[Update 2016]: **Make sure to check out the comment threads below -AND- Many people find this other Reno post even more helpful**:
I know what you’re thinking; there are too many casinos, too many bums, its too dry, I want some more local stores, give me some more trees…
Shut It!… I don’t care what you say,
this is a damn good place to live!… 🙂
This topic is something that has been firing me up for years. I moved down to Reno in 2009 in need of a larger market than Truckee to satisfy my career needs, and while I was sipping the Reno haterade for years, there is a fresh growth of revival taking over the city and I love it. As I wrote on the MadeInReno blog a few months ago:
We the people of Reno know that we live in Reno for a number of glorious reasons. We know that Reno’s perception around the globe is not the truth we know it as. No one is going to pull Reno up, we know that. We are left to our own devices, our own grass-roots means. We have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. “Made in Reno” is the place for Reno made businesses, entrepreneurs, and all-around real people to tell their stories, to share what is happening with real people and real businesses Made in and successful because of Reno.
There are thing happening, people moving and shaking to help pull Reno in a new direction. My favorite Reno band Jelly Bread definitely knows it (I hope I can get them to jam at my wedding). As does my favorite new bar Craft. And who doesn’t love our own home-grown, started in a garage, local, state-fossil, dinosaur-named beer: Icky by Great Basin Brewery.
“People need to know that Reno is not about the 4-blocks downtown,
there is a lot more to Reno.”
– Rick Reviglio, CEO of Western Nevada Supply
If you haven’t seen it yet, Bungalow Mike does a great job of covering new developments in downtown and mid-town Reno. He must spend hours upon hours in county and city meetings digging up all the great information he has on that website (PS, did you know he’s pulled together a Downtown, Midtown Reno App now?). On top of that Michael, Chris and Zach have started the Reno Rebuild Project which is a revolving loan program funded by downtown businesses for more new downtown businesses.
We’ve Started Telling the Story
I am looking to pull together people that want to help me share those stories of why Reno rocks. Kristen Stith and I have started and we invite you to check it out:
I’ve started by sharing the stories of Better Green Building, Western Nevada Supply and Moment Skis, but there are lots more great stories to share about Reno, and I would love your help. We’ve made a list of local business whom we believe help capture the essence of what is making Reno, Reno; and we would love to talk with each of them:
Midtown Eats- Sup
- Craft
Public House- Hiroba
- Reno Collective
- Scolari’s
- Girl Farm
- Great Basin Brewery
- Silver Peak
- Jimmy Bean’s Wool
- Great Basin Food Co-op
Organic Tea & Herb- Sierra Eco Systems
- Wells Avenue Stores
- The Lil’ Waldorf
- Truckee Sourdough Company
- Fallon Farmers
QCS
Burger Me- Nevada Humane Society
- Grand Sierra Resort
- Dolan Auto Group
- Nevada’s Discovery Museum
- Kimmie Candy
- Squeeze In
GourMelt- Hub Coffee Co.
- PerformancEDU
- Abbi Agency
- Real Deals Reno
- Kaylynne Kroshus Photography
Beach Hut Deli- Alice Heiman, LLC
- F.A.S.T.
- Campo, Reno
- Camie Cragg Fitness
We Need Your Help
What great stories do you have to share about local businesses and what makes Reno a Damn Good Place to Live?
DanHerr.com 
Great post Dan!! People need to start recognizing.
Thanks Matt!
LOVE IT!!!!!! I am excited to be a part of this. I love your passion and drive for our community. Good post. And thanks for the mentions, stoked!
Great blog post! You should come out to our Reno-Tahoe AMA Ace Awards this June 21st which will honor many of these local small businesses (including Burger Me, Dolan Auto Group, Squeeze In, GourMelt, The Abbi Agency, Campo, Reno and Camie Cragg Fitness from your list above) and their markeing efforts. You can check out all the details here: http://www.renotahoeama.com/ace-awards/
Thanks Tiffany, that sounds like a great event!
Yay, great blog!! I love all those places!!
What do you say now, a year later?
Hi Sarah,
I would say now more than ever there are great things happening all around town that continue to inspire me from tech startups raising millions in series A to new restaurants and brew pubs. On step at a time Reno is redefining itself and I think it is amazing to see and of which to be a part :).
What is your impression?
-Dan
I just came from Reno. It was my first time in Nevada and my experience wasn’t good. Everywhere I i went was dirty and filthy. Even the people all dressed shitty and everything combined didn’t give me a good first impression. The billboards of the food looked like like some shit you would pick up in a school cafeteria. When you walk in buildings, there are Hugh hallways and open spaces just doing nothing. 6 door entrances and exits to Hugh skyscraper buildings and when you walk in everything looks incredibly under furnished and lacks maintaince. The amount of security and surveillance all around downtown amazed me. I thought that it was already setup for our president to come visit. It gives a bad impression of the level of crime that exists in the city and the surveillance is supposed to be some kind of help. Prostitution seems pretty evident in the city. The amount of real low end motels amazed me. I felt like i was almost walking through a Hollywood set it all looked straight out of a movie but the sad thing was that it was all too real. I’m sure that there are good parts in Reno but i still wouldn’t want to live there, afraid of a strong gust blowing all that stench my way. lol I hope it gets better but the mayor, governor and maybe some big CEO executives would have to get together to create a lot of jobs and cleanup crews but in this economy…. Good luck with that.
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your comment. Were you primarily down by the Casinos? What brought you to Reno for the first time?
-Dan
Ben,
If you are complaining so much about Reno, just do not come here anymore. Where have you been all of your life, locked up in a closet! Just stay at home from now on and spend your vacations there. Well, you don’t have to do that. Ben, if you really want a great place to visit and vacation, you have to come to Fargo, North Dakota and you have to be here from the beginning of December thru March, OK. Remember Ben, Fargo, ND December thru March. Be sure and mark those dates for your Fargo destination on your calendar and vacation schedule.
I came across your blog somehow. I’m moving to Reno within the next month or so for work. I’m a 28 year old, professional and people told me to stick to South Reno and Northwest Reno. I like a place that is more “park like” than urban with views of downtown. Would you recommend living by Virginia Lake? I have a list of about 12 places I’m planning on looking at all in 1 day!
Personally I would not recommend living right on Virginia Lake or immediately easy of that as it can get a little seedy. Old Southwest Reno would be my place of choice since there are lots of well built older houses as well as parks and restaurants within biking / walking distance. Right now I live just south of McCarran right now in an area built on the 60’s with big trees.
Northwest and South Reno are more suburban, but both are good. The biggest deciding factor between these two is usually work location, what you want to be close to and what you can afford. Just to be clear, by South Reno are you talking about South Meadows area or how far south?
The South Meadows area is closer to Lake Tahoe, Mt. Rose and is home to many folks who work in Carson or the professional offices in South Reno. I have lots of friends in their late 20’s / early 30’s with beautiful homes down there, but most do not have large yards.
Northwest Reno is much closer to Truckee, I-80 for heading into California, Squaw, Northstar and the like. Northwest is also home to lots of folks associated with the University. In Northwest it gets really windy most afternoons, so don’t get a place with a big western exposure if you move up there.
Hope that helps :). If you tell me a little more about what you are looking for, I might be able to help point you in the right direction a little more.
Hello Dan, I am considering a move to either Truckee or Reno. I live in the central valley, Modesto currently. I am a personal trainer and intend to build my business there as well as I have here in the valley. I am doing most of my research online regarding Reno. It looks like there are many country club environments in Reno. I am hoping to work in Reno, live in Reno and play in Truckee and Tahoe. How long is the commute to Truckee from Reno in the winter? And which neighborhood would you recommend for newer built spacious homes?
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, I am so sorry for the delay here. I wrote you a lengthy response to this from my iPhone right after you posted with links and all, but apparently it failed to post and is not longer on my phone :(.
Anyhow, awesome that you are looking to move to Reno. I’ve done the commute from Reno to Truckee and Truckee to Reno for years: time depends upon where you live in town and the weather. If you live in NorthWest Reno, about 25-30 minutes to Truckee. If you live in South Reno, could be 45min+. My drive from South Reno to Truckee yesterday was 40 min. Weather is the biggest question mark and the hairiest days were actually when I-80 was wet and windy. The I-80 corridor is pretty narrow in stretches and if you’re driving next to a tractor trailer (often the case) in bad weather with glaring lights from the other direction it can be tough.
Weather-wise, if you have an all-wheel drive or 4x vehicle for the commute, you will be fine all winter long. It is very very rare that I-80 closes between Reno and Truckee, but Truckee over the hill is another story. There have been days in the winter when my 40-minute commute on I-80 turns into a 2-hour expedition; but the last few years we haven’t had a ton of snow.
In terms of communities, Old Southwest & Midtown Reno are the trendy / happening places right now. Caughlin Ranch, Galena & Huffaker / Holcomb Ranch are the biggest houses in town. Newest construction would be Spanish Springs, Summerset, & South Meadows. The biggest country-club areas right now are probably Montreux, Arrow Creek, Summerset, Caughlin Ranch / Lakeside, & Red Hawk (though I don’t believe things are going so well out there).
Hope that helps 🙂
Hi Dan! This post is exactly what I needed to see after all the nay-saying articles, one of which was so boldly written by a man who had yet to even visit Reno. My husband [an elementary school teacher] and I [school administrator/bookkeeper background] are thinking about moving from Tallahassee, FL with our now-15-month-old son to Reno in the early summer of 2015. I know many people have ugly things to say about the town [in terms of lack of employment opportunities, drug problems, the wind, etc.] so I was wondering if you could offer any further positive points about living in Reno. Any particular neighborhoods to consider [we would be renting for the first year or so]? What about internet/TV providers? What are the entertainment and dining scenes like? What are the schools like?
I know there is so much to research before making the decision to move across the country, so any insight you can share will certainly be appreciated. Thanks so much!! 🙂
Hi Molly! Glad you found my post :). In terms of neighborhoods, I love Old Southwest Reno (South of California Ave, West of Plumas, North of Plumb, East of Hunter Lake), and I have a lot of friends with kids who live there and love it. My best friend from growing up and her husband and two kids live right by Mt. Rose Elementary (off La Rue), in an awesome little house with beautiful little yard for their two young kids and two dogs. From there they can walk or bike the few blocks down to the Truckee River and parks, they are walking distance to the trendiest new restaurants and breweries, and are in the school district for Reno High (one of the best public schools in Reno).
Even though we have major fiberoptic lines running through Reno, TV/internet is a little bit limited. AT&T Uverse is the best option if you can get it. My wife and I couldn’t get it at our new place so we had to do Charter (not so awesome – they claim 30mbps, but we never get more than 7) for internet and DirecTV.
Dining/entertainment-wise, you can’t go wrong with Mid-town. For Breakfast: Stonehouse, Peg’s Glorified Ham & Eggs, Dreamers, Java Jungle. For lunch: Rubicon Deli, De Lux, Brewers Cabinet, Great Full Gardens. Dinner: SoDo, Midtown Eats, Braserie St. James, Silver Peak, Sup.
Also, check out this other post for some of the lifestyle answers about Reno that I put together: danherr.com/2013/09/08/what-its-like-living-in-reno-lifestyles-answer
Hope that helps 🙂
Hey Dan, I sent you a message on facebook. Please get back to me as I have some apartment buildings that I would like to know about. One is the Belvedere Tower. I want to know about the neigborhood and building from people who live in Reno. Thanks, Jeff
Hi Jeff, my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I just saw your FB message in my “other” folder. I don’t know anyone who lives in the Belvedere Tower, but personally I wouldn’t pick living right there primarily because it right in the center of all of the casinos downtown, next to quite a few sketch motels, and the one area in town where I’ve actually had drugged / drunk people try to punch my truck while I was driving by. That said, you would be right off the highway, near Betos (one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican places) and within walking distance to all of the Casinos if you are into that.
Personally, I would pick something a little further south (closer to the river downtown or midtown).
dan….hi dan my names francine . ive been looking into moving to reno very soon but i have a few doubts about reno… i have two young girls… are the schools good? is reno family friendly? and how bad is the crime rate? im so worried about my kids in a much bigger city then weve been living in (farminton nm) please help me find the truth about reno every website i look into tell me how great it is but kinda feels like all these sites do is tell “wow look ” but i would love to know the truth “the behind the seens truth of reno” please and thank you so much
Hi Francine! My apologies for the delay in responding.
In terms of the schools, Washoe County used to have some of the best in the country (late 90’s and early 2000’s), but the school system is pretty taxed right now because the majority of the revenue for the schools has historically been derived from casino/gaming revenues and gaming has been down the last 10 years. Some of the schools are much better than others. For Reno, I would probably push for Reno, Galena, or Damonte High Schools if I were looking for my kids – otherwise Bishop Manogue is a good private Catholic school in Reno.
Crime hasn’t been a huge issue, but personally I would avoid living in downtown Reno (between the river and I-80) and some areas of Sparks with kids, mainly because it is just a bit sketchy.
Overall I would say that Reno is very much a family town and it is big enough to have all of the amenities but small enough where you run into folks you know all around town.
I hope that helps :). Also, I’ve made this map to show might thoughts on areas to avoid living within in Reno and areas that are more attractive in my opinion:
https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208143417348294698466.0004bf8a8644031f5170c&msa=0&ll=39.502186,-119.802475&spn=0.232059,0.195351
Cheers,
Dan
P.S. – I originally made that map in looking for areas to do residential real estate development – I was looking for a certain cultural feel, so everywhere with a marker doesn’t necessarily mean bad, some are more suburban shopping centers that I was just looking to avoid at the time.
Dan,
In the same boat. I currently live up in Tahoe, but need to expand my professional career. There just isn’t enough money up here to be a viable option for me anymore. I have recently been looking at houses in Reno and must say that I really do enjoy NW/SW Reno. I was like everyone else- I had only heard bad things and had no desire to move there. Until I actually took a walk around the city one day. I love the idea of being within walking distance to parks, the Truckee, and Aces stadium. I can also find about double the house there for half the money! With a yard! What do you know about mountain biking in the area? I know that Tahoe is still close, but wanted to see if you knew anything else right in the area. Is there a resurgence of young people moving to the area? And the real estate seems to be flying off the shelves- every house I have looked at in the past two weeks is already in escrow.. Hoping for good things!!
Thanks!
Dan from Tahoe
Dan, Absolurely! I particularly love Old SW Reno.
In terms of mountain biking in Reno? – The Dry Pond loop at Jones/Whites is a favorite – http://www.washoecounty.us/repository/files/28/jonesshitesthomascreekpdf.pdf. Also, there is some fun to be had at Keystone Canyon – (page 45) http://www.washoecounty.us/repository/files/28/TrailsGuideFinal.pdf. I haven’t done it yet, but I keep hearing about the downhill from Sheep’s Flat off 431 down to Bowers Mansion. Otherwise, personally I like just being able to ride down to the river and back and forth to work in town.
Personally, I have seen a huge resurgence in Midtown / Old Southwest. Lots of trendy new eateries, bars and breweries opening up.
Best up luck finding a place!!
I’m right behind ya Dan! I’ve lived here most of my life and I’ve been faced by many “haters” and ignorantes. When traveling out of town and meeting new people, I’m usually asked where I’m from. Many times my answer is responded to by a certain look and something like “ohhhhh…. really… reno….” I’m not sure where it all stems from but most towns exhibit some drug and poverty issues just like Reno. Reno doesn’t stand out anymore than most other cities of it’s size on the crime rates list, so why it gets such a bad rep from out of towners is beyond me.
Jesse with renoplumbingco.com
Agreed Jesse! Have you seen http://biggestlittlecity.org/ ? You should definitely tell your story 🙂
Okay, so I am Kyle, and I am currently on active duty military. I would like to say that nothing makes you miss home more than being away. Well I’m from Reno, and Reno is a LOT better than a lot of people give claim to it as. Like any person born and raised there, I did bag on it, but now look back and realize hell, Reno is safe from a lot of the natural disasters that would tear through continuously. There’s not going to be a hurricane, tsunami, or tornado. It rains, big deal, we know how to swim, and the flood from the Truckee river did do some damages, but look, we’ve bounced back. We got the Sparks marina from a flood, and since then its done good. Sure there’s snow, but our airport is better equipped than others around the nation! I can tell you this, we are an experimentation city for businesses, and can help the country out a lot. Given that we do have a high homeless population, and that there’s places going there that I never heard of, its helping them out. Five Guys is new, and its helping just that much more people!
Aside from that, I love Reno. Like, where can you go in the states, aside from Nevada, that has 24/7 stores all over the place? The casinos are 24/7, the bars are open pretty much all night, alcohol is sold 24/7 as well! Even in grocery stores! South Carolina put a limit to when they can sell it, and what stores have it. NOT IN RENO! 🙂 There’s alcohol in the corner store, the wally world, casinos, and other places. I know our schooling isn’t the best, but you know, they’re working on it! I can tell you this, Nevada also has the best damn roads in the country! You’ll see the obviousness when crossing over to California. We have an amazing location, being just 30 minutes away from both the capitol, and Lake Tahoe. Our city is producing some amazing people from athletes(Ryan Bader, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Carr), to writers (Mark Twain), to warriors of the American military, to even a tv show that really didn’t do much for Reno (Reno 911). But Reno 911 did spread knowledge to a lot of people and showed some of the good things of Reno for some people. Now if some people want fun, get a gun and go shooting, 4-wheeling/mudding, dirtbiking, paintballing, or whatever in the hills just behind Sun Valley. Then there’s the Reno A’s, and Bighorns, and the new indoor football team that’s there. Hell, we even have the largest outdoor rock climbing wall, the Reno Academy of Combat, RENO RODEO, Hot August Nights, Rib cookoff, Reno Air Races, the truckee river, Concrete/cement canoe races, and the city gets behind the college (UNR) for whatever sporting event! The GSR did turn blue for them when they went to the Rose Bowl in 2011 (I think it was when UNR went 11-1), the Reno arch turned blue, and so did the rest of downtown. I think even one casino purchased out the front page of the newspapers to show support! I do know that “The biggest little city in the world!” has lost a lot of meaning, but its coming back! I see more big name bands of music going there each year, and soon enough the big league sports will be back! (After the 1920’s boxing match that was supposed to happen). Oh, we are also the place with a drive-thru marriage! Plus, the state did allow divorces in the 60s for a major change in the nation!
As for side explanation… I miss Hot August Nights, and I know that so many classic vehicles come there, and it truly shows the American auto industry along with a lot of enthusiasm with the candy the vehicle’s occupants throw, the guy on the piano on the trailer, and just a broad variety of what people like. I can’t imagine any other place hosting it because there are great roads in Reno for the cruise, neon lights for the perfect picture, and it brings back the heyday of it all! So if any recommendation, I advise to visit the city whenever there is an event going on! It brings out more liveliness with people actually out and about during daylight, and it has just that much more quality.
Personally I believe that Reno can have its heyday again and be back on the map for something awesome to come! Possibly become bigger than Vegas….
Well said Kyle my man!
Hi Kyle or Daniel, I went there Reno. The weather was pleasant during summer. However, how about earthquake? You mentioned that there didn’t have hurricane, tornado, or tsunami. That is cool! And how is pricing everything there? High or low? How about crime?
ER – there are definitely earthquakes from time to time in the area, and if you are buying an older house in the area (especially brick ones), I would make sure to have it inspected and earthquake retrofitted if possible. UNR and USGS have some substantial resources in the area toward monitoring and preparing for earthquakes. In my experience the biggest thing is to make your house ready for it – usually it is stuff falling that has the potential to trap you or knock you out that is the biggest threat (as opposed to structures actually falling down). Here is a good USGS page on Nevada Earthquakes: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/?region=Nevada as well as a guide on earthquake preparedness: http://www.seismo.unr.edu/Files/Preparedness/nvguide_2010.pdf
In terms of pricing, the general consumer pricing index is definitely lower than say the Bay Area / San Francisco (it used to be some 77% less). Housing prices are starting to rise substantially the last few years with bigger employers like Tesla building substantial operations in the area – I imagine some of that price increase is speculative. In general I would say it is much easier to live comfortably in Reno than many parts of the country.
In terms of crime, you are pretty safe as long as you are away from the Casinos. Like any city there are some homeless folks, and some drug and robberies etc, but most of that is right around the casinos and a few trailer park areas.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for your replying, Dan Herr! Can you explain about Sparks? Which area is best there? Thanks again.
ER – I have never lived out in Sparks myself, so I don’t know if I can give you a perfect answer, but here is some general color: Sparks is an industrial / commerce city first and foremost. Many of the major corporations in town have offices, warehouses, or yards near I-80 (many on the South side).
Pyramid Way is one of he main arteries for traffic up to Spanish Springs and gets to be a parking lot during commute hours. A bypass is planned that will connect 395 near Dandini to Pyramid Highway near Lost Altos in the future, but I don’t know how far off that truly is. Most of the housing inside the McCarran loop in Sparks feels crammed in to me and there are some off/sketchy neighborhoods I would personally avoid in there.
There are lots of quality areas to live off Vista / Los Altos with easy access to the Costco / Home Depot and other shopping near Pyramid Highway, but when you live out there you will definitely feel a little removed from town. I know a number of folks that live out near Red Hawk and beyond that really like it and new housing development will continue out that way in the coming years (including Kiley Ranch).
Personally there are a lot of areas I would choose in Reno before looking at Sparks, but then again if you have to commute out to USA Parkway East of Reno, Sparks is probably where you want to look.
Dan, Thanks again! It helps me. I would post my comment if I have any questions.
Hi Dan, I have some questions. I don’t know about Reno’s weather. How is climate? How long does there have snow? Heavy?. How about flooding? I considered about living there. Thanks.
The Climate in general is dry, but in certain times of the year it can be gusty windy. Snow doesn’t often reach the valley floor, but every few years a strong storm will dump a few feet in Reno. Flooding has only happened in extreme year like 1997, but there can be some local flash flooding during thunderstorms (not usually a big deal).
All the best – Dan
Sound good! I forgot one thing. I love dry climate. How often cold during wintertime? Mild cold or colder? I like warm/cool. Good thumb, Dan!
It definitely gets below freezing often in the winter and the high desert has the ability to swing 50 degrees F day to night. Summer highs can be above 100F and I have seen it below -10F in winter. But usually I would say summer is more like 90-something and winter is more like 30-40-something. It is not like the northeast where the cold never goes away and it is not like Vegas where the hot never goes away. You will need a jacket for winter, but Reno gives you mostly very comfortable temperatures with a bend toward warmer and sunny (300+ days).
Thank you, Dan! Your helping is great! I know that you had experience about Reno and also you grew up there. 👍 Hopefully, I would move there. Who knows?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nGYkEBDjX8 rated the 11th worst town in the country to live in… this site is all hype and advertising. Reno is a filthy town of heroine and oxy addicts. You can buy your ford and get your fix all in the same place. High high levels of poverty and homeless–NW reno is nothing but a begging zone….every street corner so they can get their dope and cigarettes.
Kinda off topic… but how about some Dirt bike single track? (not mountain bikes… the gas gas kind)
Looking to relocate to Reno from DC, hoping to live in a neighborhood with good access to mountain trails (trail running) but also very family friendly (we have a 14 month old, so playgrounds and libraries are huge, plus a nice, safe, low traffic neighborhood for going on walks, etc). Old southwest Reno seems like your pick for family friendly but doesn’t look very close to the foothills, although it is hard to tell from google maps. Any advice? Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the questions Katheryn. My wife actually did the same move in 2010 moving back to Reno from working on the hill in DC – so I hope it goes well 🙂
I would still probably say Old Southwest, but as you say there are not a ton of mountainous trails right out your back door from there. My wife used to run a lot of the streets and loops from our place off Plumas and McCarran which she loved, but that is mostly street running. Bartley Ranch is really close to the southern end of Southwest of Plumas which has some little trails to run.
I have three thoughts here though based upon trail running: 1.) Keystone Canyon/NW Reno, 2.) Arrow Creek/Galena, (3) Skyline/Caughlin Ranch. Keystone Canyon (starts near where Keystone Ave and McCarran intersect west of Virginia) is a great mountain biking and trail run that connects to lots of other trails, but very hilly and some of the trails are not well defined. Arrow Creek and Galena areas have a number of trails and parks and particularly the Jones/Whites Trails area awesome hike/run/bike areas. Skyline/Caughlin Ranch would give you easy access to the trail along the flume as well as river trails (the Truckee River trail is great to run especially near Mayberry Park. This trail map might help give some more color on trails: https://www.washoecounty.us/repository/files/28/TrailsGuideFinal.pdf
Some other words to the wise: Keystone Canyon and NW Reno get very windy and a lot of the streets are a bit higher traffic. Old Southwest in certain areas would still be the lower traffic option to me. Galena is a very family-friendly area, but depending upon where you are there it may or may not be great for walks. One other option is South Meadows – a lot of my friends are buying places down there and they have kids, strollers etc and there are lots of awesome trails for running along the marshes in that area. Now that I think about it, that could be one of your best options, but that is further from downtown. Maybe looks at some spots off Veterans Parkway and check out the running trails, particularly right by Veterans and Serratina – there are tons of interconnects and offshoots around that loop.
Best of luck!
There are no good areas any more. Old SW is prime target for thieves and gangs as there are lots of fairly unprotected elderly in that area and the new people moving to town have very very very little money (most coming here because they can’t afford living elsewhere) — homeless and drugs are horrific here and the mayor is a blooming idiot (a nice idiot but an idiot all the same)… The council is just one step below idiot. Don’t do it… there are no qualities that make up for the drug,homeless and low education the town now supports. You will be in culture shock.
First and foremost, great and informative website. I might be relocating to Reno (job offer) in the near future and am deciding if Reno is for me. Have a few questions for ya.
I was looking at the SouthEastern part of the city to rent, good idea? Also, how is the VA (veterans hospital) and services for veterans? I’m relocating from SE Asia (lived here the last five years or so and prior to that about three years in Europe) and wondering how easy it is for my wife to find employment in Reno (she is a real estate agent but is OK working most any job she can use English in). Is Reno bicycle friendly? Is Reno business friendly for startups? Are the local government and police competent?
Thanks for your opinions on the above.
T – glad to hear you find it useful! SE part of Reno works really well for a lot of folks. Some of my good friends live in the Double Diamond and Veterans Parkway areas and really love it. Actually I just went for a run with them down there last weekend, and I really love the paths down there for sure.
Now, if by SE Reno you mean near the Airport, or along Wells Ave, that can be a different story. I would consider Wells to be more edgy and borderline seedy areas of town, but for some it is starting to be up and coming. All depends upon what you are looking for. Personally I wouldn’t pick to live with my wife near the VA hospital, but that is me.
In terms of employment in real estate in Reno, I don’t imagine there would be much of a problem with that at the moment. Reno is going through some solid growth at the moment since Tesla, Apple, and others moved into the area. Real estate prices have been on the rise big time the last two years and there isn’t enough room in the schools for all the folks who have moved to the area (they actually just went to rotational schedules in a number of them – different groups of kids in the mornings and evenings at the same school).
Reno is becoming more and more bicycle friendly, especially in what we call “Old Southwest”. Startups too. I would make sure to checkout the Reno Collective (renocollective.com) and 1MC (http://www.1millioncups.com/reno) if you want to start getting in touch with the Reno startup scene. Also, Tahoe Silicon Mountain (http://www.tahoesiliconmountain.com) up in Truckee.
Reno City Gov has some ups and downs, but I would say competent, yet there is definitely room for improvement. My friend Hillary was elected Mayor a few years ago and she has been working hard to change things from the cronyism that existed to being more progressive. It is a process to be sure.
All in all, there are lots of good reasons to move to Reno and I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone who has not lived in the area. There is so much to enjoy about it. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check our this other post: https://danherr.com/2013/09/08/what-its-like-living-in-reno-lifestyles-answer/
Best of luck!
– Dan
Thanks for the fast reply. Yea, was thinking about the Double Diamond area and did a Google street view on it and it looked nice and clean. Reno wasn’t even on my radar originally (heard bad things about it), but after checking it out for myself online it seems like a good place to live. Weather is nice, lots to do, low taxes, local sports teams, local airport, a Veterans hospital, parks and nature as opposed to the concrete jungles I’ve been living in most of my life.
Good to hear Reno is business friendly as my wife was considering opening up a handmade SE Asia boho fashion shop at some point.
Thanks again for the reply.
Not a problem – best of luck!