hotspring camping? no traffic? mellow for gay? (Reno, Carson City: for sale, to rent) - Reno-Sparks area - Nevada (NV) - City-Data Forum

Chongkwang · 07-05-2011, 02:12 PM

Ive seen posts that bash Reno because no jobs. If that is the only problem then I need to look into it. I have an airline job that pays $36K a year but the bases are in expensive cities. I think my quality of live would quadruple if I moved to Reno from DC where the rent is $1600 for one bedroom or $550K to buy 2 bed condo in virginia. the traffic is clogged for miles of suburban sprawl and it takes 2.5 hours to get to airport by public transit. Im thinking I have to add $500 a month total car expenses in Reno but If I could afford to buy a place with a hottub in an area I could walk or bike to groceries, gym, cafes I would be much better off. I love hotspring camping, and if I have to have a car I dont do well in endless miles of 4 lane traffic. how is it in Reno? How mellow are the people when it comes to being gay and not Christian? I dont drink or gamble would prefer an organic wheatgrass juice bar at an outdoor hotspring .... do you think I would like it? what areas are good for pedestrians and biking to groceries, organic produce, cafes etc? maybe where I can have a hottub in the back yard or one on the condo roof?

bigdave01 · 07-06-2011, 01:01 AM

Okay, I saw your other post comparing Reno to Boulder and it sounds like you're really interested so I'll give you my rundown:

Reno is a place that on the surface and at first glance many people seem to dislike. If you don't leave the Virginia St area with the casinos you will think Reno is hell. But if you can look past a lot of the grit than I personally think that Reno can be an awesome place to live. It isn't blatantly liberal or progressive like many places, but it definitely has a western live and let live feel. If you want a walkable area then either live downtown(riverwalk area), southwest(some cool shops along California Ave and Virginia St), or Wells Ave area. All these areas are walkable to downtown and have some great shops.

There is a wonderful food co-op that is actually in the process of moving to a much larger location downtown and it will now have a cafe and a lot more stuff. There are some great coffee shops, restaurants, thrift stores, an art museum, art galleries, bars, theaters, a beautiful riverwalk, and other cool places in this area. IMO, Reno has as much to offer as a place such as Boulder, the difference is instead of walking in pristine streets with college hippie posers, its a lot more gritty and there are more bums and working class people. The arts and urban scene isn't as big but its definitely there and growing. Midtown Reno seems to be getting new businesses by the day.

And as far as outdoors stuff goes Reno is incredible. We have the world class Sierra Nevada's and Lake Tahoe less than a half hour away, and miles and miles of open space just to the east that people from the east coast can't imagine. The Truckee River goes right through town and is awesome for kayaking and rafting, there is a whitewater park right downtown.

Also as far as being gay and non-religious no one cares. I have plenty of gay friends, and although they complain about the lack of gay scene specifically, they would never face discrimination and I believe that Reno is one of the least religious cities in the US. Most of my friends are atheists.

I think the best thing to do is visit, we can only tell you so much haha.

Chongkwang · 07-06-2011, 01:27 AM

WOW! sounds very good, really interested in the food co-op as I loved the one in Arcata CA and Cambridge MA.... much more real than Wholefoods but when its a choice of Wholefoods or Safeway I totally like wholefoods. Do you know where that co-op is moving to because I would like to be a few minutes walk to it. I saw a pic of whole foods on their website and it looks like a converted piggly wiggly in a strip mall... true? With the small amount of time I spent in Reno, I loved the river. that is what peaked my interest because it brings a real mountain river nature right to town. Love it. Also like the Amtrak station downtown although I didnt look up the frequency or destination of service. I find thrift stores much more fun than Armani Express and 30 minutes to major natural beauty is better than 3 hours to "quaint" country boutique towns. I assume its pretty easy to get around by bike? lots of quiet side streets? Places rated said highway rush hour traffic was very heavy.. doesnt seem big enough to get stuck in traffic too long is it?

humboldtrat · 07-06-2011, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chongkwang

Also like the Amtrak station downtown although I didnt look up the frequency or destination of service.

There is only the 'California Zephyr' that runs between Oakland and Chicago. There is only 1 train going east and 1 train going west each day. That's it!

bigdave01 · 07-06-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

WOW! sounds very good, really interested in the food co-op as I loved the one in Arcata CA and Cambridge MA.... much more real than Wholefoods but when its a choice of Wholefoods or Safeway I totally like wholefoods. Do you know where that co-op is moving to because I would like to be a few minutes walk to it. I saw a pic of whole foods on their website and it looks like a converted piggly wiggly in a strip mall... true? With the small amount of time I spent in Reno, I loved the river. that is what peaked my interest because it brings a real mountain river nature right to town. Love it. Also like the Amtrak station downtown although I didnt look up the frequency or destination of service. I find thrift stores much more fun than Armani Express and 30 minutes to major natural beauty is better than 3 hours to "quaint" country boutique towns. I assume its pretty easy to get around by bike? lots of quiet side streets? Places rated said highway rush hour traffic was very heavy.. doesnt seem big enough to get stuck in traffic too long is it?

I agree, I looove Arcata and their co-op was awesome. The Reno(Great Basin is the namehttp://www.greatbasinfood.coop/) co-op is moving to the corner of Court and Flint Street just a block from the river downtown. I haven't been to the whole foods in Reno, its out in the suburbs which I don't know too well.

And to be honest train service kinda sucks. Its really expensive to get over the mountains to California. Its like 50 bucks and takes 5 hours just to get to Sacramento, which is less than a two hour drive. I don't have a car in Reno and I always take Greyhound to California, its more reasonable and theres a station downtown.

Also we are very close to quaint country towns as well. Truckee, California is only half hour away and it has a great little downtown area. Also many cool little towns in Tahoe, as well as Virginia City which is definitely worth checking out. I have yet to more than drive through Carson City but I'm sure its kinda cool with capitol and stuff that goes with it, and Genoa and Minden/Gardnerville are supposedly really nice.

Haha and I don't drive much as I don't have a car, but traffic is definitely relatively minor. And biking is okay. There are plenty of side streets, and cool places to explore, but bike lanes can be hard to come by and some sidewalks are often really narrow.

All in all I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with Reno. It has a lot to offer for such a relatively small place.

Chongkwang · 07-06-2011, 11:13 PM

thats great to hear that it is possible to live in Reno without a car.. Im hoping to stay carfree... I bet the hotels have shuttles to airport from downtown.. if not what do you think a taxi costs to airport? is that coop definitely moving to downtown soon? any zipcars (car sharing?) easy to rent cars to go to mountains? pretty affordable any idea when the high season is that would make cars expensive to rent?

bigdave01 · 07-07-2011, 11:24 AM

Idk about shuttles, but the bus service in Reno is actually surprisingly good. You can definitely get to the airport. They are even planning on eventually getting a streetcar and light-rail up and down Virginia St.

And yes the co-op is definitely moving downtown. They are already renovating the building. And its current location is on Plumas Street just a 5 minute walk away.

And unfortunately I don't think we have zipcars yet which is lame. Hopefully we will get that. I do know that the university just started a program where you can rent cars by the hour and by the day, but other than there aren't many options.

Chongkwang · 07-07-2011, 11:12 PM

hope the light rail comes. I was google mapping Court and Flint Street, is the co-op going into the fitness evolution building or the empty lot across street near the river towers? I see a lot of condos for sale by airport and the car dealerships for $30K the sierra cedars condos specifically... any reason they are cheap?

bigdave01 · 07-07-2011, 11:37 PM

Yeah its the fitness evolution building. And they're adding on quite a bit to it.

I don't know too much about those condos, but there are definitely some incredible deals on short sales in Reno right now.

30STM · 07-08-2011, 01:22 AM

I feel you would like Reno a lot BUT you should keep your car. We have a lot of hot springs NV is Gay Friendly, better quality of life then DC nicer weather year round less humid. May i suggest you visit and look at different areas. you can find some very low rents in nice buildings. also check out this sight
Family Farms - LocalHarvest