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My boyfriend and I are finishing up graduate degrees in education, and are looking into relocating to Reno from Las Cruces, NM. He seems to think that Nevada is the place to be for teachers, and I am beyond ready to move out of the town we're currently living in. We were in Reno last week, albeit very briefly, and talked with some locals who were fond of the place.
We're both really into outdoor activities (cycling--mountain and road, hiking, thinking about trail running, and photography) and nature in general (we both have undergraduate biology degrees). I am a fan of coffee-shop loitering, bookstores, and that sort of scene too. We're also native "desert rats", and the current place we're in has even less trees than the Reno/Tahoe area, so Reno would actually be greener.
I understand that Reno has tons to offer in terms of playing outside--is that a correct assumption? What about breweries, night-time laid back hangout spots, that sort of thing? We aren't big into nightlife, but we do like to have choices if we want to go loiter someplace in the evening...
And what about the local school system? I saw in an earlier post that someone thought that it was financially disorganized and had serious problems. Is that true? We're both going to be secondary science teachers; we were looking at Carson City before realizing that there were very few schools there for us to work in...
I would be transferring to the university there to finish my master's in education; anyone have insights on the university? I liked the overall look/feel of the campus when I was there, and their website (obviously) makes them look good. Anyone here a student there?
Previous posts have also mentioned drug problems; we don't get involved in any activities/groups that are associated with drug use, and I don't notice much drug-related problem in our current city, even though there are drugs here. That said, is the meth problem there that seems to be repeatedly mentioned on this board so ubiquitous that one would notice it/be affected by it, even if one had nothing to do with it?
And the weather--we get nasty, gross, turn-the-sky-brown-with-dust winds here for 1-2 months of the year. At least. The wind season is unpredictable but always comes, is long, unpleasant, and extremely irritating. It's the dust that's the awful part; I noticed when we were in Reno last week that it was windy, but not dusty. Is the Reno wind that bad, about the same, worse, or better?
And how about visiting the ocean? Is it a super-long drive, or could one take weekend trips there?
Is the place dog-friendly? I know that our German Shepherd dog would love a slightly cooler climate, and looking at the weather averages, Reno fits that bill. But what about finding good/safe places to rent that would allow a large dog?
So many questions. Some have been answered in this forum before, but I'd love to have some current, fresh opinions...we really enjoyed the short visit to Reno and are seriously considering moving there (if jobs allow, that is). I appreciate your ideas!
Reno sounds like a good fit. Obviously its a great area for outdoorsy things, and although its not known for bars and nightclubs it will be much better than Las Cruces Im sure. There are some good bars and coffee shops downtown, which is where I think you should look.
Schools definitely don't have the best reputation, but I dont know too much about that subject. I think UNR is a great school, and it does have a beautiful campus. I think it would be a great choice.
I dont think drugs is a huge problem, but I could be wrong.
The ocean is probably about a 4 hour drive, probably more of a weekend thing. But day trips could be possible. Santa Cruz, is probably the closest truly swimmable beach.
Hope that helped a little. If you have any more questions go ahead and ask.
Reno area is a great place to be.It offers many outdoor opportunities and for outdoor lovers, like you and myself, there is an area called Virginia City Highlands where you can live in an mountain environment with trees and hills and views, yet only 15 minutes to Reno. A lot of outdoor lovers are moving here. I think you can have it all and not far away from anything. Check out my website and get a fill for it. outdoorandresort.com
Tahoe, one of the most amazingly-beautiful mountain lakes in North America, is an easy half hour drive up the mountain; there are annual bike races around the rim. Anything you want to do in tree-scaped mountain area is available to you there. Take 80 West for half an hour and you're in Truckee and more of the Tahoe National Forest. San Francisco is about three and a half hours away - great overnight ocean getaway. Next door neighbor finished his Biology PhD at UNR recently and then taught there. Says professors are decent but your fellow students will be average to below average. Unemployment in NV is almost double that of NM; our schools superintendent left and we do not have a new one yet. You will most certainly be competing with local laid-off teachers for sub assignments while you are finishing your program, but since you are science teachers you might have luck securing a job. NV just had a huge battle with the governor over education cuts and you will find teacher pay and benefits to be below national average. Check out the WCSD website for district info if you haven't already - it is the largest school district in NV next to Clark County (Las Vegas). Your dog will love it here - too many trails to list for walking (doggy bags provided) and landlords usually let you have animals in rental with deposit. We are moving back to SoCal soon but the weather is one thing I will miss like crazy. It's beautiful. Four seasons with rain, snow, sunshine, and wind. Yes, the "Washoe Zephyrs" of Mark Twain's jest do hit and can blow trucks over in Washoe Valley, but then they're gone. Santa Ana winds in SoCal are worse IMO. The weather can and does change daily. There are clouds in clean NV skies you won't find anywhere else. Meth and alcohol addiction problems pervasive (don't forget gambling addiction) but nothing you probably haven't seen in NM. Truly a 24 hour town, including a 24-hr Starbucks. Oh, our neighbor is also an authentic Master Brewer - I can ask him about best breweries
As a city guy, Reno sucks. All my outdoors friends however think Reno is heaven. It really has everything and all seasons for it, hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, biking, etc. But don't confuse Tahoe with Reno. Tahoe's 30 miles Southwest of Reno, but it's a whole other world. Tahoe is a forest with more extreme winters, more rain, more snow. Reno is a high altitude desert that is so dry your skin will crack and bleed and you'll have cotton mouth at night. When it rains in Reno, natives go crazy thinking the world is ending wondering why the sky is pouring water on them. They drive so slow thinking their cars will hydroplane on puddles in a parking lot. It's not Death Valley but petty darn near it. The summers here are near perfect, not humid at all. But the winters here last five months. You get a little Spring and a little Fall. It's cold, but it doesn't snow much in Reno. Cold is relative though. My friends from the Midwest think Reno Winters are like their spring and fall.
The nightlife scene here has been booming the last four years with a new bar/club opening almost every other month. Even with the Recession we had three new bars open so far this year. There's three decent breweries here, Silver Peak, Great Basin, and BJ's. BJ's is a chain. The Brew Bros is NOT a brewery, it's a casino fakery. Yes they brew their own beers but they're gross. There's a growing shopping boutique, vintage clothing, local retail thing going on here but concurrently a chain Californication with the new Summit Sierra Mall down south and the new Legends in Sparks. Half of Renoites are from out of state, and most of them are Californians so you will see a weird hybridization of the town full of people who want to turn it into a Far East Bay California suburb and those who wear wife-beaters and want it to remain rustic, independent, and wild. Sounds like you'll fit in the latter.
Don't worry about drugs here. If you want them, you can get them, but there are no gang wars and meth labs on every block. Reno in fact has considerably low crime for the population and proximity to gangland California. The public schools in Reno are decent with the nicer schools further out where all the white folks are moving to get away from the immigrant kids in the center of Reno and Sparks. That's not being politically incorrect, that's reality here. Schools further out are REALLY nice, but if you applied yourself, I'm sure a kid from Wooster or Hug could get into Harvard. Even the worst "inner-city" schools here are paradise compared to some Bronx or Detroit s-hole. In other words, no gang fights and shootings in our schools except the depressed white kid who shoots a classmate.
Yes, Reno is very dog friendly. We're not one of those big city, tiny dog towns. We're a tiny city, big dog town. You'll see lots of pit bulls and boxers in this town.
San Francisco is a 3.5 hours drive away depending on traffic IN San Francisco. Seriously, there's times you spend more time in traffic in the bay area than getting there. However, over the winter, you have to drive over a huge mountain range that often requires chains or even closes sometimes. Hope you like chaining up or just take SouthWest to Oakland or United to San Francisco and skip the whole mess. It can take 8 hours to drive there in the winter. Depends if you got more time than money.
I'm sure you'll love Reno and all its outdoorsy stuff. The folks here are really cool too. They're not uptight like East Coast folks and less pretentious than Californicans. Pretty open minded and laid back and civil.
Thank you for your replies! From what you've all mentioned, it sounds like Reno might be just what we're looking for...I've been looking at the local craigslist, and it seems that housing there is much more reasonable than our other current option (Santa Fe, NM). A random question...is swimming allowed in Lake Tahoe, or are there spots in nearby rivers where a person can swim and loiter for a day? I had a friend who lived in Grass Valley, CA, and she knew all of the awesome swimmin' spots on the Yuba River. Still waiting for a definitive decision on the move, pending good job interviews.
Botanista,
Look at the last post I made under the thread directly under yours....people moving from Georgia. I have posted a few thoughts on the area, that I moved away from last year. I have posted the good and the bad of the area. It should give you some perspective that so far hasn't been posted here.
Reno is a GREAT place if you like outdoors activity. Reno's biggest selling point, in my opinion, is its proximity to Lake Tahoe. Tahoe (about 30 minutes away) has amazing things to do all year round. And even in Reno we've got a good amount of things, including a new, very nice whitewater park on the Truckee River.
The climate here is great. We experience all four seasons - it's about 100 degrees today, but in January it will be down to 30. I'd say Reno is pretty dog friendly. I haven't looked for apartments that allow large dogs, because I have a small dog, but I have noticed that even in my apartment complex (a gated one in the nice NW area of town) there are large dogs.
We do have a higher rate of drug use here than many places, but it's not something you'd need to worry about. I work in the narcotics unit at Reno P.D., so I'm very aware of the drug-ridden areas, but by no means is the entire city affected. Stay away from downtown, the Oddie/Montello area, and Sun Valley and you'll be fine.
The ocean is not far - San Francisco is about a 4 hour drive. As for jobs, I have a few friends who are teachers and say it is difficult to find work right now. If you do find a job though, I think you'd like it here!
To answer your question about swimming at Tahoe, yes you definitely can swim there! And there are even a few dog-friendly beaches. Zephyr Cove, one of the nicest beaches on the lake, doesn't technically "allow" dogs, but over on the side further from the snack bar nearly everyone brings their dog. You will LOVE swimming in Lake Tahoe. The water is so clear, clean, cold and refreshing on a hot summer day!
Nevada Beach also has a dog area for swimming and families, the water there is much warmer than on the California side of Tahoe (IMO)it costs $7.00 to get in and open until 9pm during the summer months, there is also a campground there. I have lived in Reno for 5yrs now, moved from Az where it was Hell Hot & windy and I love it here. Yes its windy, but not that brown out wind.
I think it is funny about the rain, because Biggest little Drunk said it perfectly!! lol People here do not know what to do when it rains, coming from a state where we had major monsoons, I have to laugh, they do not know how to drive in puddles..
Reno has many dog parks, San Rafael Park has a nice one, especially for big dogs and little ones who think they are big..
Reno has alot going on especially during the spring and summer months.
As far as the drugs go, every city has this dilema. If your looking for it, you'll find it, if your not then, You Wont!!
Good Luck
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