Reno - What is it like to live there? (Las Vegas: for sale, insurance)

[renoguy]

Before you select Reno you may want to make sure you're not allergic to Rabbitbrush. It flowers in late summer and early fall. It has a great smell but some years it kills me. A lot of people are allergic to the stuff and it flowers pretty much until the first good frost. The desert is covered with it.

[mimi2007]

Thanks for the tip, Renoguy. I think I will change my screenname to "bubblegal" and live in one. Seriously, I will ask my doctor to test me for the stuff. Here, in Illinois, I suffer through mold season at the end of the winter, grass pollen season when everything starts blooming, and vicious ragweed season in the autumn. I have actually gotten quite ill on two of our Reno trips. About three years ago, I spent the last 2 days of the trip in bed at the hotel -- I thought it was the flu. I definitely will seek testing for this.
Thanks.

[2sleepy]

I live in SW Reno up on a hill and the wind is just awful. Particularly in the summer, about 3pm the wind picks up and at times you really need to hold on to your deck railing to avoid blowing off. I have been here for 8 years and if anyone had told me about this wind I would have gone elsewhere. Other than that, I love Northern Nevada, its grown alot in the past few years so shopping is alot better than it was, and you don't have the taxes and traffic like Cali. To anyone looking for a house right now, be careful - this market is shaky, housing prices seem to be dropping daily. A good resource for real estate information is http://dianecohn.blogs.com/

[henry2481]

Thanks so much for information and opinions all have shared.

Please keep them coming. I loved the pictures that were posted of the city. Gorgeous!

Honestly, the only negative is the wind and getting perspective on that. When I look at the charts on weather underground, it just does not look that bad.

Anyway, thanks so much!

[Tressa]

I experienced some wind this April in northern Nevada, out of 5 days there it snowed a couple of days but was gone by noon, 2 days were very windy blew all the leaves off my young white birch trees, 1 day was to die for hot, clear and calm just wonderful and those days make it worth it. I admit will have to find hardier trees to plant in the area, like they say only the strong will survive.

[jwaters943]

Originally Posted by jess76

Ain't that the truth!wind in smog,oh gotta love reno,not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes, the smog is so bad. Exaggerate much?

Reno tied for 25th best metropolitan area in the nation for air quality in 2006.

(Source: http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...705010332/1002)

[norby413]

I'm new to this forum, and I'm really perplexed at the responses from a few regulars that seem to hate where they live. They blow up the negative and seem to ignore the FACT that Reno is attracting people from all over, and they're all STAYING!
To help with the Reno challenged, I'll give my 2 cents.
Wind: Sometimes its windy. A lot of the time it's a nice breeze on a warm day. Don't live near a big patch of empty dirt and it's no big deal.
Crime: Please. Crime is miniscule compared to most places. The police blotter reports in the paper read like the 1950's. I grew up in an upscale Bay Area neighborhood and had much more stuff happen.
Meth: It's a problem in every city/state/town/neighborhood in the country. Hawaii has the worst problem. Should you not move to Maui?? If you don't do it, noones going to bother you.
Casinos: If you like gambling, food, entertainment, they're great. If you don't, don't go in. They don't abduct you off the streets and force you to gamble!
They are the reason we have no income tax, and overall lower than average taxes. They're pretty at night. They are great for cheap/good food and drink.
And, sometimes you win!!
Schools: lots of new, nice schools in recently expanded areas. Don't know how they "rate" compared to other states. Ratings are very subjective.
UNR is a great University. Beautiful campus.
To Do: Are you kidding?? Nothing to do?? Compared to where?
One reason we love it here is all the stuff to do. Fishing, hiking, skiing, boating, sightseeing, exploring, parks, rivers, lakes, camping, offroading.
In the summer, there is some kind of big festival/activity every weekend. Lets see: National Air races, Balloon races, Hot August Nights, Street Vibrations, Italian festival, Euro fest, National Rib Cookoff, Amazing 4th of July choices, Arttown. Lots of concerts with both big names, and nostalgic retro names. They're building the largest indoor water park in the country at the new Grand Sierra resort. Shopping choices are expanding.
Weather: You better like seasons. We have real ones. The nice thing is that you can experience snow without the real hassle. We get a little in the valley, but not enough to buy a snowblower. Go 20 minutes into the mountains and you can ski or sled to your hearts content.
Grew up in San Jose area. Much more storms, hotter in summer, much less sunshine.
Economy: Depends on your line of work. Lots of companies moving here. That's how I got here. If you work in service industries, lots of jobs but low pay. If you have good employment/skills, economy is expanding.
People: Very freindly. Small town feel mostly. Some idiots, but where are there not any??
Traffic: From my point of view, there is no traffic! Small backups during rush hour (really, just an hour or so) and only at the one, poorly designed freeway interchange. 5-10 minute delays are the worst case. People who grew up here whine cause they don't know what REAL traffic is!

Overall, Reno rates near the top for me. The only other places I'd like to live are too expensive. It take a little while to get used to the dryness. In fact, I'll put dry as the worst attribute. Your nose will dry out, and your skin a little, for about 3-6 months, then your body adapts. Drink more water and have a humidifier if necessary. Dry is also a plus. Fewer allergies, heat feels less "hot", cold feels less "cold", my dogs never get smelly Fewer flies/mosquitos, mold less of a problem.
Brown also takes getting used to. The hills are green for a short time. You have to learn to appreciate sagebrush, pine trees, and desert terrain. If you do, you'll see the beauty.

I think the haters are probably not that happy, overall, with their own lives. If you have little job skills/prospects, low overall income, I can see how you wouldn't like it here. If you focus on the negative, I can see why you wouldn't like it here. I'd move in a heartbeat if I felt they way they do!

[Tressa]

Norby well put.

[renoguy]

I'm sorry if I've come across as negative. I try to point out all aspects of Reno both good and bad. I've lived here most of my life and would describe overall living in Reno as great.

I think a lot of people who describe the traffic as bad grew up here and remember when there was no traffic at any time so to them it seems heavy. To those who remember Bay Area or LA traffic it would seem light to none. It's all about perspective.

Again, with the smog. To those from LA it would seem a joke to say there is smog here. If you use the hard facts of particulates and number of days per year with red alert status it seems light. We have fewer than we ever had even with inversions. On the other hand just to look at the valley on a winter morning driving in it looks bad. It's all about perspective.

Norby is right there is a ton of stuff to do here. More and more is added downtown to the Artown festival every year. There must be something going on here every weekend in the summer. There is a farmers market in Sparks on Thursdays which is nice. I hear they're trying to get some sort of farmers market downtown Reno as well.

I've posted some pictures that I took on a recent hike near my home that offer a look at Reno. I love the desert and appreciate it for what it is.

[jwaters943]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing.