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... Howdy, Y'all ... I'm pretty-new on the Nevada Forum, and definitely a Newbie to the Reno / Sparks list.
Now, for some "context" ... we're within approx. 720-days of our retirement and, realizing that minimally-funded-retirement is for all practical purposes, not-doable here in Cali, we're beginning to get more serious about retiring elsewhere.
A number of different, hopefully nice locations have popped-up or cropped-up, in our imaginations, so we're looking at them with a little more scrutiny. One of the more prominent ones is the Reno (and Carson City) Area(s). I've posted a very-similar thread on the Prescott List on the Arizona Forum, too, because (truthfully) we're looking around.
Our (well, my right now) questions run along the lines of Cost-of-Living-There, while my DW's tend to lean a little more toward things like weather, home-affordability, and how to travel back to see Family in North Cali.
She's a big-city girl, and is used to the "conveniences" of big city life.
I'm a small-city boy, from TEXAS, by-way-of Flah-rih-duh, and a few other places. I've had more than my fill of the big city, and all the attendant issues that go with living in one. If anyone remembers the "Green Acres" TV show from years past, that's pretty-much us, only without any of the money or 'flash' ...
Ultimately, we'd want to purchase a home / townhome / condo in one of these locations, I believe. We'd rent until we found exactly (or nearly-so) what we want, for the price-point we can afford.
I can see that, early in our relocation, we're going to want to do some traveling. How costly, in time and dollars, is it to get from the Reno airport to other major airports? SEA, DFW, PHX, SJC, and AUS come to mind. (Yeah, I know I can go on an airline website & look. I'm asking for your experience input, though!) Weather? - Looks to be (a lot) more temperate than Dallas & Austin - and definitely nicer than in Lost Wages, this time of year. What about Winter Weather?
How cold have y'all experienced, there? How much s-n-o-w?
These are just a couple of the questions we have, regarding the Reno / Sparks / Carson City Area. Please notice that I'm not asking about crime rates, good schools, things for kids to do, because they won't be a part of this equation. And, for me anyway, "shopping" (as such) is a non-starter. We are both computer-literate, and know how to order stuff over the Internet. I don't do "mall" very well.
There are probably lots of other things to consider that haven't (yet) been mentioned. Please feel free to provide any of your own "context" to any replies, and if you feel it's warranted, go-ahead and flame away!
... Thanks, Y'all! ...
Congrats in advance on your upcoming retirement. I think Reno is a good location for staying near northern CA while lowering your cost of living.
I can't speak much about the winter weather. We moved here in August 2014 and the 2014-15 winter was unusual from what I've heard. I only used the snow shovel once, and it wasn't even necessary at that point but it was new and I wanted to make sure it worked!
I do watch airfares since we also like to travel. I came from a hub city and Reno isn't quite as convenient. From what I've seen so far, fares on Alaska to SEA are typically $200-240 RT. I haven't looked at fares for trips that end at SLC or DFW but most of our trips connect through those hubs and prices don't seem much if any higher than hub-to-hub fares, as long as they are a longer distance across the country. For our recent trip to Europe we saw that the sale prices on DL from Reno were the same as prices from DL's hubs. What is nice is that the airport isn't dominated by any one carrier -- UA, AA, AS and DL all fly here in decent quantities, and JetBlue recently started non-stop service to JFK. I would expect that would keep prices in check.
Any interest in outdoor activities? The Reno-Tahoe area has enough to keep you active year-round. That's one thing that drew us to the area.
Winters will vary from feeling like a cold Autumn to below zero. The best part is that no matter how cold it gets the sun is usually shining and warm. The below zero happens mainly at night and very rarely during the day. I'd guess that >50% of winters we never see anything below zero. Snow happens most years, mostly at night as it is warm and sunny enough during the days that the snow melts when it hits the pavement. Most often snow evernight will melt by noon the next day. If you do not have to commute to work in the morning, lucky you, the snow will not bother you much and shoveling only happens a few times each winter...most years. We own a snowblower but I can't remember the last time it saw the light of day.
Summers will have triple digit days. When we get more than two/three in a row sometimes we stop opening the windows at night and leave the AC on. That might happen a few times each summer. Usually the nights cool down into the 50s-60s even when days are hot and sunny. On the other hand if you're a gardener and like to raise things like melons and eggplant, you will have to work harder at it because of the cool nights. I would also encourage anyone starting a home here to limit the lawn area and concentrate on less thirsty plants to conserve the water.
Reno is big enough to have plenty to do but small enough that you have to watch what you say because everyone knows someone!
I think the airport is pretty easy to get to major hubs. There are a few of our destinations that require quite a few connections but not many. For instance, our daughter was going to college on the Gulf Coast of TX and it literally takes a whole day to get there by plane...Reno to Phoenix to San Antonio and then rent a car for a 2 hour drive. But there are plenty of connector flights to San Francisco, LAX, Denver, Salt Lake City, and farther out there are a few flights each day to Chicago and beyond.
There should be enough to keep your wife happy with shopping, not a lot, but enough...I think. We have a couple of malls, most of the major stores. And what you can't find there comes quickly online as we are close to a lot of major warehousing like Amazon right here in town. And if she craves more, Sacramento is an easy 2 hour drive in good weather over I80.
I think there is still a fair amount of reasonably priced homes. But if Tesla and what they say ther are bringing really happens, I wouldn't wait too long. On the other hand that boat seems to be sailing slowly at the moment.
... Howdy, Y'all ... I'm pretty-new on the Nevada Forum, and definitely a Newbie to the Reno / Sparks list.
Now, for some "context" ... we're within approx. 720-days of our retirement and, realizing that minimally-funded-retirement is for all practical purposes, not-doable here in Cali, we're beginning to get more serious about retiring elsewhere.
A number of different, hopefully nice locations have popped-up or cropped-up, in our imaginations, so we're looking at them with a little more scrutiny. One of the more prominent ones is the Reno (and Carson City) Area(s). I've posted a very-similar thread on the Prescott List on the Arizona Forum, too, because (truthfully) we're looking around.
Our (well, my right now) questions run along the lines of Cost-of-Living-There, while my DW's tend to lean a little more toward things like weather, home-affordability, and how to travel back to see Family in North Cali.
She's a big-city girl, and is used to the "conveniences" of big city life.
I'm a small-city boy, from TEXAS, by-way-of Flah-rih-duh, and a few other places. I've had more than my fill of the big city, and all the attendant issues that go with living in one. If anyone remembers the "Green Acres" TV show from years past, that's pretty-much us, only without any of the money or 'flash' ...
Ultimately, we'd want to purchase a home / townhome / condo in one of these locations, I believe. We'd rent until we found exactly (or nearly-so) what we want, for the price-point we can afford.
I can see that, early in our relocation, we're going to want to do some traveling. How costly, in time and dollars, is it to get from the Reno airport to other major airports? SEA, DFW, PHX, SJC, and AUS come to mind. (Yeah, I know I can go on an airline website & look. I'm asking for your experience input, though!) Weather? - Looks to be (a lot) more temperate than Dallas & Austin - and definitely nicer than in Lost Wages, this time of year. What about Winter Weather?
How cold have y'all experienced, there? How much s-n-o-w?
These are just a couple of the questions we have, regarding the Reno / Sparks / Carson City Area. Please notice that I'm not asking about crime rates, good schools, things for kids to do, because they won't be a part of this equation. And, for me anyway, "shopping" (as such) is a non-starter. We are both computer-literate, and know how to order stuff over the Internet. I don't do "mall" very well.
There are probably lots of other things to consider that haven't (yet) been mentioned. Please feel free to provide any of your own "context" to any replies, and if you feel it's warranted, go-ahead and flame away!
... Thanks, Y'all! ...
Hi Tomchard,
Almost in the same boat as you. As of this post, I have about 560ish days left. We live just north of Philadelphia. Anyway, we have visited the region for the past 10 years or so. I knew the first time my Wife took me there that this was the place I wanted to be when I retired. Oddly enough, we never truly visited Reno proper. It's always been around South Lake Tahoe/Carson area. We are taking care of that this Fall by finally staying in Reno and looking around the different neighborhoods. A working vacation if you will. We also enjoy the same latitude where schools and things for kids is a non-concern for us as we don't have any kids so that widens the filter a bit more.
For us, the area ticks off a lot of check boxes. Outdoors? Oh yeah. We are hikers, bikers, kayakers, runners, walkers. All, check. It feels more open space and not the sardine canned feel of the hectic, usually crappy weather and populous Northeast, so the scenery, check. If we have the itch for the big city, SF is 4 hours away over the hill and we LOVE SF. Check. While we know Reno is not perfect and we certainly don't go in with rose colored glasses; we do firmly believe it will be our home.
Anyway, long and short of it is this; If there is anyway you can visit the Reno area. Do so. Take a weekend. Take a long weekend. Take a week. Do it in now while it's Summer and hot so you can see what it is like. Then visit in the Fall/Winter. While we know the weather is not always typical of the season, try and visit so you can sort of get an idea of what it is like. Try before you buy!
For all of you who are thinking of moving here... I suggest you visit in the middle of the summer or the middle of the winter (February is particularly yummy!) so that you can experience the worst of our weatherm no surprises. Our Spring and Fall are generally heavenly, generally. This year we had a cold, rainy Spring. But nothing like the coasts.
Summer can be days of triple digit heat or days of thunderstorms. Most of the time it's just bright sunny, but hot, days. Winter can bring sub-zero nights and snowy conditions. But almost always the days are bright and sunny.
It's really nice to see some retirees considering Reno again. Tesla says that our growth will be the working class. We'll see. The Reno area dows not have a lot to offer with schools and other jobs (and not Tesla so far yet either, just a few engineering and logistics jobs so far) for families. But we have tons to do and a wonderfully relaxing lifestyle for active retired folks. My husband is semi-retired and I still work. But we are never for a lack of things to do, even after 30 years!
... HOTFEET, UTSCI, and WRZ0170 ... Many THANKS for taking time to reply to my inquiry!
We all appear to be in (somewhat) similar situations - Y'all may be a couple or three steps ahead of us in your planning and execution, but that's "Life" in general, isn't it? UTSCI - It's good to know about flights to TEXAS, too! If/When we make the move, that's going to figure-into the "BIG Picture", right from the start!
Currently, my 'plan' is to compile a list of the features and warnings about all of the areas we're looking-into, from contributors on C-D. C-Ders have been a great source of information for us, and I've already used some of it, to help guide my DW's thinking onto a more-serious level (if you will) about relocating ... Convincing her that we need to relocate has been a tough nut to crack!
When we started our move to Reno (not retiring though), I started by evaluating states considering many factors:
* moocher index
* Weather
* laws related to things I car about
* castle doctrine
* eminent domain abuses
* income tax
* sales tax
* cig/tobacco/alcahol taxes (don't smoke, but i find 'sin taxes' abhorrent)
* fuel taxes
* cost of living
Attached out of state evaluation spreadsheet will give you more information, I haven't updated the data since we moved, though I believe I left URL's for source data.
Might be useful in choosing NV or AZ, figured more information can't hurt.
Ultimately, we'd want to purchase a home / townhome / condo in one of these locations, I believe. We'd rent until we found exactly (or nearly-so) what we want, for the price-point we can afford.
I can see that, early in our relocation, we're going to want to do some traveling. How costly, in time and dollars, is it to get from the Reno airport to other major airports? SEA, DFW, PHX, SJC, and AUS come to mind. (Yeah, I know I can go on an airline website & look. I'm asking for your experience input, though!) Weather? - Looks to be (a lot) more temperate than Dallas & Austin - and definitely nicer than in Lost Wages, this time of year. What about Winter Weather?
How cold have y'all experienced, there? How much s-n-o-w?
Dear Tom,
Airport travel costs are quite average here in Reno. You can catch flights to SJC for under 100 bucks. PHX can be almost as cheap. You'd just have to buy during a sale or in advanced. I've never traveled to DFW or AUS from RNO so I can't tell you.
Weather varies a lot here. It can be near 0 degrees in winter. Dec of 2013 it was near 0 for the majority of that month from what I remember. Most of the winter can be lows of 30's to highs of 50's. There has not been a lot snow that has reached the valley floor for the last few years but this winter may be a big one too. The summer can easily reach 100 and we can have our afternoon thunderstorms. The average is low 90's. Depending on where you decide to live in Reno/Sparks, it may be windier.
When we started our move to Reno (not retiring though), I started by evaluating states considering many factors:
* moocher index
* Weather
* laws related to things I car about
* castle doctrine
* eminent domain abuses
* income tax
* sales tax
* cig/tobacco/alcahol taxes (don't smoke, but i find 'sin taxes' abhorrent)
* fuel taxes
* cost of living
Attached out of state evaluation spreadsheet will give you more information, I haven't updated the data since we moved, though I believe I left URL's for source data.
Might be useful in choosing NV or AZ, figured more information can't hurt.
Good luck... take time and choose well
... And, since we're in "information-gathering-mode" over here, I do appreciate that you included the spreadsheets, "Brain" ... Thank you!
Since DW & I are both still working, there hasn't (and isn't) a whole lot of time for us to sit down and evaluate all the different "prospects" for us. But, just having information that can be used to help make a decision has to be helpful. I applaud your efforts in putting the spreadsheets together, to help you make that determination. And, I look forward to using them when DW & I do get time to sit & talk about it (relocating).
Airport travel costs are quite average here in Reno. You can catch flights to SJC for under 100 bucks. PHX can be almost as cheap. You'd just have to buy during a sale or in advanced. I've never traveled to DFW or AUS from RNO so I can't tell you.
Weather varies a lot here. It can be near 0 degrees in winter. Dec of 2013 it was near 0 for the majority of that month from what I remember. Most of the winter can be lows of 30's to highs of 50's. There has not been a lot snow that has reached the valley floor for the last few years but this winter may be a big one too. The summer can easily reach 100 and we can have our afternoon thunderstorms. The average is low 90's. Depending on where you decide to live in Reno/Sparks, it may be windier.
... I really appreciate your reply, "RFF"! ... It's this kind of information that is tough to 'glean' from all the charts & graphs that are produced on the topic of "air travel" - People's experiences actually living in a place are invaluable.
I can imagine that, should we make the move to the Reno / Sparks / Carson area, that DW is gonna wanna be on a flight to SJC fairly-often, just to go see her grandkids. So, travel accessibility and costs are going to be right-up-there in her ratings. For me, being able to make connections to TEXAS and other places will hold equal value. But, I'm glad to hear that RNO is no podunk airport. Regular flights to "somewhere" will be important to both of us. You may know how this is: the first few years of retirement are travel years. Then, when medical issues kick-in, you tend to stay-put a lot longer.
And the Weather ... For my ([personal) liking, if it neversnowed again in that whole Valley, I'd be happy with that - IF I lived there ... Had all I want of snow when I was young (over 60 years ago!), back in the Nawth-east. No Mas, por favor!
And, the hot days ("but it's a dry heat!") are doable because that's why they invented air conditioning, right? We have it here, in Sillycon Valley!
Thanks for the information, "RFF"! We 'ppreciate ya!
...
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