Spanish Springs...Schools, youth sports, etc... (Reno: rent, home, neighborhood)

[waycooljules]

We are moving to the Reno area in March and think we have decided on the Spanish Springs area. I would love any and all info anyone can give me regarding the schools (my son is 11 and VERY athletic) and youth baseball and football. Are sports a big deal there? We're coming from St. Louis (baseball COUNTRY!) and Indiana before that (GO COLTS...oh wait, they lost a LONG time ago). We don't expect the same as what we have here, however, we really want to get him involved asap. He'll surely be a small fish in a big pond at Spanish Springs High School when he gets there, but we hope he can continue to play his sports as he gets older.

I feel like I have read nothing but HORRIBLE things about the school system on this forum and I'm scared. However, I am also a big believer in how you raise your kid and how active/attentive parents are has A LOT (if not everything) to do with their successes in life. Even so, he is an excellent student and while I don't expect a Harvard standard of education in the least, I still want him to get a good education. We're changing the course of this boy's life by moving him across the country to a foreign area away from family, friends and everything he knows. Scary and exciting, but I'm saddened by what I read on this forum about Reno and the Nevada schools. Still, I do think you can find that anywhere you go, too. Plus it's all a matter of opinion and one's personal experience. You make out of life what you put into it. So I'm not so scared that I'm not willing to make the big move for my family. (Hubby got a great promotion...too good to turn down!)

I am a 38 yr old wife and mother who loves to socialize, go to our son's sports and shop! ) We're hoping to find a neighboorhood with plenty of kids and friendly neighbors. Any and all comments and suggestions would be tremendously appreciated!

I look forward to your responses. Thank you!!

[bigdave01]

Spanish Springs is a nice area with good schools. Unfortunately I can't really answer a lot of your questions.

Spanish Springs HS has a decent sports program, and there are definitely leagues for your son to join.

[mountaingirl75]

i like the spanish springs area. BUT i've lived here for little over two years now and have never experienced any of the "neighborhood" feel i was hoping for. our home is new, the area is nice enough, we're getting lots of new shopping centers, plenty of parks, the drive to tahoe and truckee for recreation is fantastic...here comes another but....the schools here in washoe are just awful and life here has been bland to say the least. in our short time here, we've watched as the things we DID like about the area slowly dissapate with a wave of new arrivals. lower income people who couldn't take it california have moved in large numbers here and are turning this area into a less diserable place to live.
i think you are right ,life is what you make of it...to a certain extent. we've been trying our hardest to enjoy it here more over the past year and have done so. however, the things we dislike here are out of our control and so we're looking to move. if you do come here, i would say that spanish springs is hand down the best area. as a matter of fact, let me know when you move and you can rent my house, lol.