elko is 200 miles for any major shopping. It gets very cold in the winter. lots of snow. you finaly warm up June-Sept. For teens, not a whole lot to do and lots of space to do it in. The three main places of work is the prison, the mine and the hospital. Medical needs, go out of town for anything major. Rents are, to me, high. Grocery store is over priced (because they can) and watch the dates on stuff. Most of the stores we have here are overpriced, but they know they have us over a barrel. Ely is a beautiful area. I love the mountains. Elko is a bigger city and the new mine is hiring alot of people, look there see what you think.

[sweetenigma]

Everyone I know who lives in Ely works in the mines or at the Max. security state prison. I know a lot of people bash it, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went through it last summer. I have always heard it was desolate and unfriendly, but I found it to be quite beautiful and "quaint" compared to other Nevada towns (like Elko, Lovelock, Battle Mountain, etc).

Also, Ely is one hour away from one of the only National Parks in Nevada- Great Basin National Park. You can see the towering 9,000 foot+ mountains from any viewpoint in Ely. This park offers a lot of recreation, and it is home to one of the last remaining glaciers in the West!

The downside is there are no rentals; however, getting a mine job could equate a good income for your family. Many people are able to save money after a short period of time. The real estate companies are very friendly and will look at your credit/situation and tell you exactly what you need to do to buy your own home. Another option (one that I utilized) was calling home owners with vacant houses for sale seeing if they would be willing to rent to you until their houses sell. It seems crazy, but where there is a will, there is a way.

Overall, I would recommend Battle Mountain over Ely. The mining companies: Newmont and Barrick have very safe mines (compared to other companies). I also noticed that you can find houses and even apartments for rent there (it is rare, but more likely than Elko, Winnemucca and Ely). Again, a lot of homeowners with vacant houses will consider renting to you if you are willing to help fix up their houses or do yard work. Battle Mountain (population around 2,000) is one hour from Winnemucca and Elko- both towns of over 20,000 people equipped with hardware stores and Walmarts.

Recreation/Beauty wise, Ely wins hands down... but realistically, Battle Mountain may be an easier place to relocate and start over.

[John2375]

What is recreational life like? What do people do?

Can you hike in the mountains??
I used to live in Las Vegas and always loved hiking up around Mt. Charleston and that area.. only been to Ely 2x but both times were just passing through - seemed like all the open land outside of town was fenced off - maybe it's privately owned and farmed??

Saw some caribou though in the fields so that was nice - but I love a place where I can hike for hours without trespassing obviously and without running into many people....

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by John2375

What is recreational life like? What do people do?

Can you hike in the mountains??
I used to live in Las Vegas and always loved hiking up around Mt. Charleston and that area.. only been to Ely 2x but both times were just passing through - seemed like all the open land outside of town was fenced off - maybe it's privately owned and farmed??

Saw some caribou though in the fields so that was nice - but I love a place where I can hike for hours without trespassing obviously and without running into many people....

It is an outdoorsman paradise ─ desolate and isolated from modern things like medical services. But Nevada's only National Park, Great Basin, is nearby, as are State Parks. There are lakes to fish in, and it's in the mountains.

But I don't believe you saw any caribou in this part of the country ─ what you saw, I'm sure, were elk. It's one of a few places in the state where you can hunt elk ─ and plenty of deer.

[John2375]

Yes, they probably were elk.

Going to Great Basin for sure would be great - lots of hiking I'm sure around there, and year round I'm sure.
What about the hills and mountains around town? Are they off-limits or possible to explore up there too?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by John2375

Yes, they probably were elk.

Going to Great Basin for sure would be great - lots of hiking I'm sure around there, and year round I'm sure.
What about the hills and mountains around town? Are they off-limits or possible to explore up there too?

It gets colder than well digger's a** ...well you know ...in winter. Lots of snow. We camped at Cave Lake in October one year. My wife's contact lenses froze in the cup.

87% of Nevada is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). You'll find very few fences in this state and a lot of open range where cattle are free to wonder out into the road. Go wherever you'd like. Get lost. Die of exposure. Be eaten by a lonesome mountain lion. That's freedom. That's what makes Nevada a great state to live in. Enjoy it while you still can.

"In this glare of brilliant emptiness, in this arid intensity of pure heat, in the heart of a weird solitude, great silence and grand desolation, all things recede to distances out of reach, reflecting light but impossible to touch, annihilating all thought and all that men have made to a spasm of whirling dust far out on the golden desert." Edward Abbey

[uli2000]

Originally Posted by John2375

Yes, they probably were elk.

Going to Great Basin for sure would be great - lots of hiking I'm sure around there, and year round I'm sure.
What about the hills and mountains around town? Are they off-limits or possible to explore up there too?

Quite the opposite. Almost all the area around town is BLM or USFS. Lots of outdoor recreation is avalilable.