Are there any quaint towns in NV? (Las Vegas, Reno: schools, colleges)

[Amberyl]

I have friends and family in NV. I will be moving soon and NV is among the states in the area I would like to live. Can someone give me some feedback if there are any towns in NV that fit the bill of what I am looking for?

I live in Mesa, Arizona right now and I am considering moving because I have been without the four seasons for too long. I really want to live somewhere where each season gets equal time share.

I also have two small children (5+6) who will both be starting school this year, so I want to move before school starts so they will not have to switch schools later on. I need to move somewhere that has great education either in the town, or very nearby, so we could commute.

I am looking for a quaint town, much like the town of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. I want to live somewhere where everyone knows everyone else.

I would like to be close enough to at least one larger city. And close enough to a decent college.

I am planning for this to be my last move. I want to settle down and raise my family. Can anyone please suggest a town that sounds like what I am looking for?

[jacknevada]

Minden, Gardnerville, Dayton or Fernley and maybe even Yerington. All an hour or less from Reno. Carson City is certainly "quaint" but getting too large.

[verynicebecky]

I live in Yerington and I would not call it "quaint."

OP, where in Nevada do your family and friends live?

[scirocco22]

Just curious, "does everyone know everyone else" in Yerrington, Becky?

I'm almost thinking that a town where that happens would have to have a population of less than 500.

[verynicebecky]

Well 'rocco...No, I don't know everyone and my mom (who has been living here for about 16 years and used to work in a store downtown, plays the free poker tourney downtown once a week, goes to the Sr. Center a few times a week) she doesn't know everyone either.
I would say 500 would be about right. I lived and worked in a town of about 900 once and I didn't know everyone.

I thought Austin or Eureka might fit the bill for the OP, but they are too far from a large city. Virginia City is quant. What is the name of the lil' town just down the hill from it....Silver City. I guess those kids go to school in Dayton?

[NVDave]

OK, there are small towns and smaller towns in Northern NV.

If you want "four seasons" - coming from Mesa, you'll want to look north of US-6 (look at the road that runs from Tonopah east to around Lund). North of that highway is a real "winter" and south of that line, you'll see very little snow in winter.

Here's some ideas for you:

Smith Valley: A small ag community outside of Yerington, south of Fallon.

Yerington is big enough that you won't know literally everyone, but you'll know most folks.

Austin and Eureka on US-50 - small enough that you will know everyone. I lived in Eureka and I knew everyone in Eureka, a dozen or more people from Austin and a couple dozen from Ely, as well as dozens in Elko, Winnemucca and Lovelock. Schools in Eureka are excellent.

Close to a bigger city for conveniences: Lovelock fits your description fairly closely, as Reno is about 90 minutes west. Places like Austin and Eureka are three and four hours away from Reno, respectively.

If you're expecting a "big city" to be less than 30 minutes away, you're outta luck. In Nevada, things are far apart - at least an hour at 80MPH in any direction.

Colleges: UNR is in Reno, UNLV is in Vegas. There is a Great Basin College in Elko. There are video feeds that bring classes out to many of the smaller towns, but with a very limited set of classes.

What you're describing doesn't exist in Nevada, really. The towns are too geographically dispersed for what you want to come together in Nevada.

[verynicebecky]

Well, I guess Verdi might fit the bill, but not sure that would be a smart move with all of the earthquakes happening right now.

[LVnative0527]

One other thought might be Boulder City. It's 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas, the City controls the growth and keeps it pretty small, but you are close enough to Vegas to have your evening on the strip if you so desire. Your kids can go to UNLV when the time comes. You won't know every one, but you will come close. Check their chamber of commerce for stats on population you will find it is quite small.

[dynimagelv]

I love BC but it doesn't fit her 1st requirement....it only has Summer and almost summer