Carson City and Henderson-Top Retirement Cities? (Las Vegas, Reno: gated community, assess, to move)

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by kavm

Thank you so much, Chris!

That's definitely an idea. We could do it from the Davis Creek campground. It will be over the weekend but it will allow us to start early. The other alternative is that we start our (string of) reservations in Mt. Rose campground on July 4th and might be able to switch to a FF site on the 4th or 5th and can stay in the same spot for consecutive days. We like this type of hiking - ~10 miles, 2-3000 ft and 6 or even 7 hours is not completely out of our range. So, we will definitely make an attempt.

Thanks for bringing up Washington state as well. Very perceptive of you! Wester WA is indeed the other alternative we are looking at. The main hang up is wet weather - and we would likely have to spend a year there to feel confident that it agrees with us. Weather in SLC and, I expect, Reno Tahoe area is familiar and comfortable to us, with Reno Tahoe weather being vastly superior in terms of inversions. Of course, there is Eastern WA as well but it is less attractive to us.

We know well enough that there are always tradeoffs in any location. And, we know ourselves well enough to trust our decision making. That's why we are trying to do a soft search, looking at various alternatives and see if a place suits our interests and coming life stages. We have a good starting point in we are in a place that we like and is suitable to retire in. We also have resources to move elsewhere, should some other place suit us better.

Be wary of the property tax hikes on homes up in Washington. They can go up in one year very high. Not as gradual as other states. People lose their homes.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Be wary of the property tax hikes on homes up in Washington. They can go up in one year very high. Not as gradual as other states. People lose their homes.

Thank you! I am aware of the property tax in WA. We go back and forth on this but I am not sure we are up for the rain and gray. That's the main concern - and it'd take some first hand living experience to see if we are wrong. The positive about the NW Nevada area (assuming that's what Reno-Carson City area is called) is that we kind of know and like the weather.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by kavm

Thank you! I am aware of the property tax in WA. We go back and forth on this but I am not sure we are up for the rain and gray. That's the main concern - and it'd take some first hand living experience to see if we are wrong. The positive about the NW Nevada area (assuming that's what Reno-Carson City area is called) is that we kind of know and like the weather.

aT least with Nevada Reno-Carson you will deal with less snow.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

aT least with Nevada Reno-Carson you will deal with less snow.

That is a surprise learning indeed. Coming in, I thought this area would have more snow than us. But, we are good with it either way. My wife does some cross-country and I go snow shoeing or just plain hiking in that. We normally look forward to going out in the snow or after it. The only time we are less happy with it is when there is a lot of mud from the snowmelt on the trail.

[nowhereman427]

I get constant listing of homes in Nevada and as with everything else the prices there have gone up. You can't really get that big of a home but you can get a newer home from what I have seen in the Dayton to Fernley areas.

[kavm]

We are fortunate in that we have already downsized some when we moved from a 3000 sq ft house to a 1500 sq ft condo. We could even downsize further (not a lot but some) if we move in retirement. We prefer quality over quantity. So, smaller place with great views, closeness to nature and quality construction and furnishings is what we will look for, if we get that far. Our current place mostly fits those criteria.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by kavm

We are fortunate in that we have already downsized some when we moved from a 3000 sq ft house to a 1500 sq ft condo. We could even downsize further (not a lot but some) if we move in retirement. We prefer quality over quantity. So, smaller place with great views, closeness to nature and quality construction and furnishings is what we will look for, if we get that far. Our current place mostly fits those criteria.

This is good too by downsizing you are saving in energy costs and can concentrate on those amenities that are most important to you. The $$$ can go into that vs. square footage.

[Teacher Terry]

Kavm, we had a group of 6 people ranging in ages from 35-52. We had trained all summer because all of us had just moved here and new at hiking. We reached the top at 10 and sat there for a hour enjoying the view. So we headed down at 11 and were down by 2. So may be faster if you are experienced hikers.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

Kavm, we had a group of 6 people ranging in ages from 35-52. We had trained all summer because all of us had just moved here and new at hiking. We reached the top at 10 and sat there for a hour enjoying the view. So we headed down at 11 and were down by 2. So may be faster if you are experienced hikers.

Thank you for sharing that. We are experienced but not necessarily faster. The climb itself doesn't scare us but we will not be setting any speed records. When did you start? In the summer I too like to get to the top by 10 AM. In the height of the summer - I sometime leave between 5 and 5:30 AM to get through the a good part of the climbing while there is shade. The challenge is that my wife is not into too early a start. So, it will likely come down to her.

[ChrisMT]

You can certainly ski and snowshoe in Northern Nevada up in the mountains all winter. Occasionally you can cross-country in the valleys, but the snow melts fast down here in the sunshine. Mount Rose meadows is a popular cross-country ski area.

You can check out climate differences of cities on various websites, search ‘city compare’.

Lightning hazard can be a factor in the mountains. If there are thunderstorms in the area I would not hike/bike where the big clouds are hanging out. I have had some scary experiences with that, mostly to the south around Ebbetts Pass in California. You do need to be careful even in the valleys if it’s thundering and the storms can move fast. I think vacationers can have more risk because you have limited time to enjoy your planned adventures and can be unaware of local hazards.