When is Reno going to clean up it's act? (Las Vegas: 2015, hotel)

[redwhiteblue]

I have lived in Washoe County for the last 8 years and always dreaded going downtown.
Recently I was near the Silver Legacy and other areas where tourist would go and was shocked by how bad it's become.
The bums and drug addicts clearly outnumber anyone you would want to stand within 5 feet of.
How are the Casinos here supposed to compete with the nice and clean casinos in California?

The new mayor hasn't seem to make any changes in this regard. Very sad to see what could be a very attractive and nice downtown be so run down.

Maybe that's why Reno was voted one of the most unfriendly cities in the US
Magazine labels Reno as an 'unfriendly' city - My News 4 - KRNV, Reno, NV

Nevada could take a tip from Idaho and not allow bums to be on the streets, in ID they pick them up

Does anyone else notice just how bad downtown is?

[k81689]

Print out "California Proposition 47" as flyers for them and they sure will move to CA.

[redwhiteblue]

Well having lived in CA and with no desire to ever return, I would not be opposed to putting the street people on a bus straight to SF

[bigdave01]

The area around the casinos simply isn't designed for pedestrians. The indoor mall connecting them is constantly full of activity.

For the nicer area of downtown go the Riverwalk.

[2sleepy]

There's a fair amount of homelessness and drug addiction in Reno they naturally gravitate to downtown so that they can panhandle from naive tourists. Someone should get out in front of the problem instead of ignoring it, maybe the City could start a program like they have in Salt Lake City "housing first"

[stevek64]

We haven't been to Reno where all the Casino's are in many years. Is it really that bad in the area with all the casinos in regards to homeless people? Though I suppose it's all relative as some people see 2 homeless/bums/beggars and call it a major problem. How does Reno compare to say with Las Vegas, downtown and the strip? I've seen my share of homeless/bums/beggars on the strip(on the connecting bridges especially that go over major streets) and in parts of downtown.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by stevek64

We haven't been to Reno where all the Casino's are in many years. Is it really that bad in the area with all the casinos in regards to homeless people? Though I suppose it's all relative as some people see 2 homeless/bums/beggars and call it a major problem. How does Reno compare to say with Las Vegas, downtown and the strip? I've seen my share of homeless/bums/beggars on the strip(on the connecting bridges especially that go over major streets) and in parts of downtown.

I haven't been there since I moved out of the area last October but it never seemed all that bad to me. There are homeless who wander around but they seem pretty harmless and they know better than to sit around on the sidewalks- Reno PD is pretty good at making sure that they keep moving

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I haven't been there since I moved out of the area last October but it never seemed all that bad to me. There are homeless who wander around but they seem pretty harmless and they know better than to sit around on the sidewalks- Reno PD is pretty good at making sure that they keep moving

Thanks for that info 2sleepy. Given the tourism/money that is made from it, your observation is what I would have guessed too. I noticed that when we are in Las Vegas....if someone is acting aggressive/getting in the way of tourists, security is there.

[nyctc7]

As a fairly new resident originally from NYC, yes there are usually a couple of panhandlers in front of the McDonald's across from the Silver Legacy, but compared to a big city like NYC or San Francisco it's really not that bad. I detest being panhandled as much as anyone. Never give these guys or women money! Never engage them in a conversation. Don't be rude, just say something like "sorry" and be on your way.

I'm glad I moved. This is a piece of cake compared to NYC.

[wrz0170]

Hi there. We just got back from a week in Reno and we stayed at the Worldmark. The area around Worldmark is a little sketchy but at no time did we feel unsafe. This included a 1.5 mile walk from our Hotel to San Rafael park at 5am to see the Balloon Race. We did see a lot of homeless and kids hanging around. Even seen a couple homeless screaming at each other. I guess it's perspective. Here in the East where I live, I wouldn't walk downtown in the daylight let alone at night. The homeless contingent we saw is nothing compared to Philadelphia/San Francisco/Chicago or even where I live. If you are not used to seeing it, it can be a bit unsettling. Now I am not here to say that one should routinely walk around a city at 3am. One should use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.

Heck, we were even remarking how clean Reno is. Meaning the lack of trash, even with the wind. Let's just say a LOT less trash than where I live.

As far as unfriendly. Not that we encountered. For the most part, the people we came in contact with were friendly, made some sort of friendly acknowledgement or even mildly tolerant. One example; I needed a grooming product from a barber shop and my Wife googled one. It happened to be in the basement where the Post Office was. We went downstairs and notice a lot of inside construction going on. We met with one of the Barbers and he was extremely friendly. Even took us on a personal tour of the Post Office to show what they are doing inside and all the businesses that hope to open up, all the while maintaining the heritage and history of the building. Pretty damn cool!

Unfortunately, a ciy's renaissance takes a lot of time, effort and of course money. What we saw is Reno is trying. Just have to be part of the solution to either help and/or be patient.