My Review of Nevada (Reno: appointed, real estate, apartment)

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

After having lived in the state of Nevada for 15 months, I have finally made it back to the civilized world... I would, however, like to offer my review of living conditions in the state...

The state of Nevada has got to be one of, if not the most, backward state in the entire union. Your state constantly has budget defecits, so you cut funding for education (K-12 and Universities)to deal with the shortfall; yet the police drive brand spankin' new Dodge Chargers, BMW Motorcycles, and big SUVs. So you are in esscence saying screw our childrens education, but lets invest in our law enforcement... Did Nevada ever think that maybe if it did a better job educating its children maybe there would be less crime? Uh, Duh! Maybe that's a lot for Nevadans to swollow, but seriously what you people are doing to your children's education ought to be a crime... Gibbons can get out of paying his fair share of property taxes, but your child has to use outdated text books and now you can't afford to send him to UNR thanks to the skyrocketing price of tuitiuon, thanks to a 36% cut on education funding... But don't worry, your kid wouldn't have learned much there anyway, because all the good professors, just like the good doctors and good news anchors left the state for neighboring states like California because they could make bigger salaries, thus UNR is a third tier school and UNLV is fourth tier.

This brings me to the next problem with Nevada... There is a shortage of everything... When my son was born there was 1 (one) doctor on call for 2 (two) hospitals. We were at St Mary's and the doctor was at Renown, and my son was nearly (within 2 minutes) delivered by the head nurse. Not to mention there was a wait for a delivery room because all the rooms were full; so not only is there a shortage of doctors, but there is in fact, a shortage of hospitals, and you people have the nerve to think that these are normal practice in the healthcare system. That is BS... Here in Omaha, we have 4 research hospitals and numerous other hospitals (about a dozen throughout the metro). I am willing to bet any money that if we had been at Nebraska Medical Center that day, we wouldn't have been waiting for a delivery room and there would have been plenty of doctors on hand, not just one, and they surely wouldn't have just one doctor bouncing back and forth between UNMC and Creighton.

The cost of living is dramatically higher than it should be, everything from gas to food to Rent and Utilities is about 30% higher than it should be for no apparent reason other than "its the west coast" well you can keep your west coast and shove it!

Here is a real life story about a Woman I worked with, we will call her Jane:

Jane pays $600 a month for rent. Jane's apartment is actually the attic of an old house, once you come in from outside you have to walk up a narrow set of stairs to get to her door, once you enter her apartment you are immediately in the very small living room which barely fits a couch and tv stand; to the left is the kitchen, the kitchen counter is a piece of countertop sitting on top of an old brocken-down clothes dryer. All the appliances look pre-1985 and there is barely walking space. There is a door by the fridge, its the bathroom, its about the size of a closet with a stand in shower and a toilet. If you walk back through the living room, you get to Jane's bedroom, just big enough for a full size bed and a dresser, then a door, you think perhaps its the closet; guess again, its Jane's 15 year old daughter's bedroom, which in turn is big enough to fit a single size bed and a dresser. Then there is a door inside of this second bedroom, its the younger daughter's bedroom; roughly the size of my walk-in closet with one light bulb and a mattress on the floor. So you go through one bedroom to get to another bedroom to get to yet another bedroom. I can't imagine how awkward it must be when the girls have to get up to use the bathroom during the night while their parents are trying to have sex. Maybe they just hold it. Or maybe Jane doesn't have sex. Either way it is not normal.
Keep in mind that this whole apartment is maybe 400 square feet at best and with low ceilings so that you are constantly having to duck down to avoid hitting your head! And because it's in the attic, some parts of the ceiling actually curve with the roof, thus further diminishing the space.
She paid $600 a month to live in this poverty I just described.

Here is what I get for $600 a month in Council Bluffs, IA (part of the Omaha metro) 900 sq. ft. 7 ft ceilings (and no they do not curve with the roof), 2 spacious bedrooms, new carpet throughout, full-size walk-in closet, gigantic living room, eat-in kitchen with self-cleaning frigidaire oven/range and dishwasher, furnace with central heat and central A/C, on site laudry facilities, on site security, swimming pool and fitness center, need I say anymore?

So after reviewing my comparison of the two, why would anyone in his or her right mind want to stay in Nevada?

Sure you can get an apartment like mine in Reno or Vegas but not for $600 a month... Try $900+ and add $30 to your electric bill too! And add a water/sewer bill too! You can get a house here (with a front yard and backyard) for less than that.

Did I mention that there are no good paying jobs in Nevada either (well at least in Reno) You would think that since everything cost more, wages would be higher to accommodate, right? Wrong, wages are actually lower. You might say well there is no state income tax, so that helps; Wrong Again! Because there is no state income tax, employers pay even less. I think the average wage in Reno for entry level jobs is probably somewhere around $8 an hour; and who's really suffering because there's no income tax? The children, because that extra tax revenue could have avoided the cuts to education funding; but nope not in Nevada, they keep wages low and taxes low and the children suffer while corporations prosper. Basically you are taking money that should be going to the schools and you are giving it to employers who pay low wages and layoff workers. If Nevada really cared about its residents, and not just its tourists, it would implement a personal income tax to fund the schools and it would create a state minimum wage that is higher than the federal to make up for the loss of revenue due to the new income tax. But you won't do that, you rather let your children suffer and history will continue to repeat itself, and Nevada will continue to be the worst state to live in.

First of all the Nevada economy is in a complete mess. Tourism should never be the main industry unless you are some tropical island with no other options. All the casinos should be shut down, all they are doing is hurting you and you're too blind to even see it. The state puts tourism above the needs of its own residents... They get tax incentives to build big luxurious casino-hotel resorts to attract out of state gamblers while they can't even fill potholes on Moana Way.

Nevada should create energy. Like NV energy was saying, Northern Nevada has an abundance of geothermal activity that can be harnessed to create electricity and Eastern Nevada has WIND; there should be like a billion turbines out there! And down in Southern Nevada, the solar power potential is astronomical, you should have solar panels on every fricken roof-top. Imagine all that power that you could create and sell to neighboring electric-hungry states (i.e. California). As you have all seen, during a recession, people don't gamble as much. In the short time I lived in Reno, I saw Fitzgerald's close down, the Silver Club close down, and IGT had numerous mass-layoffs, all because the tourist just aren't coming out as much... Trust me, people will still use electricity during a recession, it is inelastic, verses tourism which is about as elastic as you can get. If Nevada adopted this energy based economy it would be virtually recession-proof as well as the being at the forefront of Green technology.

But will Nevada do this? Probably not

Some smirk will say Where's the funding for this going to come from? And so on and so on. Instead of taking action you beat around the bush and nothing ever happens, but your quick to defend your awesome state!

[Tiger Beer]

So true about the potential to be an energy powerhouse.

Also true about education.

[dano]

Where do I begin,

At the outset I find it interesting that the OP believes Omaha Nebraska is somehow superior or more "civilized" than Reno. I can think of a lot of cities that would fit this bill, but Omaha ain't one of them. In addition, last time I glanced at a map, Reno was no where near the California coast. I am futher disappointed with the second poster's weak-spined acquiescience.

Secondly, the OP comes across as yet another bitter liberal who does not have the ability and/or drive to compete in our capitalistic system and achieve a higher income so that a $1,000 rent/mortgage payment is not a burden.

Thirdly, I don't agree with the premise that all that is needed is more money to fix education. Education is broken because it is a government enterprise, and with the exception of the military, all govenment enterprises seem to fail. I grew up in Nevada and went out-of-state to college since our university system has never been overly top-tier but that doesn't mean I would have done any worse if I had gone to UNR. 90% of education comes from the ability/drive of the student.

The OP has not the historical perspective of the Nevada people who have been fiercly libertarian which has been watered down by years of immigration from California. (contrary to what the OP asserts) No politician to this day could remain viable if he/she attempted to tax personal income. For most of the state's history, it has done relatively well under the current tax structure and is certainly not the only state dealing with a huge shortfall. He/she also fails to recognize that the entire national economy has been a mess over the last 15 months including Nebraska. In addition, Nevada has been the fasted growing state for most of my adult life (in my 40s) which, along with a vibrant economy, tends to cause shortages and elevated real estate prices. Most states would have loved to have those "problems" over the last 15 years.

Regarding green energy; just another liberal buzz-word that will not mean much until it becomes economically viable for private industry to mine/exploit for a profit. Yes profit, that terrible word.

In conclusion, it appears the OP has tucked his/her tail and gone back to where they came from. In the process bashing the state they are leaving without a complete understanding of its people, history, or drive and determination employed of many of its residents that have carved-out a successfull and meaningfull life in this rugged state.

Sorry, offense taken.

[Drover]

And stay out.

[NVDave]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

So true about the potential to be an energy powerhouse.

There isn't that much wind power potential in NV. I know because I used to consult with a major commercial wind power company to service their wind survey sites and data recorders. Without giving away proprietary information, there are some wind resources in the eastern parts of the state, but they're marginal, at best. When the wind blows, it is too variable, with high standard deviations.

Geothermal is a potential source, and Nevada has already developed this. There is a geothermal power plant at Beowawe, and another one near Rye Patch. They've been there for years.

[thatguy1]

I would take the op's post with a grain of sand...He/she said alot of the same crap about Omaha a few months back.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/nebraska/319587-societys-rebels-complaints-about-nebraska-thread.html




"I'm tired of everyone trying to make Omaha look like this wonderful place to live with great schools and low crime rates-- I am about to tell you about what I witnessed in my 3 years of living east of 72nd--OMG you might say!

This is for all of the ones that glorify Omaha because they need to wake up and realize that Elkhorn isn't everywhere!

The first issue I will address is violence in OPS schools: Northwest and North have gang violence and shootings, a girl had an asthma attack and died after being "jumped" at Omaha South; and what's sad is that this violence isn't confined to just the OPS high schools:

One day after an eighth-grader at King Science and Technology Magnet Center was shot during a soccer game, school officials sought to reassure students by emphasizing that the shooting was random.

Police suspect the bullet that hit 14-year-old Taylor Borgeson came from a gun fired from less than a mile west of the school. Omaha World Herald. 25 Apr 2008. <http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10319580>


sorry if my MLA is a little rusty but go ahead and copy and paste that in ur browser and check my source, its the local newspaper!

I know if I was still living in Omaha by the time my son starts school he would not be attending an OPS school, but thankfully we moved out of Omaha.

The second issue I will address is the silent (and sometimes active) racial intolerance and bigotry; These people from West Omaha try to paint this pretty picture of what Omaha is but I was living in real OMAHA, the inner-city (if you can call it that)! And I am going to let the truth be known, the truth about people who live off of 30th and Ames, Spencer projects, even Bension and Dundee. The truth about that little girl that was killed by a stray bullet while riding down 30th in the family minivan. And the story about Bob's food mart on 16th & Fort:

A north Omaha grocery store destroyed by fire last month has been torn down. Bob's Food Mart at 16th & Fort burned to the ground. Police are investigating the arson as arson and a hate crime. Police found racist grafitti spray painted on the outside of the store and on the owner's house. The owner told Action 3 News two white man came into the store Sunday night, February 18th, robbed him and tied him up. He escaped before the fire. - Action 3 News. 12 Nov 2007. <http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6226707> (that's the local CBS affiliate)

And don't let me forget to mention Amber Harris (You can google her yourself)! She was a twelve year old girl snatched up right off of Pinkney St. in broad daylight immediately after getting dropped off by an OPS school bus! Roy Ellis raped and murdered her on the streets of OMAHA and buried her in a shallow grave in Hummel Park! And while the media wont report this, I will, Amber Harris was just one of many!

What if that was your daughter?

I already know what the ritzy West Omaha-Milliard response to this will be "every city has crime" or "that's just north omaha" but they can't fool me.

See, i'm not like some may think I am, I come from a white middle class family in Santa Rosa, CA (a San Francisco Bay Area suburb) and I moved into "inner-Omaha" and witnessed this stuff firsthand, I also witnessed a lot of Racism too (my wife is black) Blacks will see us and be racist of me being with her and Whenever we did venture out to West Omaha, maybe to enjoy a nice dinner, Whites would stare at us because I was with her!

It can't be denied because I have been a victim of it and they can't say that this is the case everywhere because we have since moved to Reno, NV (a west coast city) and people here cohabitate much better. We have whites, blacks, mexicans, and a larger and more diverse asian community that all get along and are friends not just at work or school but it is voluntary: my wife and I went to a dinner party and I am white, there were about 4 other whites, my wife, her friend Jennifer and another dude there made three blacks, and Jennifer's husband is like Guatemalan.

We all had fun together ate some great fajitas and played board games after dinner-- this could never happen in Omaha!

In OPS schools, there is no assimilation, there's just de facto segregation-- honestly I had a classmate in a class at metro who had graduated from one of the Millard schools and she said, "in high school we had our groups, the mexicans had a group, and the few black kids had a group, and we had our group" She actually thought that this was normal, I quickly responded "At my high school, in the bay area, california, I had a group, i am white, we had a couple black guys, some mexicans, and even some Laotion and Hmong" Come to think of it, this girl didn't even know what Hmong was, I had to explain to her that it is an Asian ethnicity from the mountains of Laos.

This is all very sad, but its very true and like I said, the W. Omaha people can't fool me because where I was raised we didn't have 35 murders a year, we had 1 murder every two to three years, and we weren't an all white hick-town either, we were a suburb of 200,000 in a metro of 5 - 10 Million.

We had Mexicans, whites, blacks, Asians, all growing up together in school and becoming life-long friends, we didn't do a "culture day" at Metro, everyday was a culture day-- when I was 8 years old I ate sticky rice and Pho noodles out of bamboo plate/bowls while sitting on a beautiful rug on the living room floor with my Laotion friend.

I grew up with culture, virtually no violence, and a good education. In school we read books like Black Boy, Tracks, Grapes of Wrath, so we know about history, we know about your past, but we are Californians, we are way higher on the social scale than some places in the the Midwest.

So the bottom line is this: this violence and poor schools and racism/hate and lack of culture isn't everywhere, it doesn't have to be your life-- your life is what you choose to make it. What happened to Amber Harris could have been avoided simply by choosing to live in a city that is better than Omaha-- we did it; we chose to move out of Omaha!

Mods, please don't delete this post is different than my last one Thanks!"

[NVDave]

The OP is yet another whiney liberal, who thinks that:

a) there is a correlation between per-seat spending on education and educational achievement. If this were true, then the kids coming out of Washington DC schools would be the smartest in the nation. They're not.

b) the OP doesn't like the tourism industry. Ah.... but isn't that what liberal environmental pecksniffs keep telling us in the ag/timber/mining industries we should base our towns upon? Enviro-tourism?

c) The OP didn't like the wages. I'm here to tell the truth about wages in NV. In the cities (like Reno and LV), there are tons of lower-wage jobs, many in the tourism-based industries. However, in the rural areas, there are tons of much better paying jobs. eg, being a truck driver at a gold mine pays about $18/hour (plus bennies) to start, and that wage goes up after a six month probation period. On top of that, there's often OT and safety bonus money as well. That's just for driving a truck. If you're a mechanic or in management, the money is better yet.

But if you're just working at a casino, yes, the pay stinks. Newsflash: people with motivation get out of working at casinos and go work someplace else.

d) You moved to Nevada after the housing and rents had been driven through the roof by people washing over the Sierras to escape California, which should be a paradise by your standards. Golly, what irony: you're pissed off that the housing prices are high, but the housing prices were high because of a flood of yahoos like you - liberals seeking to escape the fruits of your socialist ideology.

What irony.

[swagger]

I wouldn't like living in Nebraska, so I don't choose to live there.

I wouldn't like living in Florida, so I don't choose to live there.

I stopped liking living in California, so I chose to leave.

I'm not crazy about Nevada, but it's not that bad. There's a huge homeschooling community here, so the educational system has little or no impact on us.

As for crime, Nevada is very transient. That's a large part of why the crime is somewhat high.

On what the cops drive, well, Nevada is a highway state, with a lot of rough terrain. I'd say those BMW motorcycles (very common for police forces these days, btw) and SUVs are well justified. What should the cops drive? '77 Malibus?

Pay too low? Maybe you're not worth more. If so, you'll get it elsewhere. Still not satisfied? Market your skills by starting your own business.

We're planning on moving at either the end of this year or next. The nature of our business dictates that we'll have to move during the last week of the year, so we're pushing for this year but it may not happen. If not, it's no big deal. We've already lived through two summers and we're coming up on the third - one more won't be that bad.

As for the cost of living, I invite the OP to try Southern California. 'Nuff said.

I'm not in love with this state, but I don't really have any problems with it, either, and I say that as a victim of a recent vehicle burglary. In all honesty, I had more problems with petty crime when I was living in an affluent city in SoCal than I've had here. The trade of weather, scenery, etc. is well worth the change in political climate.

Anyway, I'm sorry you didn't like Nevada. Please visit occasionally, though, and be sure to bring plenty of money to dump in the casinos.

[desertman]

good to see op go, more room for real people, nothing worse then east of the rockies bed wetter. try living in oregon, we have a communist for governer that will tax you to death, and it sure hasnt made the schools better. if you want your kids educated, do it yourself instead of over paying a baby-sitter.

[MomMom]

You'll find that a lot of people who fail to achieve an even mediocre level of success in a place, and then have to leave for whatever reasons, will come to a public forum and tell of how bad the place was and knock it and its inhabitants. Nitpick really.

Some move here blindly and don't plan well, fail and then they're bitter. But you'll find the types who nitpick and constantly have to post of how BAD a place is, are the ones who are unhappy that they failed and secretly wanted to stay but couldn't. And some just don't like it and they need an outlet to voice their disappointment. I can only say to those types..."didn't you research your new location before you moved?"


I've seen this so many times, these kinds of people really wouldn't be happy anywhere. They'll either go back where they came from (which is so much better in their opinion) or go to some other place they think they'll be happy living (that is so much better than Nevada, in their opinion.)

And they won't be happy there either, so, wish them well and hope that they move on with their lives.

Much good luck to you SocietyRebel, peace.