Moving to Reno Nevada. How is it?

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peterdt
peterdt Posts: 820 Member
in Chit-Chat
Moving to Reno Nevada for business. Living in the hi desert of California now. After visiting on the surface it looks much better in Reno than the hi desert.
Reno has:
1. Tons more stuff to do outdoors.
2. A lot more entertainment.
3. Overall better school, but that of course depends on location.
4. No state taxes.
5. More laid back culture (first impression).
6. cooler climate by about 10 degrees and high winds. But we get the same thing in hi desert but just hotter.
7. Lower crime rate, of course that can vary a lot by location.

Seems like the best areas are the Northwest, Southwest, and South Schooldigger.com shows the best schools in those areas, and neighborhood quality based on our visit seems to follow.

Am I missing anything?
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  • LauraMacNCheese
    LauraMacNCheese Posts: 7,198 Member
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    The best thing about Reno is the 24/7 aspect of town...you can run to Wally World @ 2:30 in the morning if you need something.

    It's proximity to Tahoe is another plus.

    As to the schools, I live on the northwest side of town & my daughter's school is one of the worst in that area, unfortunately. We get a letter every year saying that they'll bus her to a better one if we choose. She did well because she ended up having the same teacher (who is fantastic) since 1st grade (she's going into 5th this year); but that was sheer luck. My son starts at a new school next year because they have a hearing impaired program; so we'll see how that goes.

    And of course there's all of the summer festivals, like Hot August Nights, the Rib Cook-Off (that's Sparks), the balloon races, the air races, Street Vibrations, etc.

    So Reno is pretty cool...but I still miss PA.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Moving to Reno Nevada for business. Living in the hi desert of California now. After visiting on the surface it looks much better in Reno than the hi desert.
    Reno has:
    1. Tons more stuff to do outdoors.
    2. A lot more entertainment.
    3. Overall better school, but that of course depends on location.
    4. No state taxes.
    5. More laid back culture (first impression).
    6. cooler climate by about 10 degrees and high winds. But we get the same thing in hi desert but just hotter.
    7. Lower crime rate, of course that can vary a lot by location.

    Seems like the best areas are the Northwest, Southwest, and South Schooldigger.com shows the best schools in those areas, and neighborhood quality based on our visit seems to follow.

    Am I missing anything?

    EDIT: Might help to put something down....
    TAHOE, TAHOE, TAHOE. I have been all over the US, and the diversity of things to do combined with the seasons is unparallelled. Old Southwest Reno is a great neighborhood area as is the Damonte Ranch area.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    Please leave any California ideals in California
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Reno is delightful. I used to live there.

    What age are the children you are school-shopping for? Not only did I live there, I was a sub all over the district so I have a lot of experience with the different schools in Washoe County.

    My older son went to Galena High (awesome) before they opened Damonte Ranch High (also very awesome) and then my younger son went to Reno High (great football program, so-so academically)


    Just say NO to Pine Middle School. And Hug High. (sorry)
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Also, the convenience of using casinos as free check-cashing locations.....something I missed when I re-entered California.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    .
  • kashmyre
    kashmyre Posts: 105 Member
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    LOVE living in Reno. There is always something to do. Great outdoor activities. Skiing in the winter. 30 Minutes and you're on the slopes. TAHOE! Lots of other great lakes for boating, swimming, etc. 24/7 town. No state taxes. We have seasons (sometime the winter/spring can last too long....grrr for wearing a parka in June). No pollution. Clear blue skies.

    I live in the Sparks suburban area and they have great schools for my 6 year old. Work in S. Reno. Have lots of friends whose kids go to those schools, Damonte ranch area, and they love it.

    You can drive to any climate you want, get to the ocean and San Fran in 3.5 hours. Whether you're into the desert or the mountains, it's all right there.

    The only negative I have is the wind. It's almost always windy.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    Please leave any California ideals in California

    Please expound?
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Please leave any California ideals in California

    Please expound?

    Northern Nevada is pretty conservative. In a wild-west-cowboy sort of way. Hippie granola liberal types aren't the norm.......and such things are viewed as being from California, whether that's true or not.
  • bewitchinglife
    bewitchinglife Posts: 167 Member
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    I love Reno and would just about do anything to live there!

    I'm a serious Hippie from the Seattle area and found that there were plenty of like minded folks down there.

    I like:

    the weather
    the scenery
    the proximity to Tahoe (Hubs and I got married there)
    the libertarian attitude
    the hiking
    the lack of clouds
    the raw food community

    There is a lot to like!
  • LauraMacNCheese
    LauraMacNCheese Posts: 7,198 Member
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    Just say NO to Pine Middle School. And Hug High. (sorry)

    ^^This; both are in some pretty crappy areas (sorry)...
  • WAMarathoner
    WAMarathoner Posts: 44
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    I lived in Reno & Sparks for 12 years, and there is a lot to recommend it. It is awfully dry, of course, and there isn't much green. The weather is very nice - almost never hits 100 in the summer, and it cools off at night. There's a bit of snow in the winter, but real blizzards are rare. And the mountains are close if you get tired of the brown hills.

    There are some good schools and some bad ones. Personally, I think NW Reno and the newer parts of Sparks are nicer and have generally better schools. But it's been about 10 years since I left, and I know things have changed a lot.

    Easy access to gambling is either a plus or minus, depending on how you feel about it. I think it's a negative in a place you want to call home - Reno tends to have a rather transient population (by which I mean a lot of people just passing through). And anyone with an addictive personality should just stay the hell out of Nevada in general! But if that doesn't describe you, you could do a lot worse than spend a few years in Reno or Sparks.
  • cmason516
    cmason516 Posts: 62
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    I am living in Reno currently for the next year or so and its not a bad place to live. We live more northwest, about 8 miles from town and I like it out here. There is always something going on around here. I came from northern Cali in the valley so the weather here is much better.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Just say NO to Pine Middle School. And Hug High. (sorry)

    ^^This; both are in some pretty crappy areas (sorry)...

    You have to be careful with Pine Middle, the zone for that goes all the way up Mt. Rose (at least, that was the case 5~ years ago). Even Galena kids are supposed to go to Pine. That's a very nice nighborhood........but as I'm sure you remember, Pine had a school shooting. *shudder*

    I took a job in a school all the way across town to make sure my kid did NOT go to Pine Middle. We drove all the way over to Swope Middle (a long drive).
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    Reno is delightful. I used to live there.

    What age are the children you are school-shopping for? Not only did I live there, I was a sub all over the district so I have a lot of experience with the different schools in Washoe County.

    My older son went to Galena High (awesome) before they opened Damonte Ranch High (also very awesome) and then my younger son went to Reno High (great football program, so-so academically)


    Just say NO to Pine Middle School. And Hug High. (sorry)

    Thank you so much for the feedback. Reno High School is the highest rated for test scores in Reno so I am surprised what you say about it. Kids are 7th, 5th and 1st grades. We have not nailed down a lease on a house yet. Is it okay if I contact you to get your opinion on a school area before I sign any lease? Our plan is to lease and then buy in a few years.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    I am living in Reno currently for the next year or so and its not a bad place to live. We live more northwest, about 8 miles from town and I like it out here. There is always something going on around here. I came from northern Cali in the valley so the weather here is much better.

    Thank you for the feedback! yeah, I looked a 2 homes up there and looked nice, though the houses we looked at were like way up on the hill and not convenient for shopping etc.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    I lived in Reno & Sparks for 12 years, and there is a lot to recommend it. It is awfully dry, of course, and there isn't much green. The weather is very nice - almost never hits 100 in the summer, and it cools off at night. There's a bit of snow in the winter, but real blizzards are rare. And the mountains are close if you get tired of the brown hills.

    There are some good schools and some bad ones. Personally, I think NW Reno and the newer parts of Sparks are nicer and have generally better schools. But it's been about 10 years since I left, and I know things have changed a lot.

    Easy access to gambling is either a plus or minus, depending on how you feel about it. I think it's a negative in a place you want to call home - Reno tends to have a rather transient population (by which I mean a lot of people just passing through). And anyone with an addictive personality should just stay the hell out of Nevada in general! But if that doesn't describe you, you could do a lot worse than spend a few years in Reno or Sparks.

    Thank you for the feedback!
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    Best part=Sierra Nevadas
  • cmason516
    cmason516 Posts: 62
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    Yeah in terms of shopping its kind of far. But it is nice being away from all the hustle and bussle of downtown. It can get crazy there sometimes lol
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    Please leave any California ideals in California

    Please expound?

    Northern Nevada is pretty conservative. In a wild-west-cowboy sort of way. Hippie granola liberal types aren't the norm.......and such things are viewed as being from California, whether that's true or not.

    Sounds like a very interesting town with its own unique vibe. I kind of got that feeling when I was there. I grew up in Western Michigan, Grand Rapids, and sometimes it reminded me of there culturally, except a lot less conservative is some ways.

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