My wife and I are thinking of relocating to Carson City, Nevada! Please help us with this decision! (Las Vegas: fit in, condo)

[AndyLoosbrock]

I am 32. Wife is 29. No kids, yet.

I am a banker. 9 years experience. Want to deal with loans.

Wife is a legal assistant. Certified parapegal. Loves her job. Also has worked in a courthouse setting, county seat in Sioux Falls, SD. LOVED it. Her favorite job ever.

We are Lutherans. LCMS. Our faith is VERY important to us.

We are Republicans. We are very conservative, and steadfast in our beliefs.

We are from Southwest Minnesota. The weather here is AWFUL! So cold and windy during the 7 month winter. Blizzards and HORRIBLE roads. Summers are NO better. Hot and Humid (and still VERY windy). Plus the severe weather threats. Tornadoes and hail.

Our hometown is 135 in population. It STINKS. Nothing to do. No grocery stores. No school.

What we want:

We want a larger town, obviously. We are thinking 9-10k, MINIMUM. We don't want Salem size, but 50K or so is about our median.

We want our kids to go to school in the same town we live. And GOOD schools.

We want to do it all in one town. Live, work, have kids go to school, GO TO CHURCH, etc.

We, of course, want nice TEMPERATE weather, almost year round. NO extremes. NO severe weather.

Above all, we want to live in a town where our church has a large presence. We want to send our kids to bible study and church classes IN THE SAME TOWN.

That about sums it up!

[humboldtrat]

I think Carson City will work for you. Although it's the state capitol, CC is sort of small town with a little suburban sprawl. It has plenty of shopping. I can't comment on the quality of schools. Carson City does have cold winters with snow but not as bad as Minnesota and winter is probably shorter than in MN. Summer is nice with the highs getting into the 90's but with low humidity. The towns of Minden and Gardnerville to the south are nice too.

If you like the outdoors (hiking, camping, skiing, etc.), you'll like the Carson City area. It's on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. and near Lake Tahoe. The area has greenery, although just east of Carson you get into the high desert area.

[AndyLoosbrock]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

I think Carson City will work for you. Although it's the state capitol, CC is sort of small town with a little suburban sprawl. It has plenty of shopping. I can't comment on the quality of schools. Carson City does have cold winters with snow but not as bad as Minnesota and winter is probably shorter than in MN. Summer is nice with the highs getting into the 90's but with low humidity. The towns of Minden and Gardnerville to the south are nice too.

If you like the outdoors (hiking, camping, skiing, etc.), you'll like the Carson City area. It's on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. and near Lake Tahoe. The area has greenery, although just east of Carson you get into the high desert area.

Does Carson City get much bad weater, ie Tornadoes and Hail? Also, how windy is windy?

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by AndyLoosbrock

Does Carson City get much bad weater, ie Tornadoes and Hail? Also, how windy is windy?

No tornados. Some afternoon thunderstorms during the summer that last for about an hour. It does get windy sometimes.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by AndyLoosbrock

Actually, if you want specifics, my wife and I are taking a day trip over to Carson City from out vacation in San Fran on March 29....it is about a 4 hour drive. I think Carson City is the place for us. More sun and less grass for our allergies...LOL! Thanks!

Take some time and visit Minden and Gardnerville to the south of Carson City. Beautiful area. Carson Valley Visitors Authority - Carson Valley, Nevada -- Genoa, Gardnerville, Minden, Topaz Lake - Events, Recreation, Hotels, Casinos, Restaurants

[30STM]

From what you posted I doubt you will fit in , in carson city.

[AndyLoosbrock]

Originally Posted by 30STM

From what you posted I doubt you will fit in , in carson city.

Reasons please? I think we would!

[olecapt]

YOu would appear to have a number of problems.

The business in Carson City is state government...not much else. That says a politically oriented citizenry that will follow the party in power. That, for the immediate future and perhaps forever will be the dems. The area has a mildly Republican cast but it will, in time, be overwhelmed by the dems. So you will be politically unhappy.

There is small demand for loan officers. Paralegals may do OK working for the State of Nevada.

Missouri Synod Lutherans would be a small minority. We do a number of other religions first...mormons, catholics other protestant dialects. You would find few fellow believers.

The weather can be fierce. It is not of the same level as your part of Minnesota but it is no way a temperate climate. It gets cold and snowy and the wind blows really strong. It is hot in the summer though not humid.

The schools are marginally adequate...at best.

You might well do better in Gardnerville/Minden. But again I would suspect the demand for loan officers to be low...and even a good paralegal may have trouble finding a job. May have to commute to Carson City.

You could also go east and find a social system you might like...Yerrington or Fallon...but the employment is awful.

You thought about Idaho?

[garth]

Originally Posted by AndyLoosbrock

I am 32. Wife is 29. No kids, yet.

I am a banker. 9 years experience. Want to deal with loans.

Wife is a legal assistant. Certified parapegal. Loves her job. Also has worked in a courthouse setting, county seat in Sioux Falls, SD. LOVED it. Her favorite job ever.

We are Lutherans. LCMS. Our faith is VERY important to us.

We are Republicans. We are very conservative, and steadfast in our beliefs.

We are from Southwest Minnesota. The weather here is AWFUL! So cold and windy during the 7 month winter. Blizzards and HORRIBLE roads. Summers are NO better. Hot and Humid (and still VERY windy). Plus the severe weather threats. Tornadoes and hail.

Our hometown is 135 in population. It STINKS. Nothing to do. No grocery stores. No school.

What we want:

We want a larger town, obviously. We are thinking 9-10k, MINIMUM. We don't want Salem size, but 50K or so is about our median.

We want our kids to go to school in the same town we live. And GOOD schools.

We want to do it all in one town. Live, work, have kids go to school, GO TO CHURCH, etc.

We, of course, want nice TEMPERATE weather, almost year round. NO extremes. NO severe weather.

Above all, we want to live in a town where our church has a large presence. We want to send our kids to bible study and church classes IN THE SAME TOWN.

That about sums it up!

Well, let me give you my insight.

First, I have to stay away from addressing your job prospects, other than to offer some general advice. You do know that Nevada is one of the hardest hit states in the Nation in both housing and employment, right?. I would hope that you had a job lined-up before picking everyone up and moving. I don't think I would like to do it on a hope and a prayer.

Second, this is some advice from someone with a long Minnesota family history that homesteaded in northern Minnesota previous to the last century. You can understand our association with LCMS.

With that in mind, Carson City has a nice LCMS church, more or less in the middle of town. It's west of the main street through town in a residential area and it has a school with it. I'm not sure of the grades, however.

As you know, LCMS congregations can be more traditional or a little less traditional and still stay within their teachings. The Carson City congregation is more on the traditional side.

If you want something a little more contemporary, there is another LCMS congregation at the south end of Carson City. I think it's actually just over the county line in Douglas County, but people would more easily link it to Carson City rather than Minden/Gardnerville.

Finally, we come to MInden. It's about 10 miles or so south of the south end of Carson City. It also has a long-standing LCMS congregation. Minden (Douglas County) was settled by Germans a long time ago, so a big part of the community were Lutherans.

I found the Minden congregation is a little less traditional in some respects but it certainly isn't fully contemporary. For example, they don't have a woman pastor since it's obviously not condoned in the LCMS, but they will have women reading the lesson part of the service from time to time. It's something that didn't happen years ago and is not practiced in some local congregations to this date, but it's certainly allowed under current LCMS teachings.

The nice thing about Minden/Gardnerville, is that it also has a great Lutheran High School. In fact, I think they're building a brand new facility towards the north end of the county. Combined with the elementary school associated with the Minden LCMS congregation, your children can attend Lutheran schools all the way through their senior year. Of course it is private, so it will cost you money to send the kids, but it has an outstanding academic reputation.

You will not find an ELCA congrgation in Dougals County (Minden/Gardnerville) but there is one in Carson City that I know about. I know that it's not a synod of your choosing, but I thought I'd mention it in case you would consider it, too.

There is no WELS congregation in either place. That might have been an option if you were seeking a more traditional or orthodox Lutheran environment.

Finally, I need to caution you that there is a big difference between the Midwest and Nevada. Whereas the religious tone in a Midwest community seems to be a big part of the culture, it's nowhere near the same out here. That doesn't mean that an individual doesn't hold their beliefs dear and practice them in their daily life. It just doesn't seem so close to the surface as I found it in Midwest towns and cities.

As for the politics, in spite of the state voting Dingy Harry back in, Douglas County is dominated by Republican registrations. I can't say I've really looked at the breakdown of Carson City, but I don't expect it to be California east like you'd find in Clark County (Las Vegas).

If I had to pigeon-hole the "politics" of the region, I would describe it more Libertarian than Republican . . . IN GENERAL. That might bring some concerns for you in light of what you wrote.

For example, you do know that gambling is legal in this state. Does that bother you? You do know that people smoke inside hotels and casinos around Carson and Douglas County. Does that bother you? You do know that alcohol is served 24 hours-a-day. Is that a problem? Also, although prostitution is not legal in Douglas County or Carson City, you do know that there are cat houses just to the east of Carson in the next County, right? Does that cause you any angst?

Apparently for most people in the region, it doesn't cause them any problems. It's live and let live. The cats aren't on their front porch, so their activities across the county line are of no concern - apparently.

In regards to the weather, you do know that it snows in both Carson City and Douglas County, right? It's nothing like Minnesota, but it does snow. It's nice to have studded tires in the Winter.

However, if you drive into the mountains (i.e., various Lake Tahoe communities), you'll feel right at home. There's lots of snow up there.

There's also something called the Washoe Zephyr that's common. It's simply big winds. Windy days are common in the afternoons, especially in the Summer. Some people like them because it cools them off. Others who live on acreage in drier neghborhoods don't like the sand that blows into their houses.

If you truely want temperate weather, the eastern Sierra isn't the place to find it. If it's of high importance to you, I would say the coastal regions of SoCal would be more appropriate - somewhere where it doesn't feeze in the Winter and it never gets above 80 in the Summer. Coastal San Diego, Coastal Orange County, Ventrua or Santa Barbara come to mind.

I don't want to come off like a smart aleck, but I guess I kinda' did. What I really want to do is to get across that the Eastern Sierra has weather and seasons. They're not as severe as your neck-o-the-woods, but they are in Carson and Douglas areas.

On the other hand, I've never seen a tornado around here. Douglas and Carson just don't get those kind of watches or warnings.

However, there is something else that has a chance of happening. The Sierra Nevada range of mountains didn't grow because God watered them. There is a chance of earthquakes in the region.

The Genoa fault line is one that comes to mind. It runs along the base of the mountains below Lake Tahoe and is considered an active fault. The last info I read on the subject specified that Nevada was the third most active state for earthquakes. It was behind California, with I think Alaska in second place (I'm not sure about Alaska). It's something that you don't even think about in Minnesota.

That should be enough for now. I hope I've given you some things to think about. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best.

[AndyLoosbrock]

Thank you VERY much, posters. Your replies were of GREAT assistance.