Moving to Lovelock, NV (Las Vegas, Reno: new home, to buy, contractor)

[C&J]

Hi all - we've purchased a lot at the Humboldt River Ranch Assoc, in Lovelock, NV. Will be building a home there and intend to retire there in the next 5 yrs. Wondered what the Lovelock area is like? Is this area good for gardening (fruit trees, flowers, vegetables)? Since there is the Rye Patch Reservoir nearby, is it good for boating? What's the average rainfall like? I thought I read it gets maybe an inch a year - is this correct? What's the shopping like for groceries? Is a Costco in any of the major cities nearby? Any other info is greatly appreciated.
Regards from California - but Nevada-bound!
Judy

[humboldtrat]

Did you visit the Humboldt River Ranch area first? There's not much there - out in the middle of no-where. Yes, there is boating and fishing at Rye Patch Res. It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there year round. There's not much to recommend Lovelock (pop about 2000). Much of the downtown area is boarded up and the the only market is a small Safeway. The nearest Costco is probably in Reno - about 110 miles away. Much of the economy in northern Nevada depends on mining which goes through boom and bust cycles. Check out Winnemucca (pop about 7000) and a short drive to Rye Patch Res. It's a small town, but there are things to do there. They even have a Wal-Mart.

[MAXX2]

Moved from Las Vegas to Lovelock in '05, and just finished our new home here in Lovelock.

We love the town, the people, the train, and since we are retired, it's the perfect place for us. Anywhere you move to is what you want to make of it.

We chose to be in town for the amenities of the new subdivision we built in, but would have also enjoyed a ten acre parcel to put a large shop building on for our race car.

The area has a chance to grow if the local politicians get their heads out of the sand and welcome a few small or medium size businesses to move into the area.

Note that the "Yuppies" are moving from Calif. to places where there are trains running thru the town, so who knows.

Didn't look it up, but think there is around 6" +/- of rain each year, and spent all day yesterday getting the snow and ice off the driveways and sidewalks.

Always think of the "Glass Half Full, And You Can't Go Wrong!!!!!"

[greatbasinguide]

Oh, my gawd,, there are wonderful places to buy, build and live in Nevada, But Humboldt ranches ain't one of them,, 20 miles due east over the mountains is a bit of heaven though.

[MAXX2]

Originally Posted by C&J

Hi all - we've purchased a lot at the Humboldt River Ranch Assoc, in Lovelock, NV. Will be building a home there and intend to retire there in the next 5 yrs. Wondered what the Lovelock area is like? Is this area good for gardening (fruit trees, flowers, vegetables)? Since there is the Rye Patch Reservoir nearby, is it good for boating? What's the average rainfall like? I thought I read it gets maybe an inch a year - is this correct? What's the shopping like for groceries? Is a Costco in any of the major cities nearby? Any other info is greatly appreciated.
Regards from California - but Nevada-bound!
Judy

Don't worry about any "Half Empty" comments on this site. If you are going to build a home on the property, then that's fine, especially if you want acreage. If you are leaning towards a modular, then figure everything down to the last penny with your modular company and the actual contractor. That includes the well, the septic system, foundation, utilities to the actual modular, etc.

You will be surprised to find out that you can build a stick built home for the same price, REALLY!

Good Luck whatever you decide, and welcome to the area. We have received a very "Warm Welcome".

[greatbasinguide]

No,,, Humboldt ranch estates is desperate sagebrush flats, you could have a home with topography, PJ's trout water,, elsewhere in Nevada

And,, if you build a stick built you can expect to pay $200+ per sq ft.. Our modular went in complete for $85 per sq foot

[RockyMtnr]

Think I've spent time in every town in Nevada and walked every square inch of it - deserts, mountains and all. Oddly, my favorite was Lovelock. There's so much going on in the other towns from active mining that they just seem so ... so ... detracted from. If I remember correctly, west of town a ways is access into the Golconda area - which is middle-of-nowhere stuff but covered with wild horses - and you can maybe go pick yourself some wild tourmaline and diatemaceous earth. Winnemucca does have the best omelets though and Reno, well, some folks love it. Be sure to take that boat on up to Tahoe in the summer. Good luck!

[dano]

Yikes,

If that's where I think it is I've got some swamp land in Florida you might be interested in.

Seriously, I did a fair amount of water skiing on Rye Patch back in the '80's and remember someone doing a housing development off of the road from I-80to the ****. I think it was called Humboldt Ranch Estates. Hope you like lizards and alkaline, although it may have improved over the last 30 years. Also, with the droughts the west has experienced over the last decade, I'm not sure if you can always count on enough water in the resevior for recreation. Lovelock is 20 minutes away and I think it still has a Safeway they've been trying to close for the last 50 years. Winnemucca is 40 minutes away with some restaurants and entertainment but not much.

[greatbasinguide]

That was it, the chunk of land they are moving to does not have much to recommend it. bad water, windy, no trees, sage and alkali. Sad, since there are so many truly fine areas in Nevada.

[cleosmom]

I guess there is a place for everyone, but Lovelock? Now that's a complete shock. Don't mean to put down anyone who lives there, but anytime I've been through it wasn't doing much to impress me.