Sac vs Reno

[trailtramp]

Toss up for us, considering anywhere between Santa Rosa, Sac and Reno, basically the I-80 corridor. Wine country is expensive so we would have to downsize quite a bit to keep $ for purchasing home the same, and thats okay. Sac is a terrific city, love the whole downtown midtown areas, even out to Fair Oaks. Guess the downside is population and fairly heavy traffic. Spent a week in Reno recently, amazed at how cleaned up it is since the early 90's. Even the DT gambling area was so much cleaner than I remember. The river walk area is fantastic, and the mild 4 season weather is attractive. Housing Sac compared to Reno similar, although there are many more newer residential areas in Reno.

The tax benefits of Nevada are forcing a big consideration. No income tax, no tax on SS or retirement funds withdrawls. Property taxes about identical to Sac.

We have about 22 months to keep revisiting to help us decide, its going to happen but the decision is a tough one.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by trailtramp

Toss up for us, considering anywhere between Santa Rosa, Sac and Reno, basically the I-80 corridor. Wine country is expensive so we would have to downsize quite a bit to keep $ for purchasing home the same, and thats okay. Sac is a terrific city, love the whole downtown midtown areas, even out to Fair Oaks. Guess the downside is population and fairly heavy traffic. Spent a week in Reno recently, amazed at how cleaned up it is since the early 90's. Even the DT gambling area was so much cleaner than I remember. The river walk area is fantastic, and the mild 4 season weather is attractive. Housing Sac compared to Reno similar, although there are many more newer residential areas in Reno.

The tax benefits of Nevada are forcing a big consideration. No income tax, no tax on SS or retirement funds withdrawls. Property taxes about identical to Sac.

We have about 22 months to keep revisiting to help us decide, its going to happen but the decision is a tough one.

Winter is typically not mild in Reno, at least not to someone who is used to California weather. Since you have some time before you make your decision I would suggest you make a few more trips to Reno before you finalize your plans. The wind can be brutal, summer afternoons is when they are the worst and the wind is always from the west. It has a penchant for ruining many backyard BBQ'. My husband got caught in a dust storm and he had to get his entire car repainted and the windshield replaced. I drove through a windstorm on the way to Carson and a pile of gravel left on the side of the road got picked up by the wind and damaged my windshield so bad I could barely see through it. Spring is typically quite chilly and snow in June is not unusual. Summer is hot in the day but cools off nicely at night. Fall is lovely but winter can be a real pain. We spent 14 years there shoveling sidewalks and driveways and scraping snow off our satellite dish.

Most of the nicer areas are in HOA's make sure you investigate the HOA before you buy a home in one. Some of them have very high fees but you don't get much for your money other than HOA Nazis driving around taking pictures of your garbage can that you didn't put away soon enough after pickup.

Somersett, parts of Caughlin Ranch and Arrow Creek tend to be windier than other parts of town. If you decide to buy there I would look in the Damonte Ranch area, it doesn't seem to be as windy, my only gripe about that area is that some of the subdivisions look like rabbit warrens, nearly identical houses built too close together. Another area to check that is more rural and also seems less windy is Hidden Valley, but it's an older area without many tract homes.

After living in Sacramento County for almost five years I'm not planning on moving but if I was it would be to Folsom, you might want to check it out.

Whatever your decision, all my best to you!

[shelato]

Reno because of elevation and being in the rain shadow of the Sierra has a much different collection of allergens than Sac. In general drier areas like Reno have less plants and less pollen which leads to fewer allergens. That said if you are allergic to any of the scrub bush plants in Reno you are screwed, but most people with bad allergies are probably better off in a place that doesn't pride itself in being a city of trees.



Otherwise I think I would take Sac over Reno. Sac has a larger more diversified economy and just more stuff to do.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by shelato

Reno because of elevation and being in the rain shadow of the Sierra has a much different collection of allergens than Sac. In general drier areas like Reno have less plants and less pollen which leads to fewer allergens. That said if you are allergic to any of the scrub bush plants in Reno you are screwed, but most people with bad allergies are probably better off in a place that doesn't pride itself in being a city of trees.

Otherwise I think I would take Sac over Reno. Sac has a larger more diversified economy and just more stuff to do.

My son lived in Northern California all of his life, he never had allergies until he moved to Reno to attend UNR and for the 2 years he was there he really suffered. He now lives near the SF Bay area but he spends several weekends a year with us in Sacramento and he doesn't suffer from allergies here.

Here are the more common allergens in Reno:

Sage
Rabbit Brush
Grass
Pine
Juniper
Russian Olive
Mold during a rainy spring or fall season

The pine pollen is so bad that if you live in an area with a lot of pine trees your car will be covered with yellow pollen every morning. What really exacerbates the problem are thermal inversions which trap everything in the valley.

[DougStark]

Homes in the Reno metro aren't cheap, and I have no idea why that is. There's loads of vacant desert land they can sprawl out on. What's the deal?

If money was no object, I'd pick Davis over Reno hands-down. A brown, windy desert location (Reno) vs. a well planned college town near a major metro area? (Sac) No comparison.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by DougStark

If money was no object, I'd pick Davis over Reno hands-down. A brown, windy desert location (Reno) vs. a well planned college town near a major metro area? (Sac) No comparison.

What kind of statement is that? If money were no object, I'd live in Newport Beach...

[shelato]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

My son lived in Northern California all of his life, he never had allergies until he moved to Reno to attend UNR and for the 2 years he was there he really suffered. He now lives near the SF Bay area but he spends several weekends a year with us in Sacramento and he doesn't suffer from allergies here.

Here are the more common allergens in Reno:

Sage
Rabbit Brush
Grass
Pine
Juniper
Russian Olive
Mold during a rainy spring or fall season

The pine pollen is so bad that if you live in an area with a lot of pine trees your car will be covered with yellow pollen every morning. What really exacerbates the problem are thermal inversions which trap everything in the valley.

My ex-girlfriend had similar problems with allergies in Sacramento. Again it depends on what specific allergen triggers your issues. But Sacramento is in the middle of one of the largest agricultural areas growing a multitude of crops year round. In addition the region is renown for the diversity of trees grown in the area. All of this means lots of pollen and an abundance of different plants to trigger allergies in different people.