Great question. In my humble opinion, moving to Reno is primarily a lifestyle choice.
Overall Reno:
- is a pretty cool place near lots of awesomeness:
- Lake Tahoe
- Sierra Nevadas
- Black Rock Desert (if you are into the Burning Man scene)
- Plenty of skiing, kayaking, SUPing, hiking, biking, you name it.
- has a revival taking place in Midtown with awesome new breweries, restaurants, and bars. Lots of new startups and a small but growing Reno tech scene. Food coop. Completely bike-able and walkable areas of town.
- is big enough to have most everything you want in a city: Major brand and big-box stores (i.e. Apple, Costco, ), outlets (i.e. Nike, ) trendy bars and clubs (i.e. Death & Taxes, Public House, Chocolate Bar, EDGE), restaurants (Midtown Eats, CAMPO),
- is small enough that you can get most anywhere in town in 15 minutes and you can run into people you know all over town.
- You have major transport to wherever you want to visit that is not here and Reno is central to the West Coast.
The Locavore:
Picture this:
Friday evening in summer and it is about 85 degrees out. You live in Old Southwest Reno (best part of town to live in), after you get home from a day of work at the Reno Collective you, your better half and your 2-year old Labrador pup (who has an awesome yard because you live in Southwest), ride your bikes down to the river, go for a quick swim in the Truckee river’s downtown wavepools, grab some grub at Foodtruck Friday, and even catch some live music in Wingfield Park. After grabbing a beer at the Sierra Tap House you run into that cool couple you met at Craft last week and you all bike down to Death & Taxes in Midtown Reno for a late-evening Calavarques. You wander over to Public House and sample every beer on tap realizing that even though that Mikkeller saison is damn good, Icky is still where it’s at.
The Sportsman:
It’s Friday mid-evening, and after calling it a day you grab a quick round of golf at Washoe, Lakeridge, Montrêux, Red Hawk with the boys. You call up the ladies and they meet you at Brasiere St. James for cocktails, craft brews and that famous Buenos Aires Barbeque Platter. Everybody says, we should go grab that awesome new flick, and a few blocks later you are downtown Reno along the Truckee River in front of the big screen followed by ice cream, and a cappuccino martini at Chocolate Bar.
Motorhead:
Your YFZ 450 has been itching for a ride. Since you bought the perfect house in Spanish Springs, you and your homeboys are right out the back door and ripping into the senset. Grab the boat on Saturday morning and you’re only an hour away from epic wakeboarding on Stampede, Boca, Donner, Lahonta
n, or Tahoe. And shoot, I forgot, tomorrow is race day at Hangtown, no worries it is just over the hill (two hours away).
Powder hound:
Believe me, I understand you brotha. If you are moving here, you better bring your GNAR. 15 resorts within two hours: Squaw Valley, Northstar, Heavenly, Sugar Bowl, Kirkwood, Homewood, Boreal, Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak, and then some. You get the picture :). But if we are being real, backcountry is where it’s at: Maggies, Tallac, Blackwood Canyon, Mt. Rose Wilderness, Incline Peak, Castle Peak, and on the list goes. Get your Subi or Tacoma and mount up.
The Outdoorsman
Photo by Zak Shelhamer
Mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, disk golf, horseback riding, even high-altitude vinyasa yoga; yeah, we’ve got that. Minutes from world-famous white-water training (not to mention just over the hill from the American River), an hour to the Pacific Crest Trail or the Tahoe Rim Trail, day-trips away from the Desolation Wilderness and the Sierra Buttes, half-day from the Pacific Coast, and only a day to Central Oregon, Utah, and Arizona. Reno is a prime spot to be close to everything outdoors.
Burner
Photo by Zak Shelhamer
Freedom fighter:
Explore the Great Basin and ride off into the sunset. From Reno you can easily disappear into the desert for your choice of guns, brews and barbecues, deer, chucker, lizards and natural hotsprings, Night in the Country, the Reno Rodeo, Reno Rib Cookoff, and Hot August Nights.
DanHerr.com 
There are a ton of other great events in Reno too, like the Great Air Balloon Races and the Air Races. And there should be some good wakeboarding at the Tige MyWake Challenge coming up in October at the Sparks Marina. Great post- thanks for sharing!
Agreed! I definitely got my Balloon on this weekend :). That wake challenge sounds cool, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
Reblogged this on Made In Reno.
Damn i stopped reading it at the yz 450f … Born n raised in reno until i was 24 i live in seattle now and miss reno lifestyle. Although seattle is a great place to be for various reasons reno is my home and i still am a reno person i love my 01 cr 250 thats updated and dialed n love riding i ride out here but deal with shittt track conditions n lack of desert. Uggg miss you reno wish you had more money
Kyleb, I hear you and I know Reno would love to have you back. I actually am spending more time in SF now for the same reason. Maybe with all the new companies moving into the area there will be a chance one of these days 🙂