Help..Moving to Northern Nevada from Ohio...

[Holli4949]

We are relocating from Sparks NV to Columbus OH and need to know the same info you do =) We live in Spanish Springs which is basically Sparks just a little farther out. Reno Sparks and Spahish Springs all run together. I like Sparks...its nice out here and the people are friendly. Schools are good so I've heard...i don't have kids...the housing is expensive right now (1800 sq ft houses for $300K) and I believe the cost of living is higher here too than Ohio. If you would like more info let me know....and please...can you tell me the best place for us to move in OH? =) Thank you!!!

[west coast girl]

I too am concerned with all the negative stuff I have read about Reno and vicinity... it doesn't make my pending move to the area anymore easy. What are the positive things about Reno/Carson City.... it sounds like there is not a lot of pride in the community... from those that live there. Tell me the good things please... and would like to hear about the areas to stay away from, living wise. Since I am going to be working in Carson City... the south Reno area near 395 is what I am looking at. Thanks

[verynicebecky]

I moved to Reno a yr. ago this past June from very rural sw Kansas (although I grew up in Sacramento, Ca and spent a few yrs in Las Vegas, Nv.) to be closer to my mom who has medical problems. Reno was only meant to be temporary. I live in an okay area....Summit Ridge. It was great when i first moved to here...to have everything (shopping, hospital) close. My kids are not all that happy about living here, but they used to be able to hop on their bikes and ride across town where we used to live. I drive my daughter to work. Today is her last day, thank God. If you are familiar with the area, she works at Boomtown. I am begining to hate that drive...just about 7-8 miles but the building going on out there is just sickening. I am driving out to Austin on Friday to check on the Kingston area just south of there.

[greatbasinguide]

Very Nice Becky, we own a couple of lots in Kingston. It has to be where you want to be, as it is pretty darned isolated.

[verynicebecky]

Yes Guide Dear, I am aware that u are and i find your posts very helpful. I have been to austin and i went as far as Carvers but i went up thru tonopah to get there and back the same way...this was several yrs ago when i was out here visting my mom. it wasnt what i thought it was going to be..i was thinking wooded forest, lol. but now i am here and looking for something i can afford...i know it is remote but i like remote. i still would like to check out jarbidge tho.

[greatbasinguide]

The problem for many people in the isolated areas is booze. Since there is not a bunch to do, many people turn to drinking. If you find enough to do to keep you busy then life is good. If you are a hiking, or dirt biking, or horse person, the Nevada outback cannot be beat.

The mountain ranges around Kingston are wonderful. There is plateau out there, it lies at 10-11,000 feet elevation, 3 miles wide 15 miles long, grasslands, aspen forests, trout streams, Elk herds.
The Arc Dome wilderness is the headwaters of three rivers, deep canyons, high mountains, old glacial cirques.

The Toiyabe Crest trail is 60 miles long and runs from Kingston down to Arc Dome, seldom walked, a fine and wild place to spend time.

I am guessing you are single? If so, you will find your self very popular, you don't have to look like Angelina Jolie, just the fact you are breathing is sufficient, although you may find the pool of men to not be what you would find in a large town.

Consider Elko and its environs, it has professional people, men and women, there is a community college.

If you really like hippy dippy, Tuscarora is interesting, the main activity is a world famous pottery school.

You won't find an Eastern, or even Californian wooded forest. Most of the forest in Nevada is Pinion Juniper.

Jarbidge is cuter than a bug, the whole town was evacuated due to a large fire a couple of weeks ago. The fire was north of town. My big problem with Jarbidge is that it lies in the bottom of a deep narrow canyon, and the lots are small. I don't care for closed in canyons and close neighbors.

Mountain City is also worth a look.

[verynicebecky]

ty Guide for the info. dont worry about me drinking...i had a liver transplant 22 yrs ago. i have researched all of the places u have mentioned (via inet) and would love to explore them all. I have been to elko.....very pretty but i would like to be in a town with less ppl. yes, i am single and those small towns might be where i can find a down-to-earth guy who isnt caught up in the material things of the world. thanks again and keep the info comming.

[doey57]

I recently moved to Carson City which is less than an hour from Reno, from Illinois. It seems a little more laid-back than Reno. I prefer it to Reno because big city traffic gets on my nerves. I don't know that this is any help to you but you might check it out if you come out to get a feel for the area.

[Tressa]

I have a friend that moved to Carson City from Anchorage Alaska and she just loves it there, the evening walks, dry air we can't wait to join her in Nevada but will be 125 miles north

[cletus141]

I'm an engineer in Sparks, but live in Reno. I grew up in Sparks, went to UNR and, except for a stint in Spain, haven't lived anywhere else. I have, however, traveled quite a bit around the country.

One thing that Reno/Sparks has on many urban areas is it's size. I have a 20 minute drive each way from West Reno (McQueen area) to industrial Sparks (Rock and Greg). You'd have a hard time ever driving an hour on a one way commute anywhere around town, even at rush hour.

Another thing that is great to me is the aridity. Practically no flies and no mosquitos can be found here, which to me is huge because my whole family is from Minnesota, where they are bad. The air is very clear, except occasionally during the summer wildfire season. The tap water here is also very good compared to most that I've tasted around the nation. Out water is not softened out here like may parts of the country.

I didn't hear any mention about the lack of state income tax, but I might've just missed it. Thank you gaming industry.

Also, the ocean is a mere 4 hours away in San Francisco. There are beaches at Lake Tahoe about an hour away as well as a dozen ski resorts within an hour and a half, even as close as 30 minutes. There is also a weekend ski program for the kids that, at least when I participated, used school buses to ferry the kids.

The downtown Reno night scene is continually improving and should only get better with the influx of young professional types buying up the scores of condos being built/converted there. Once questionable 4th St has had lighting, vegetation, and other urban renovations added. Even the seedy weekly motels are vanishing, being bought and demolished to make way for nicer development projects. The image-changing facelift of downtown Reno seems to be going quite well.

As for negatives, well, there are some. There is a growing Meth problem in the area, though, from what I understand, isn't a locally isolated phenomenon. We do have a large percentage of Hispanic population, which does seem to concentrate in certain areas, creating "ghetto" parts of town, as some locals like to refer to them. However, these neighbor hoods are merely worse, but nothing like, say, Oakland or Sacramento "bad neighborhoods." In college, I've walked thru them drunk in the middle of the night safely, though I still wouldn't recommend it, necessarily. Along these lines, the crime rates are nothing notable. A recent article stated that the
largest gang in the area is the Straightedgers, at least as far as attributing crime to single group.

The gaming industry provides for 24/7 drinking, which, being a late 20 something, I like. But it's understandable for me to realize that it isn't necessarily a positive thing. This can almost be relegated to the downtown area, but not quite. It can also get rather touristy downtown, which is one reason I, personally, try to dodge the casinos. The businesses on the periphery of the downtown corridor are enough for me.

That brings up another issue: gambling. I've seen many a non-native, and a few natives, blow a lot of money gambling. It can be very alluring after a big win or two. Although I do know a pro or two, I know way more losers in the casinos.

Sorry for the length. But I didn't feel these issues were addressed properly in the rest of the thread. Hope I didn't miss anything. I'm getting tired, it's getting late.