Would you choose to move to Northern Nevada or Eastern Washington ? (Reno: real estate, crime)

[wilkermoo]

If you had to choose to live somewhere and your only two choices were Northern Nevada (Reno, Sparks, Fernley, etc.) or Eastern Washington (Spokane, Kennewick, Tri-Cities etc) You could choose any town within this area. What would you choose and why?

The areas seem similar to me, but I have never spent a great amount of time in either. Can anybody who has lived in either of these places give me their perspective of the differences. Thanks!

[yellowsnow]

Nevada for sure! Taxes!

[ackackack]

Sorry I haven't lived in either one, but my opinion is Spokane without a doubt. I've done some research on Spokane recently (considering a move myself), and it rates very high in almost every desireable category. I'm a native of Nevada and I'm tired of casinos, so I see Nevada with a built-in prejudice. Read about Spokane, maybe you'll be amazed (like I was) at how wonderful it sounds. It is a beautiful looking city too, lots of historic buildings. Washington is always ahead of the game when it comes to culture and technology as well, especially when compared to Nevada. I considered the Reno area not too long ago. Too many tourists in the surounding areas, and not enough to do that isn't being done by tons of tourists. The cost of living there isn't that bad either. Check out housing.

[monick]

i chose eastren washington because navada is way to hot its nothing a big desert and they will have rattle snakes and big lizerts and they will bight you and shoot vinem in you

[renoguy]

I currently live in Reno but I lived in Walla Walla for a while which is in Eastern Washington as well. I think at this point I would choose Eastern Washington. There are no state taxes there either. The real estate is cheaper and the weather is similar. I like the tri-cities in particular. Spokane is nice as well but does get a bit colder than the tri-cities.

[Millsrsh]

I live in the reno area now. I came from the tri-cities. Reno seems like it has more than it's fair share of crime as does Spokane (I lived there too). Reno is expensive and there isn't much to do. Spokane is very pretty, but hard to get around. The tri-cities it just about the right size not to big and not to small and not to far from the bigger cities. The Kennewick school district is great. They have a biliguial program to teach younger kids two langages. The river in Kennewick provides, fishing and boating and scuba diving all within minutes. Kennewick is a great family place to be. Reno isn't such a great place for families. Kennewick and Reno have comparialbe weather. Spokane gets more snow (and they don't plow the streets). Spokane and Reno both have areas you don't want to live it. Kennewick-any place there is fine. So my vote goes for Eastern WA, especially Kennewick.

[garth]

We've considered both areas during our travels. We've RV'd and stayed in each area for months on end, along with many other areas that we thought we'd like better. We even began the settling-down process in a completely unrelated area until we came to our senses.

Once we put the other area out of our minds, we realized Northern Nevada was for us. We had always returned to it over the years, enjoyed the little events that were held in the towns, liked such things as the close proximity of Tahoe, the view of the snow capped mountains, the sights of nearby herds of cattle in wide open green spaces, the identity of a small town atmosphere, and the proximity of wide open spaces.

You happen to have asked about Northern Nevada, but some of the listed qualities may not sound like "Reno" or "Sparks." That's because I'm not writing about those two towns. There are other towns in Northern Nevada. Reno is not the "be all-end all" of Northern Nevada. In my case, I've written about the Minden/Gardnerville/Genoa area. That's where we've decided to settle.

We've found them to be clean communities with a sense of self and a safe environment. They have town activities that we enjoy and yet are close enough to bigger towns, like Reno, that we can get to them with little effort. The benefit is that we're far enough away from the bigger towns, like Reno, that we don't have to deal with big town problems or qualities that we find distasteful.

We have finally bought a home in the Carson Valley, which includes the communities of Minden, Gardnerville, and Genoa. Although we may be new residents, we have spent so much time in the area over the years that we feel we know it pretty well. It was an educated decision process for us that hasn't failed us and which I don't expect to fail us.

BTW, for those who might say that Nevada is just "one big desert," they are either not being truthful or do not know the area. Just take a look at the Minden area and try to describe it as a desert. There's lots of green and lots of water west of US395. Also, take a look at Tahoe, Incline Village, etc., with it's beautiful forests and try to describe it as a desert. It just won't happen.

I will freely admit that there is a lot of desert in Nevada, but it's not everywhere . . . especially in the case of Northern Nevada. There's much much more to the area.

[jwaters943]

Garth,

Good feedback. Just keep in mind your viewpoint is somewhat slanted due to the fact that you are retired. Minden/Garndernville is a very beautifiul area, but there's really not much to do for children/teenagers and jobs are limited. All I'm saying it that anyone looking into this area should be prepared to drive approx. 30 to 75 minutes (each way) anytime they need/want to do any of the following:

-See a movie
-Go shopping (for pretty much anything other than groceries/essentials)
-Need a job (very limited job market from my experience, most places that pay a decent salary are in Reno/Sparks, although there are some in Carson)
-Attend College
-See a "real" concert
-Dine out at a nice restaurant (you know, once you get tired of the 4 or 5 places you might like in town)
-Need serious medical care/treatment

...all I'm saying is that small town living isn't for everyone.

[garth]

Hi jwaters943,

Those are some good points for anyone to consider. It's also difficult to tell the kind of environment sought by the original poster. It's left out.

I'd thought I'd just add a couple of things for clarity . . . Minden does have a multi screen movie theater in town and there's a new one going in in south Carson City (behind Fandango). One is very local and the other is very close.

Otherwise, you're right on the mark on the other things. Things like a big shopping mall require a trip to Reno, better paying jobs would be available in Reno, Minden only has a community college, concerts are limited to free events in the park throughout the summer, and nicer restaurants are limited to local color kind of places rather than chain places. These are all things that some may seek and others may find unacceptable.

I do have to add that, although there is a local hospital in Gardnerville, and a little larger one in north Carson City, "serious medical care" would still require trips elsewhere. Although Reno might suffice for some things, serious care for serious illnesses would still require trips to major teaching hospitals in places like UCLA teaching hospital in Los Angeles, Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota), and other places. Reno is okay for a bigger hospital than is available down in Douglas County, but it nowhere compares to anything needed for major illnesses.

It might be worth pointing out for the original poster that, with all things being equal, real estate is cheaper up in Reno than in Douglas County. That's what I've found. Again, let me stress the "all things being equal" part of that statement. You will find multi-million dollar mansions around Reno. You will find expensive homes in gated golf course communities in Reno. I'm not saying that they don't exist. What you will find is that if someone identifies comperable houses in comperable conditions in Washoe County (Reno) and in Douglas County, the chances will be that they will need to pay more down in Douglas.

I hope your post and mine clairify things for the thread's originator. Perhaps he wants the bigger city, and Reno would be a good choice. In my case, I may be retired but I'm not dead. Heck, I'm only in my late 40's ("retired" thanks to a good financial plan) and I've found that a smaller town meets my needs better for a variety of reasons. He may find that the case, too.

[lvbernard]

I'm familiar with both but lived in Reno for several years, and I'd prefer Reno only because it's closer to California.